findependent Review (2026): Pillar 3a for 0.29% All-In – Any Good?

0.29% all-inclusive, from 1 franc and with index funds that cost nothing: with its new Pillar 3a, findependent has been competing at the very top among Switzerland’s cheapest providers since mid-October 2026. In our findependent review, we show you where the 3a solution scores, where you should take a closer look, and how the robo-advisor from Aargau performs with non-pension assets and when investing for children.

Transparency note: We have been working with findependent for years and are clients ourselves. If you open an account using our code, you benefit from a fee waiver, and we may receive a commission. We remain editorially independent.

findependent at a glance

findependent was founded in Aarau in June 2019 by Matthias Bryner and launched its investment app in February 2021. Bryner holds a master’s degree in Banking & Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and gained his first fintech experience in 2018 at the banking app neon. There he saw how simple and cheap banking can be, and missed a comparable product for investing.

The company is independent and owned by the team, private investors such as Roland Brack, known from “Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz”, and around 1,500 clients who took a stake via crowdinvesting. The investment committee includes Thorsten Hens, Professor of Financial Economics at the University of Zurich.

Since February 2026, findependent has been a FINMA-licensed securities firm that keeps client accounts. Since then, the company has run the accounts and securities accounts for non-pension assets itself, with no partner bank in between.

The offering consists of two products:

• Invest: wealth building with non-pension assets using ETFs, from CHF 500, including “investing for children” via separate investment goals.
• Pillar 3a: since mid-October 2026, from CHF 1, via the specially founded findependent 3a pension foundation. The custodian bank is Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB).

When it comes to the investment approach, findependent is in line with our thinking: passive and broadly diversified with ETFs and index funds, without active management, stock picking or market timing. Regular rebalancing keeps your strategy on track – exactly as we recommend in our financial guide.

This review focuses on the new 3a solution. We cover Invest and investing for children in a separate section.

Our findependent review: how we tested

Stefan has held a smaller position in non-pension assets at findependent since 2021 and has been following its development ever since. The app is very intuitive. If you prefer working in the browser, however, findependent is not an option, as there is only the app for iOS and Android, no web version.

This review is based on our own experience with findependent for non-pension assets, the published conditions of the new Pillar 3a and our questions to findependent. Naturally, there is no feedback yet from long-standing 3a clients.

findependent fees in 3a: what you really pay

In 3a, findependent charges a management fee of 0.29% per year, and the index funds cost 0.00% (as of November 2026). On CHF 100,000, that’s around CHF 290 per year.

This is made possible by Swisscanto’s “zero-fee class”, which is reserved for pension institutions. The only exception is the Swiss real estate fund. It has a TER of 0.00% itself, but invests in other real estate funds whose costs of around 0.7% per year are incurred indirectly. With 10% real estate, this adds around 0.07 percentage points. “Risky” without real estate costs exactly 0.29%.

The 0.29% includes:

• management, monitoring and automatic rebalancing
• custody fees of the custodian bank
• all deposits and withdrawals as well as incoming transfers
• strategy changes, as often as you like
• the transfer to another 3a provider and the withdrawal at retirement. For early withdrawals, for example to buy a home, findependent charges CHF 500.

The fee is charged quarterly per 3a portfolio on the average assets, i.e. also on the cash balance of around 1%. Since the rate is a fixed 0.29%, several portfolios together cost the same as one.

findependent in a 3a cost comparison

Here’s how findependent compares with other low-cost digital 3a providers, in each case in the strategy with the highest equity allocation:

Compared with finpension, frankly and VIAC, you save around CHF 100 to 150 per year on CHF 100,000.

Why findependent if True Wealth is cheaper?

If you only look at costs, you’ll end up with True Wealth. Still, there are three reasons for findependent and for paying the 0.15 percentage point premium:

• An investment universe without gaps: even the ready-made solutions cover Europe broadly, including Scandinavia, and your own investment solution also adds Canada, the Pacific region and global small caps. True Wealth lacks Canada and Scandinavia, and Europe is limited to the Euro Stoxx 50.
• Lower entry barrier: at findependent you start from 1 franc, while True Wealth requires a minimum deposit of CHF 1,000.
• Flexibility with accounts: you decide when to open a 3a portfolio, where your deposits go and which strategy each one follows. True Wealth distributes automatically and applies one strategy to all accounts.

