Viac 3a stands out as one of the best 3a retirement savings solutions in Switzerland thanks to its simple approach and excellent return-to-fee ratio. Viac 3a: Preparing for your future has never been easier, Here is a quick summary and my opinion on Viac 3a.
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| Punctuation out of 10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commissions (management fees) | 0 – 0.40% | 9.5 / 10 |
| Indirect costs | Very few indirect costs | 9.5 / 10 |
| Past yield | Very good for a 3a account | 9 / 10 |
| Choice of strategies | Very varied | 10 / 10 |
| Opportunity to invest 99% in the stock market on global 100 | Yes | 10 / 10 |
| Percentage of investment in Switzerland & Percentage of investment abroad | 39.5% in Switzerland 60.5% abroad | 10 / 10 |
| Ease of use | Very simple | 10 / 10 |
| Maximum number of portfolios a client can hold | 5 | 9.5 / 10 |
| 3a security | Very good | 9.5 / 10 |
| Customer service | Very good | 9.5 / 10 |
| 9.65 / 10 |
Why hold a 3a account?
A 3a account is a retirement savings account that provides tax advantages.
Indeed, if a person resides in Switzerland and adds money to their 3a account, they will be able to reduce a percentage of their taxes.
Note that in some cases, tax reductions can be optimized to save several thousand CHF each year. However, it's important to remember that every tax situation is different and every tax optimization strategy is personal.
It should be noted that although adding money to a 3a account can reduce taxes, the 3a account can only be withdrawn on 4 occasions:
- Buying your main residence
- Final departure abroad
- Starting your own business in Switzerland
- Retirement at an advanced age
However, the question is, which 3a account should you choose? Let's analyze the Viac 3a account together 😊
Viac 3a in brief
Viac is a financial institution specializing in insurance.
It should be noted that Viac offers various financial products. For example, Viac Invest allows clients to invest their money in the stock market, and Finpension Libre Passage manages the client's second pillar pension.
In this article, we will analyze Viac 3a1 😉
Viac 3a: Preparing for your future has never been easier
Annual commissions (management fees)
Viac 3a has a commission based on the percentage of investment:
- Less than 5% of investment = 0% in management fees
- More than 5% invested = 0.40% in management fees
👉 These are very good annual commissions! Note that at the time of writing, I only know of Finpension and Neon 3a that offer such low fees!
🔺Furthermore, it's worth noting that Viac allows you to reduce annual fees by sharing promo codes. In other words, if a customer shares their promo code with a new Viac customer, the commissions are reduced for both customers!
Therefore, right now, investing in Viac 3a means investing in one of the 3a accounts with the lowest management fees! Especially if you share your Viac 3a promo code.
Indirect costs
It is rare for a bank account or pension account not to have indirect or hidden fees.
As a general rule, there are always fees payable by the customer for, for example, exchange rate fees, entry/exit fees, TER fees or administrative fees.
👉 Regarding the main indirect costs, according to my analysis, Viac 3a performs very well!
Indeed, there are no fees for, for example:
- TER
- Entrance fees
- Transaction fees
- Administrative fees
However, it's worth noting that there are some costs to consider. For example:
- Withdrawal of the 3a to buy a house
The investment strategy
Viac 3a offers 7 strategies for investing or keeping your money in the 3a account:
| Actions | Bonds or cash | Real estate | Raw Materials / Alternative Investments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| More | 5% | 95% | 0% | 0% |
| 20 | 20% | 68% | 10% | 2% |
| 40 | 40% | 47% | 10% | 3% |
| 60 | 60% | 26% | 10% | 4% |
| 80 | 80% | 5% | 10% | 5% |
| 100 | 99% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
👉 The 7 strategies are varied and the client's choice is quite clear. That's a very good point.
In addition, there is the possibility of investing individually if the client wishes.
In my opinion (not investment advice), the global 100 strategy is the most interesting over the long term (more than 10 years)!
The percentage of investment abroad & The percentage of investment in Switzerland
Although Switzerland has historically been a stable country for stock market investments, Switzerland remains a small country with very little political weight on a global level.
For those who like to invest a large portion of their 3a account in the stock market, it's advantageous to be able to invest abroad, especially in the United States, as the US has historically been the country with the best stock market returns. Furthermore, it wields significant political influence globally.
Therefore, while I understand that a 3a account should have a good percentage invested in Switzerland, I think it's important to invest a significant portion of your 3a account globally for diversification purposes.
👉 Viac 3a allows you to invest abroad up to 100%. That's very convenient.
Regarding the overall strategy, here is the investment breakdown of Viac Global 100:
- 39.5% in Switzerland
- 33.8% in the USA
- 26.7% excluding Switzerland and the USA
In my opinion, the percentage invested in the USA is slightly low. Indeed, I would increase it to 36% in the USA and decrease it to 24% outside of Switzerland and the USA.
👉 However, if we analyze the strategy as a whole, it meets my minimum requirements (60% globally and 40% in Switzerland). Therefore, the strategy is excellent!
The investment choice
Viac 3a gives 3 choices to invest according to your strategy.
