Invest pension capital: What should you do after withdra­wing your lump sum?

Anyone who decides to make a lump-sum withdrawal on retire­ment is faced with a key question: how should the pension capital be invested to ensure security, income and asset preser­va­tion in the long term?
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Investing pension fund money correctly

Those who withdraw their pension capital assume respon­si­bi­lity for its invest­ment and for finan­ci­ally safeguar­ding their standard of living in old age. The aim is to recon­cile regular income and wealth preser­va­tion in the long term with respon­sible risk manage­ment.

However, this respon­si­bi­lity does not have to be borne alone. Our many years of experi­ence in managing the free pension capital of our clients have confirmed this: Early planning, a long-term invest­ment strategy and close support are crucial for a relaxed retire­ment.

However, the lump-sum withdrawal also opens up numerous new advan­tages and design options.

Advan­tages of a lump-sum withdrawal from the pension fund

The lump-sum withdrawal allows maximum flexi­bi­lity in the use of assets.
The assets remain available at all times and can be used indivi­du­ally.
Optimized tax and estate planning.
The remai­ning capital can be inherited.

The chall­enge after the capital withdrawal

A new phase of finan­cial planning begins with the capital withdrawal.

The focus is on four objec­tives:

  • Preser­va­tion of assets
  • Regular income
  • Protec­tion against infla­tion
  • Control of invest­ment risks

Pension assets should generate income over many years and at the same time maintain their real value. A well thought-out, long-term invest­ment strategy and regular risk manage­ment are crucial to achie­ving these goals in the long term.

What you should look out for when investing your pension capital

Adapt your invest­ment strategy to your stage of life

Even in retire­ment, there is still a long-term invest­ment horizon. The invest­ment strategy should there­fore be tailored to your stage of life, income requi­re­ments and life expec­tancy.

Ensuring suffi­cient liqui­dity

Not all pension assets should be invested. A suffi­ci­ently large liqui­dity buffer as a reserve is important to ensure that there is always enough liqui­dity for current expenses and for unexpected events in retire­ment.

Targeted risk manage­ment

A balanced asset alloca­tion forms the basis of a sustainable invest­ment strategy. The aim is to take market risks in a controlled manner while maintai­ning the purcha­sing power of the assets in the long term in order to achieve a good perfor­mance with as little risk as possible.

Cost-efficient and trans­pa­rent asset manage­ment

As pension capital usually remains invested for decades, the total costs are of crucial importance in addition to the invest­ment strategy and risk manage­ment. Due to the compound interest effect, these have a signi­fi­cant influence on your perfor­mance and there­fore on the develo­p­ment of your assets. Reliable and trans­pa­rent asset manage­ment is essen­tial in order to maintain an overview at all times.

Conside­ring taxes and estate planning

A holistic approach allows you both tax advan­tages and an easier transfer of assets to the next genera­tion. For this reason, invest­ments, taxes and estate planning should be considered in an integrated manner.

The so-called three-pot model has proven its worth here. It helps you to find your bearings and struc­ture your assets in the best possible way.

The 3‑pot strategy

The 3‑pot strategy helps to struc­ture pension assets sensibly accor­ding to liqui­dity, income and long-term growth. If you think through the model for your own situa­tion at an early stage, you will create a good basis for sound invest­ment decis­ions in retire­ment.

Pot 1 – Liqui­dity pot: All regular income such as earned income, pensions and rental income flows into this pot. Current expenses are paid from this pot.

Pot 2 – reserve pot: This pot serves as a buffer or safety pot in the event that liqui­dity is insuf­fi­cient or your invest­ments are in an unfavorable market phase. This means you do not have to sell your equity positions at unfavorable condi­tions and can still achieve your goal. It is struc­tured in such a way that the money can be accessed immedia­tely or at short notice. Savings accounts, call accounts and short to medium-term fixed-term deposits are used for this purpose. Depen­ding on what makes sense given the interest rate level.

Pot 3 – Invest­ment pot: This pot has the task of working for you and genera­ting annual income or growing to the desired target in order to then fill the reserve pot or be withdrawn to cover expenses if neces­sary. It is important here that suffi­cient buffer is also planned in the risk appetite for the invest­ments.

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A practical example

When withdra­wing capital from a pension fund, the customer usually has the follo­wing goal in mind: his free capital should work for him, because he needs or wants to live off the income from his securi­ties. Asset growth with regular annual dividend and interest payments should cover their expenses. In wealth manage­ment, the AHV pension and other pension payments etc. would then be in the liqui­dity pot. Part of the money paid out by the pension fund is held as a security reserve in the reserve pot and the other part can then be invested.

Advan­tages of asset manage­ment with Tareno

Capital withdrawal

Cost-efficient asset manage­ment with a focus on long-term wealth preser­va­tion.
No conflicts of interest due to own products, but indivi­dual and indepen­dent solutions.
Personal support from perma­nent contacts with many years of experi­ence.
Support with the respon­si­bi­lity that is trans­ferred to the retiree with the lump-sum withdrawal.

Special advan­tages for vested benefits assets

The vested benefits can be termi­nated at any time without having to sell securi­ties.
This makes it possible to avoid selling at unfavorable market times.
Broad invest­ment spectrum and more say compared to tradi­tional vested benefits solutions offered by many banks.
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Profes­sional manage­ment of free pension capital

Investing pension capital requires more than just selec­ting indivi­dual invest­ments. A clear strategy, ongoing support and planning that is tailored to your personal situa­tion are crucial.

Our approach at Tareno includes:

  • Analysis of your overall asset and income situa­tion
  • Support in deciding between pension and lump-sum withdrawal
  • Indivi­dual invest­ment strate­gies for retire­ment
  • Focus on returns, security and costs
  • Ongoing support from personal contacts
  • Indepen­dent asset manage­ment without own products
  • Your assets remain with your existing bank

Capital withdra­wals open up new oppor­tu­ni­ties, but also entail respon­si­bi­lity. Profes­sional support helps you to take advan­tage of oppor­tu­ni­ties, control risks and make the best long-term use of your pension assets.

Author

Aylin Lorenzen
Aylin Lorenzen
Partner, Relationship Manager, Financial Planner

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