Our verdict on the 3a fees: at 0.29% all-in, findependent is clearly one of the cheapest 3a solutions in Switzerland and well below our pain threshold of 0.5%.

Standard strategies, asset classes and investment focus

In 3a, you can choose from five ready-made investment solutions, from “Cautious” to “Risky”, with 20–99% equities. The app determines which solution suits you based on a few questions about your risk profile. You can change your choice at any time free of charge.

The building blocks are equities, bonds, Swiss real estate (10% up to and including “Bold”), physical gold (10% in “Cautious”, 5% in “Prudent”) and around 1% cash. “Risky” consists of 99% equities.

You also choose one of three investment focuses. It determines how much of the equity allocation is in Switzerland:

• Standard: 40% Switzerland, 60% abroad (recommended by findependent)
• Switzerland: 80% Switzerland, 20% abroad
• Global: 10% Switzerland, 90% abroad

The “Standard” investment focus is out of the question for us, as the home bias is too high. Switzerland accounts for only around 2% of the global equity market. With 40%, you are betting heavily on a small market dominated by Nestlé, Novartis and Roche. Patriotism with concentration risk. findependent justifies this with the absence of currency risk and tax advantages. We also suspect that comparability plays a role, as many 3a solutions, such as VIAC’s, have traditionally relied heavily on Swiss equities.

Fortunately, findependent offers better alternatives:

• “Global” investment focus: with 10% Switzerland, you are close to our approach, as we explain in the article Best ETFs. The moderate overweighting of Switzerland dampens currency fluctuations somewhat if your expenses are in francs.
• Your own investment solution: this lets you lower the Swiss share to its actual world market weight of around 2%. We show you how further below.

A concrete example: this is how “Balanced” with 60% equities is composed in the “Global” investment focus:

Outside Switzerland, the ready-made solutions rely exclusively on Swisscanto’s sustainable “Responsible” index funds, which exclude coal, nuclear power and weapons, for example. For investors who care about sustainability, that’s a plus; if you want to invest across the whole market, you accept a certain deviation from the overall market.

As the table shows, even in the “Global” investment focus the ready-made solutions lack Canada, Australia, other Pacific countries and small caps outside Switzerland. Canada and the Pacific region excluding Japan alone account for around 5% of the world market. You can close these gaps with your own investment solution.

Our verdict on investment solutions and investment focus: the ready-made solutions are solid and simple. In the “Standard” investment focus, however, the Swiss share of 40% is high. Alternatives are the “Global” investment focus with 10% Switzerland or your own investment solution, which also lets you close the gaps in Canada, the Pacific region and small caps.

Investment products: Swisscanto index funds instead of ETFs

For non-pension assets findependent uses ETFs, in 3a exclusively index funds from Swisscanto, the fund company of Zürcher Kantonalbank. This has three advantages:

• No product costs: the zero-fee classes have a TER of 0.00% (exception: Swiss real estate fund).
• No trading costs: index funds are not bought on the stock exchange. Stamp duty and exchange fees don’t apply, and since the funds are denominated in francs, neither do currency exchange surcharges.
• Less withholding tax: for US and Japanese equities, findependent uses so-called IPF funds (Institutional Pension Fund). They are only open to pension money and are exempt from foreign withholding tax.

The last point deserves a closer look: an ETF domiciled in Ireland generally loses 15% withholding tax on US dividends, which cannot be reclaimed. With a dividend yield of around 1.3%, that costs around 0.2 percentage points per year on the US share. If, as in the “Global” investment focus, more than half of your equities are in the US, you win back around 0.1 percentage points of return per year.

All index funds are accumulating. Trading takes place once a week on Tuesdays, so deposits and strategy changes are executed with a delay of a few days – not a problem for a savings goal that spans decades. According to findependent, it does not accept any retrocessions.