- Global = Investment worldwide
- Sustainable = Choosing an investment that promotes sustainability (through sustainable actions, for example)
- Switzerland = Investing in Switzerland (or via Swiss shares)
👉 In my opinion, I'm not a fan of Swiss 100% investments or investments that favor sustainable stocks. In fact, I prefer the global approach!
On the other hand, each reader has the right to have a different opinion and I think it's a good point for Viac to offer these investment opportunities.
It's also worth noting that Viac 3a allows you to invest primarily through Swisscanto index funds. In my opinion, this is an excellent option!
Investment return
👉 Viac 3a has achieved a very good past performance.
For example, with Global 100, at the time of writing this article (November 2025), the 10-year return is 9.4% annualized! That's fantastic!
In reality, at the time of writing this article, only Finpension has similar returns over a long period.
Therefore, it is very satisfying to know that the past performance with Viac's 100 strategies is very good!
The security of 3a
Regarding the security of the 3a account, like the majority of pension accounts in Switzerland, the client's securities are separated from the bank.
That is to say, if Viac goes bankrupt, your client's 3a securities are transferred to another 3a account.
Regarding security via Smartphone, I have not noticed any major risks (but I am not a computer expert).
👉 In conclusion, the security of Viac 3a is very good!
The number of possible portfolios to hold?
I already wrote about it in this blog post, Should I stagger the third payment to save on taxes?, that it is important to hold several 3a accounts in order to optimize taxes when withdrawing from the 3a account.
Indeed, in most cantons in Switzerland, it is preferable to hold, for example, 3 3a accounts with 100,000 CHF in each 3a account, rather than holding 300,000 CHF in a single 3a account.
In reality, in most cases, dividing your 3a account into a few 3a accounts allows for tax optimization.
👉 Note that Viac 3a allows the client to hold up to 5 3a portfolios. This is a sufficient number in my opinion.
Ease of use
Like the majority of 3a accounts in Switzerland, it is very simple to hold and invest via a 3a account.
👉 In reality, you just need to add money with a payment and Viac 3a takes care of everything.
To give an example, in my case, I simply add a monthly transfer from my current account to my 3a account. And voilà, the money in my 3a account is invested and safe.
Client service
In my experience, customer service with Viac has always been very good.
Generally, the answers are clear and quick.
Furthermore, with the Viac application, responses are generally answered in less than 10 minutes and by a human being.
Conclusion Viac 3a
Viac 3a: Preparing for your future has never been easier
Let's analyze, using a table, a summary of Viac 3a as well as my personal punctuation. 😉
| Punctuation out of 10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commissions (management fees) | 0 – 0.40% | 9.5 / 10 |
| Indirect costs | Very few indirect costs | 9.5 / 10 |
| Past yield | Very good for a 3a account | 9 / 10 |
| Choice of strategies | Very varied | 10 / 10 |
| Opportunity to invest at 99% on global 100 | Yes | 10 / 10 |
| Percentage of investment in Switzerland & Percentage of investment abroad | 39.5% in Switzerland 60.5% abroad | 10 / 10 |
| Ease of use | Very simple | 10 / 10 |
| Maximum number of portfolios a client can hold | 5 | 9.5 / 10 |
| 3a security | Very good | 9.5 / 10 |
| Customer service | Very good | 9.5 / 10 |
| 9.65 / 10 |
Viac 3a receives a very good overall rating from 9.65 / 10. That's an excellent score!
👉 In my opinion, Viac 3a is a very good choice for opening a 3a account.
Viac 3a VS other 3a accounts
In my opinion, Viac 3a is one of the top 3a accounts in Switzerland. Viac 3a's only serious competitors are Neon 3a and Finpension 3a.
Indeed, I think that at the time of writing this article, Viac and Finpension are the best 3a in Switzerland if we analyze profitability / Commissions / Simplicity.
👉 Therefore, with the exception of those who have a 3a account with Finpension 3a or Neon 3a, switching from a 3a account to Viac 3a is an option to consider. 😊
Viac 3a: Preparing for your future has never been easier
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Overall, this blog lives on sharing a frugal and minimalist lifestyle.
For a question of transparency towards the readers. All recommended products are in order to make life cheaper, simpler and to promote the essentials.
Basically, my only income with this blog comes:
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About me
I decided to create this blog to develop and help readers who are looking for a simpler and more economical life.
Compared to before, I was a person who consumed a lot until the day I realized that my consumption made me sadder and poorer 😑
Now I prefer the minimum of my needs to be happy and achieve my financial freedom.
Without realizingI started to focus on saving and investing to depend on a boss for as little time as possible and to speed up my personal projects.
As a result, I am getting richer in a way that I never imagined since I have an average salary in Switzerland.
It is for this purpose that I decided to create this blog. In order to share and learn with other people who seek freedom and simplicity 😉
Are you rather minimalist or frugal Jonny?
I am as minimalist as I am frugalist. However, there are situations where I lean more towards an art of life.
To conclude, I think the most important thing is to feel comfortable in your lifestyle 😊
Viac 3a: Preparing for your future has never been easier
Viac 3a: Preparing for your future has never been easier
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