Planning
Swiss Financial Check-up
A short questionnaire that turns your situation into an estimated score across five areas most Swiss households can influence: an emergency buffer, pillar 3a, long-term investing, debt and how much you set aside each month. It compares your answers with widely used rules of thumb — nothing more.
Educational guidance only — not financial advice. This score is a rough orientation built on generic rules of thumb. It does not know your pension fund, taxes, family situation, job security or goals, and it is not a substitute for a licensed adviser. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Saved scenarios
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Estimated financial score
Reasonable base, room to tighten
Your strongest area looks like Savings rate, and the one with the most room is Emergency fund. This score is an educational orientation based on general rules of thumb — it is not an assessment of your finances and not personal advice.
Emergency buffer
3.6 mo
Months of expenses in liquid savings
3a maximum used
49.6%
Estimated maximum: CHF 7'258 per year
Estimated savings rate
32.7%
Set aside per month vs gross income
Debt to income
0%
Non-mortgage debt vs gross annual salary
Rule-of-thumb invested target
CHF 95'000
Approximate orientation at age 35
Rough net worth
CHF 60'000
Savings, investments and 3a minus debt
Category breakdown
Each area is rated against a general rule of thumb, then weighted into the overall score.
Emergency fund
Could improve · 68/100 · weight 25%
Expenses covered by liquid savings: 3.6 mo
Rule of thumb: 3–6 months
Many financial-education sources suggest holding three to six months of living costs in cash before investing more aggressively. Topping up the buffer first is the usual order, because it is what prevents having to sell investments at a bad moment.
Pillar 3a
Could improve · 68/100 · weight 20%
Share of the maximum deductible contribution: 49.6%
Maximum for your status: CHF 7'258 per year
The deduction only counts for what you actually pay in, and unused years generally cannot be caught up later. Increasing the yearly amount towards the maximum — for example via a standing order spread over twelve months — is the standard educational suggestion.
Investments
Could improve · 71/100 · weight 20%
Invested assets vs age-based rule of thumb: 47.4%
Rule of thumb at age 35: about CHF 95'000
A common rule of thumb is that invested assets grow towards a multiple of annual income as you get older. Regular, automated contributions to a broadly diversified, low-cost solution are the usual educational suggestion — timing markets is not.
Debt
Strong · 100/100 · weight 15%
Non-mortgage debt vs gross annual income: 0%
Rule of thumb: as close to 0% as possible
No meaningful non-mortgage debt. General guidance is to keep it that way: consumer credit, card balances and car loans in Switzerland typically cost far more per year than a diversified portfolio is expected to return.
Savings rate
Strong · 100/100 · weight 20%
Saved and invested per month vs gross income: 32.7%
Rule of thumb: at least 10–20%
Putting aside a substantial share of gross income each month is the single strongest driver of long-term outcomes in most educational models — more than product choice or return assumptions. Automating it makes it durable.
What these numbers mean
The score is not a measure of how well you are doing in life, and there is no official Swiss financial score. It simply checks five habits that most financial-education material agrees on, and expresses the distance to a common rule of thumb as a number so that changes are easy to see.
The order of the categories matters more than the total. A liquid buffer of roughly three to six months of expenses comes first, because it is what keeps an unexpected event from turning into expensive debt. Clearing consumer debt normally comes next, since its interest rate usually exceeds any realistic investment return. Pillar 3a follows, because the deduction is use-it-or-lose-it each year. Broad long-term investing comes after those, with money you will not need for years.
Your savings rate is the one input with the largest long-term effect, and it is estimated here: net income is approximated from your gross salary rather than calculated from a payslip. Treat every figure on this page as approximate.
None of the suggestions above are tailored to you. They are fixed texts selected by category and rating, written for a general audience. For decisions that matter, speak to an independent, licensed adviser.
Assumptions used
- The score is a weighted average of five categories: emergency fund 25%, pillar 3a 20%, investments 20%, savings rate 20%, debt 15%. Those weights are our editorial choice, not a standard.
- The overall rating stays consistent with the breakdown: it is only shown as strong when no single category needs attention and at least three of the five categories are strong.
- Emergency fund: liquid savings divided by monthly expenses. Six months or more scores full marks, three months scores mid-range, below three months scores low — the widely used three-to-six-month rule of thumb.
- Pillar 3a: your yearly contribution compared with the maximum deductible amount for 2026 (CHF 7'258 with a pension fund; 20% of net earned income up to CHF 36'288 without one). 90% of the maximum or more scores full marks.
- Investments: total invested assets (outside 3a plus 3a capital) compared with a simple age ladder of roughly one times gross annual salary per decade after age 25, with a floor of about a quarter of annual salary below that age. This is a rule of thumb for orientation only, not a target anyone is obliged to hit.
- Debt: non-mortgage debt divided by gross annual income. Zero scores full marks, above about 15% scores mid-range, above about 35% scores low. A mortgage is excluded because it is secured by property and treated differently in Switzerland.
- Savings rate: monthly investing plus any surplus between income and expenses, divided by gross monthly income. 20% or more scores full marks, 10% scores mid-range.
- Net income is approximated from gross salary for the savings-rate surplus; it is not a payslip calculation. For a proper net figure, use the Swiss salary calculator.
- Suggestions are fixed, pre-written texts chosen by category and rating. Nothing is generated for your situation, and no input is sent anywhere or stored.
- Not considered: pension fund (BVG/LPP) balance and projected pension, insurance cover, taxes owed, dependants, expected inheritance, business assets, property value, income stability or currency exposure. A real financial situation includes all of these.
This check-up provides general financial education, not personalised financial, tax, pension or investment advice, and it is not a suitability or risk assessment. All results are approximate estimates based on generic rules of thumb and the figures you entered. Your inputs stay in your browser: nothing is stored, transmitted or tracked.
Related: tips on costs and fine printShort, factual notes on pillar 3a product structures, low-cost 3a foundations, low-fee ETF investing and the fees to check before committing.Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions that come up most often with this calculator.
- What does the financial score measure?
- Five categories weighted into a single 0-100 figure: emergency fund, pillar 3a usage, investments relative to age and income, savings rate and debt level. Each is scored against widely used rules of thumb.
- Is this personalised financial advice?
- No. The score and suggestions are educational and generic. They do not consider your full situation, goals or risk tolerance, and they are not a recommendation to buy or sell anything.
- How large should an emergency fund be?
- A common guideline is three to six months of living expenses in easily accessible cash, more if your income is variable or you are self-employed.
- Where do my answers go?
- Nowhere. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is stored or transmitted, so the questionnaire leaves no record of your finances.