Our verdict on the investment products: with free, withholding-tax-optimised pension index funds in francs, findependent implements its 3a in a well-thought-out and cost-efficient way. The flip side: you are completely tied to Swisscanto as the only fund provider.

Your own 3a investment solution: how to adjust the proposal

If you want to decide for yourself, you can put together your own 3a portfolio from pre-selected Swisscanto index funds: also from 1 franc, at 0.29% and with funds that have no product costs. For non-pension assets, this is only possible from CHF 5,000.

The offering goes well beyond the ready-made solutions:

• Global equities: World ex CH, also as a sustainable version, as well as Small Caps World ex CH
• Individual regions: USA, Europe ex CH, Japan, Pacific ex Japan, Canada, emerging markets, mostly with and without a sustainability filter
• Switzerland: large caps, small & mid caps or the overall market
• Bonds: francs, corporate bonds in CHF, USD and EUR, global bonds, emerging markets
• Real estate: Switzerland as well as North America, Europe and Asia
• Precious metals: physical gold

With World ex CH, you cover all developed countries outside Switzerland, including Canada and Scandinavia, and with the small-cap fund smaller companies as well. Sustainability is the default setting, but not a must: for almost every equity building block, there is a conventional version alongside the “Responsible” one. If you want to invest across the whole market without exclusions, you can do so in 3a from the very first franc.

There are two guardrails, though:

• Deviation from the strategy: each asset class may deviate by no more than 10 percentage points from the strategy that matches your risk profile. If “Bold” is set at 80% equities, you can choose between 70% and 90% equities. If you want to deviate further, first adjust the portfolio’s strategy, which is possible at any time.
• Maximum weights per fund: World ex CH, for example, may make up at most 80%, emerging markets 20%, Canada 10%, high-yield bonds 10%.

A portfolio close to the market with 99% equities in “Risky” could look like this: 81% World ex CH, 11% emerging markets, 5% Small Caps World ex CH and 2% Swiss overall market. The Swiss share then roughly matches the world market, and the home bias is gone. If you want to moderately overweight Switzerland, increase its share accordingly. This is a model example, not a recommendation.

Each of your up to five 3a portfolios can have its own strategy. This lets you set up the portfolio you’ll withdraw first more defensively than those that still have decades to run.

Our verdict on your own investment solution: for us, the highlight of the new 3a solution. If you want to invest globally, across the whole market and without home bias, you’ll find all the building blocks you need here, from the very first franc.

Staggering across up to five 3a portfolios

At findependent, you can hold up to five 3a portfolios at the same time. That pays off: if you withdraw your 3a assets in one go, you pay disproportionately much because of tax progression. If you withdraw several accounts in different tax years, the tax burden goes down. Married couples should coordinate their withdrawals, as they are added together in the same year.

You can add another portfolio in the app in seconds. You decide when to open it and where your deposits go. It takes a bit of discipline to make the portfolios grow reasonably evenly.

How you fill the portfolios is up to you: in parallel, for example with one standing order each, or one after the other, by building up one portfolio to a certain amount, say CHF 20,000, and then opening the next. The app shows you how much you can still pay in during the current year. However, you have to add deposits with other 3a providers yourself.

Handling, app and support at findependent

findependent works exclusively via the app for iOS and Android; there is no browser version. The app is tidy: you see non-pension assets and 3a portfolios side by side, you pay in via QR payment slip or standing order, and the electronic tax statement is available free of charge as a PDF every year.

You can reach support in German, French and English via chat, by email at [email protected] or on 062 552 02 04. Chat and phone are staffed Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 5:30 pm; the team takes a lunch break too. Outside office hours, you can still send an email.

One peculiarity on the phone: after about a minute in the queue, you choose between a callback and leaving a message; you can’t stay on the line any longer. At least that spares you the hold music. Based on our own findependent experience, support works smoothly, and enquiries are always answered within a short time.

You can also book a free 30-minute online meeting with Kay or Jordan, for example to have your own investment solution reviewed. Or you can drop by the office near Aarau railway station.

