Every number has a source.

Swiss budget counsellors recommend keeping housing costs at or below about 25% of net income (at most one third for lower incomes).

About one in five people in Switzerland (21.5%) live in a household that could not pay an unexpected bill of CHF 2,500 within a month — 46% of single-parent households.

Emergency savings were the strongest predictor of financial well-being: even USD 2,000 set aside was linked to 21% higher well-being, and 3–6 months of expenses to a further 13% — after controlling for income and assets.

Only 63% of US adults could cover a USD 400 emergency expense with cash or its equivalent — unchanged from the year before.

Since 1900 Swiss equities returned 6.8% a year (about 4.6% after inflation) and Swiss bonds 3.9% (about 1.8% real), with inflation averaging 2.1%. No 20-year holding period in Swiss equities has lost money.

Swiss equities fluctuate a lot (about 19% annual volatility vs 5% for bonds), but 10-year holdings starting 1931 or later never lost money; a 60/40 portfolio earned 6% a year with 12% volatility.

Across 35 markets and 126 years, equities beat bonds, bills and inflation in every country with a continuous history; gold returned only about 1.3% a year after inflation.

Over ten years, 97% of EUR-denominated and 94% of GBP-denominated active equity funds underperformed their benchmark index; the longer the horizon, the worse active funds did.

USD 10,000 in the S&P 500 from 2006 to 2025 grew to USD 80,619 if left alone, but only USD 35,866 if the 10 best days were missed — and 6 of those days came within two weeks of the 10 worst.

Most individual US stocks since 1926 did worse than one-month Treasury bills over their lifetime; about 4% of companies accounted for all net stock-market wealth creation — which is why diversification matters.

Among 66,465 households (1991–1996), the most active traders earned 11.4% a year while the market returned 17.9%; the average household turned over 75% of its portfolio a year.

Of Brazilian individuals who day-traded futures for more than 300 days, 97% lost money and only 1.1% earned more than the minimum wage; there was no evidence that traders learned over time.

Across EU regulators' analyses, 74–89% of retail CFD accounts lost money, with average losses of EUR 1,600 to 29,000 per client — leading to mandatory risk warnings and leverage limits.

Private capital gains are normally tax-free in Switzerland, but frequent traders can be classed as professional and taxed on gains as income. You are safe if all five hold: holding period of at least 6 months, yearly volume at most 5× the portfolio, gains below 50% of net income, no debt financing beyond investment income, derivatives only for hedging.

Swiss brokers typically charge 0.1–2% of each trade; on top comes federal stamp duty of 0.075% on Swiss and 0.15% on foreign securities, plus custody fees at many banks.

Financial literacy in Switzerland is high by international standards but lower among women, low-income and less-educated households — and people with higher literacy are more likely to plan for retirement.

When a company made saving the automatic default, participation among new employees jumped dramatically — without changing any financial incentive. Defaults and automation beat willpower.

Employees who committed in advance to save part of future pay rises increased their savings rate from 3.5% to 13.6% of income within four pay rises; few dropped out.

Over ten years, the average dollar invested earned 1.2 percentage points a year less than the funds themselves because of badly timed buying and selling. (Some academics argue the method overstates the gap.)

Swiss households had an average disposable income of CHF 7,186 per month in 2023 and spent CHF 5,049 of it on consumption.

In 2026 employees with a pension fund can pay up to CHF 7,258 into Pillar 3a; self-employed people without one up to 20% of net income, max CHF 36,288. Retroactive payments for gaps from 2025 onwards are possible from 2026.

Paying the full CHF 7'258 into Pillar 3a saves a single person with CHF 100'000 taxable income about CHF 2'750 in Geneva, CHF 2'100 in Zurich and CHF 1'200 in Nidwalden (cantonal capitals, no church tax).

The FOPH publishes every approved basic health-insurance premium by insurer, canton, premium region, age group, deductible and model — the data behind the Savings Finder.

The maximum single AHV pension is CHF 2,520 per month in 2026; a 13th AHV pension is paid for the first time in December 2026.

The average basic health-insurance premium is CHF 393.30 per month in 2026 (+4.4%); CHF 465.30 for adults. Changes of insurer must be notified by the end of November.

Unemployment insurance pays 70% of the insured salary (80% with children to support or a low salary), on earnings up to CHF 148,200 a year, for 90 to 520 daily allowances depending on age and contribution period, after waiting days.

Swiss law caps consumer credit at 10% a year for cash loans and 12% for overdrafts and credit-card balances (since 1 January 2026).

The SNB kept its policy rate at 0% and forecasts inflation of 0.7% in 2026 and 0.8% in 2027 and 2028.

Official monthly averages of what Swiss banks pay on savings deposits and charge for mortgages. In July 2026 the average savings deposit paid 0.07%.

While the market average is below 0.1%, the best Swiss savings accounts paid around 0.75–1.0% in September 2026 (some restricted to regional customers).

In September 2026, 3a savings accounts paid between 0.00% and 1.00%, with a median of about 0.20% across 106 accounts.