Retirement “Pension planning means taking responsibility”

Huber-Schütz: This result is very thought-provoking. Incidentally, there is even less interest in stocks and the financial market. Paradoxically, it is especially important for women to think about how to build their wealth.

Huber-Schütz: For example, one aspect is that women on average live four years longer than men, meaning they need more capital in the long term. Add to this the fact that women are still more likely to work part-time or to take longer breaks from work when starting a family. All of these aspects have a significant influence on their personal pension situation.

Bauer: We know that women more often have gaps in their retirement provision. This is problematic in many respects. I find it worrying that many young women are still not thinking ahead to their retirement or doing their own financial planning.

Bauer: Planning for retirement always sounds rather boring. It is understandable that a 25-year-old woman would not yet want to deal with retirement planning – nonetheless, it is important.

Emminger: When women come into a branch, we notice that many of them are somewhat in awe of the technical terms and the apparent complexity. In addition – compared to men – they are warier of seeking professional support and making an appointment for advice.

Emminger: Absolutely. That is why we are trying to capture women’s interest at different levels and to actively discuss retirement and financial planning with them.

Huber-Schütz: And this is also essential. The fact is, nine out of ten women will be faced with a situation in their lives where they must get more deeply involved with the topic of finances. This may happen, for example, as the result of a divorce or the early death of a partner. In these types of situations, we often see that women are unprepared.

Huber-Schütz: For example, for some there is a lack of transparency about their financial situation, especially regarding their retirement savings. Dealing with these issues is often an additional burden for many women and can even lead to some unpleasant surprises. Our goal is to motivate and inspire women to start their personal wealth planning at an early stage. The UBS Women’s Wealth Academy is a digital knowledge platform that addresses the different aspects of financial planning.

Huber-Schütz: Absolutely! The community is growing constantly. Many users visit the platform regularly, read the articles and complete the learning paths on different topics. I’m pleased to see that it’s making a difference.

Bauer: It’s never too early, but also (almost) never too late. “Every stage of life offers a chance to engage with retirement planning.”

Bauer: Pillar 3a is a good way to begin. Those who regularly pay into it can watch as their wealth grows over time. This is especially true if the money is invested in securities rather than just being left to sit.

Bauer: The compound interest effect is one of the most impactful and powerful in the financial industry. But not many people are aware of it. By reinvesting interest received, my wealth will grow exponentially over time. This also applies to savings in pillar 3.

Bauer: It is important to look at the entire pension system. This includes being clear about what consequences certain decisions will have on the retirement savings pillars. Most women in Switzerland are well provided for by pillar 1, but things look different in pillar 2. Crudely speaking, the rule here is: “you only get what you make.” In other words, those who work less also have less savings.

Bauer: Not necessarily. But it’s important that this decision is made jointly and that the couple is aware of the consequences.

Emminger: Different life events always have financial consequences. Whether getting married, buying an apartment or taking early retirement, you need to check how these decisions will impact your retirement situation. Many people are not really aware of this.

Huber-Schütz: Regardless of how a couple chooses to divide up work and childcare responsibilities, I advise them to take the time to plan their long-term finances together. Questions to ask yourself are, for example, how is my pension fund doing? How much am I paying into pillar 3a and how is this money being invested? UBS has tools to help here, such as the UBS Pension Calculator.

Huber-Schütz: We base our advice on UBS Wealth Way, which provides transparency on a client’s individual situation. This begins with a pension check and runs to a detailed financial plan, depending on the complexity of the individual situation. It is the basis for suitable investment and retirement solutions.

Emminger: It is important that women are clear about their goals, needs and preferences. How do I feel about early retirement, what kind of living situation do I want in old age, what wishes do I want to fulfill later on? These are all important questions when it comes to retirement planning.

Emminger: Certainly, as our circumstances can also change unexpectedly. For example: we all know how high the divorce rate is. Even though it is not a pleasant thing to think about, we should keep this scenario in the back of our minds. Retirement planning means being independent and taking responsibility for yourself.

Emminger: Yes, this is also apparent in our consultations. In principle, this is not a bad thing. Some women have a very keen understanding of risk. In principle, this is not a bad thing.

Emminger: If excessive risk aversion means that women leave their money in their account rather than investing it wisely, they could lose out on attractive returns in the long term. This applies in particular to young women, who have a long investment horizon.

Emminger: It is true that women tend to be more disciplined with their investments. If they have an investment strategy, they tend to follow it consistently, which benefits them in the long term.

Huber-Schütz: Women like to invest sustainably. They want to make an impact with the money they invest. Fortunately, we offer a wide choice of exciting and attractive solutions in this area – and the number is always increasing.