What other clients say

In the app stores, findependent achieves 4.8 out of 5 stars from over 2,000 ratings, and on Trustpilot also 4.8 from around 50 reviews (as of November 2026). Above all, the simple app and fast support are praised. However, these reviews relate almost exclusively to non-pension assets, as the 3a solution has only existed since October 2026.

How safe is Pillar 3a at findependent?

Risk: “insolvency of findependent or a bank”

Your 3a assets are not held by Findependent AG, but by the legally separate findependent 3a pension foundation, which is supervised by the Aargau BVG and foundation supervisory authority. If Findependent AG runs into difficulties, your 3a assets are not affected.

Zürcher Kantonalbank holds the index funds as segregated assets, so they do not become part of the bankruptcy estate even if a bank fails. The roughly 1% cash is held at Hypothekarbank Lenzburg and protected up to CHF 100,000 by the bankruptcy privilege.

Risk: “young pension foundation”

The findependent 3a pension foundation has only been active since October 2026. There is therefore no multi-year track record yet for transfers, withdrawals and performance. findependent itself, however, founded in 2019 and holding a FINMA licence, is no unknown quantity.

Risk: “unauthorised account access”

You log into the app with a password or biometrically using your face or fingerprint. In addition, you can activate two-factor authentication (2FA) under “Profile” > “Security”. For this, you need an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator; Apple Passwords also works as an alternative. 2FA is optional, but our tip: be sure to turn it on.

As a general rule, withdrawals from 3a are only possible to an account in your name, so an attacker can’t simply take the money.

Risk: “realised price losses”

This risk doesn’t depend on the provider, but on your equity allocation and investment horizon. Gradually reduce the equity allocation a few years before withdrawal. At findependent, you set the strategy separately for each of your up to five 3a portfolios. This lets you lower the equity allocation specifically in the portfolio you’ll withdraw next, while the others continue to aim for growth.

findependent Invest: fees for non-pension assets and children

For non-pension assets, findependent invests in ETFs. The first CHF 2,000 are fee-free for life; after that, the rate falls from 0.40% to 0.29% as the amount invested increases. It always applies to the entire amount invested minus the allowance:

One special feature: for non-pension assets, too, the ready-made solutions rely exclusively on sustainable ETFs from the “MSCI Screened” series outside Switzerland, which exclude nuclear power, coal and weapons, for example.

If you’d rather invest market-neutrally, you can override this: in your own investment solution from CHF 5,000, conventional ETFs are also available, such as the Vanguard FTSE All-World as a one-ETF solution. Since it is traded on SIX in francs, there is also no currency exchange surcharge. If you like, you can also invest up to 10% in Bitcoin in your own investment solution, via the WisdomTree Physical Bitcoin ETP.

Unlike in 3a, transaction-related costs are added: stamp duty and exchange fees as well as a currency exchange surcharge of 0.50% on ETFs traded in USD or EUR. That’s rather high for a robo-advisor, but it is only charged when buying and selling.

ETF costs depend on the investment solution. In “Risky Global”, they come to around 0.10% per year according to our model calculation. It gets more expensive with the Swiss real estate fund (TER 0.97%) in the more cautious solutions.

With CHF 50,000 in “Risky Global”, you pay around CHF 182 in management fees and around CHF 50 in ETF costs, i.e. just under 0.47% per year. This keeps Invest below our pain threshold of 0.5%.

Good to know: the management fee is charged on all assets, including the cash balance. With around 1% cash in the investment solutions, however, this hardly makes a difference.

If you combine Invest with Pillar 3a, the total costs fall further: with CHF 200,000 split half and half, you end up at around 0.38%.

When non-pension assets are worth it

Thanks to the allowance, Invest is particularly cheap for small amounts: with CHF 10,000 in “Risky Global”, you pay around CHF 32 in management fees and CHF 10 in ETF costs, i.e. around 0.42% per year. This keeps you below our pain threshold of 0.5% at every fee level. Each investment goal requires at least CHF 500.

With a standing order, Invest becomes an ETF savings plan: findependent invests deposits of CHF 50 or more directly, and smaller amounts are collected in your account until the total is enough. You don’t have to pay in regularly, though, and there is no maximum amount.

More decisive than costs is the investment horizon: money you’ll need in the next few years doesn’t belong in equities. For long-term assets, Invest is worth it from the first investment goal.

For children, you set up separate investment goals with their own strategy within your account. Legally, the assets remain yours, so it is not a separate children’s securities account.

Opening an account and 3a transfer

Opening an account is done entirely in the app and takes around ten minutes:

1. Download the app and register: requirements are a minimum age of 18, residence and tax liability exclusively in Switzerland, a Swiss mobile number and a Swiss bank account.
2. Open Pillar 3a: open the 3a portfolio in the app under “Discover”.
3. Determine your investment profile: answer a few questions, choose an investment solution and investment focus.
4. Pay in or start a transfer: pay in via QR payment slip or transfer existing 3a assets.

Opening an account doesn’t commit you to anything: the portfolio only starts with the first franc, and there is no minimum term.

For non-pension assets, it works the same way: instead of the 3a portfolio, you open an investment goal with Invest in the app. The account is activated with a first deposit of 1 franc within three months. Investing starts as soon as CHF 500 has accumulated in an investment goal, or CHF 5,000 for your own investment solution.

🎁 Enter our promo codes when opening your account: with SFB3a the first CHF 2,000 in your Pillar 3a remain fee-free for good, and with SFB20 you get a CHF 20 starting bonus with Invest.

3a transfer from another provider

You create the transfer order in the app under “Deposit”. On request, findependent will send you the pre-filled form by post free of charge; you sign it and send it to your current pension foundation. The transfer can take a few weeks.

There is also a transfer promotion running until 28 February 2027: if you transfer existing 3a assets to findependent, you pay no management fees on your entire 3a assets there until 30 June 2027, deposits included. This also applies to existing Invest clients. With CHF 50,000, you save up to around CHF 100.

If you later switch to another provider, findependent doesn’t charge anything. Your investments are sold on the next trading day, and the money reaches the new provider within a maximum of 10 working days.

What are the pros and cons of findependent?

findependent promo codes: SFB3a and SFB20

As a new client, you benefit from our promo codes depending on the product:

• Pillar 3a: with the code SFB3a the first CHF 2,000 of your 3a assets remain fee-free for good. That saves you CHF 5.80 per year for as long as your Pillar 3a runs.
• Non-pension assets (Invest): with the code SFB20 you get a CHF 20 starting bonus.

You enter the code when opening your account in the app. SFB3a can also be combined with the current 3a transfer promotion.

Conclusion from our findependent review

With 0.29% all-in, index funds without product costs and pension funds exempt from withholding tax, findependent’s new Pillar 3a is one of the cheapest in Switzerland. What convinced us most was the option of your own investment solution: from the very first franc, you build a global portfolio across the whole market, with its own strategy for each of your up to five 3a portfolios.

On top of that comes the coherent overall package: 3a, non-pension assets and investing for children in one app. Invest is somewhat more expensive than the 3a, but at 0.29–0.40% plus ETF costs it is also one of the cheapest robo-advisors in Switzerland. There are few drawbacks: no browser version, a rather high currency exchange surcharge on non-pension assets and no track record yet in 3a.

Our verdict: a clear recommendation for Pillar 3a, especially for anyone who wants to design their portfolio themselves and set up each account differently. For non-pension assets, an interesting option for anyone who wants to invest conveniently and cheaply on autopilot.

What has your experience been with findependent or other robo-advisors, whether in 3a or with non-pension assets? Share your questions, additions and criticism with us in the comments.

Frequently asked questions about findependent

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Updates

2026-11-10: First published

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Investing involves the risk of loss. You have to decide for yourself whether or not you want to take these risks. Past returns are no guarantee of future returns.

Errors excepted: We have written this article about our findependent experience to the best of our knowledge and belief. Our goal is to provide you as a private investor with information on finance that is as objective and meaningful as possible. Should we nevertheless have made mistakes, or should important aspects have been forgotten and/or be out of date, we would be grateful if you let us know.