"If you don't know where you want to go, it doesn't matter which way you go." (Alice in Wonderland)
How to optimize your finances sustainably, reduce your costs and increase your income at the same time? Can I afford it? Where does the money always flow? Why is sometimes in the middle of the month already "end of money"?? You have probably heard such or similar statements before or possibly experienced them yourself. Here we would like to offer you some concrete, tried and tested solutions. With our decades of experience, we have always noticed certain behavioral patterns. We share the findings and the essence of them with you here.
Forget everything about the budget
Most of the time it is the consciously accomplished little things that make our lives sweeter. Here a frothy Latte Macchiato with Starbucks, there an extensive meal with its dearest ones… Often it is small things, which prepare an accordingly large joy in the everyday life for you. Exactly here often the "bad conscience" plagues that we spend too much money for unnecessary things. Budget is important, but there are more important things to consider. We will come back to this.
Professor Roy Baumeister, one of the most cited social psychologists in the world, has impressively shown in his recommendable book "The Power of Discipline" that it is better to define and automate certain areas consciously. Every time I consciously think about whether I should buy this or that or not, it consumes a lot of glucose in my brain. This costs some willpower until a certain self-exhaustion occurs. This can be thought of somewhat like a muscle that gets exhausted after too many workout repetitions. After that, nothing works anymore and we run the risk of making rash decisions. Side note: Now you know why Steve Jobs and other successful entrepreneurs always wear the same clothes. This way, one area of your life is already automated and your decision muscle can be used for bigger, more important tasks. This is exactly why you should also define concrete (partial) goals, follow them clearly and then automate them once and for all. The chances are so much better to pull through his project in the long term.
Some people receive their wages and can hardly wait to use them to pay the salaries of others. What is meant by? Whose salary do you pay when you go to the hairdresser? When you go to the bakery and buy bread, who do you pay the wages to..? The question now is, who is the most important person when it comes to you and your finances?? Exactly, yourself!
Practical tip
Always pay yourself first, preferably right on payday. Create systems and habits that support you to really achieve your goals and automate them.
Now let's take a bird's eye view.
Imagine the following scenario:
Adams family, parents and two children, earn CHF 100,000 together.- per year, including 13. Monthly salary. Now you focus on the budget, this is not the best source of optimization. Below you can see the average financial distribution of a Swiss household.
the following picture.
CHF 100,000.- x 35 years = CHF 3.5 million. Income until retirement. If we focus on the 2/3 instead of just the cost of living and budgeting, in our experience, with an individual financial concept and regular review, a conservative saving and optimization of 10% can be achieved.
This means a long-term optimization potential of about CHF 200`000.-! A freshly brewed latte macchiato from Starbucks is more than acceptable without having a guilty conscience.
The best financial tips to save several CHF 100`000 in the long run.- out.
Save
Work with an account concept and always pay yourself first. After all, you are the most important person when it comes to you, your family and your future. Work with automatic standing orders. When saving, make sure to invest the money in monetary assets for short-term investments, and in tangible assets for medium- to long-term investments. For long-term savings, we tend to recommend tangible assets, as these are more resistant to inflation, especially in times of crisis.
When it comes to liquidity, make sure you have three to five months' worth of wages on the side. This security gives you the chance to remain calm and have more freedom of choice even in the case of unexpected events. 3
Savings tip: Always save half of any future salary increase you receive. How to stay in balance. Your lifestyle increases and at the same time you build up a handsome fortune in the long term.
Practical tip: Look for selected stocks with strong dividends. For example, buy shares in products and services that you yourself have been consuming for a long time and that you are convinced of . This way you spend money on these products, but indirectly get back a part of the added value. So the latte macchiato at Starbucks is suddenly an investment . Low-cost fund savings plans in equity-containing investments, diversified worldwide. Hold shares in over 1,600 companies in dozens of countries and benefit from their long-term development. In addition, we r recommend to invest 2-5% in physical gold and silver and 1-3% in cryptocurrencies as an admixture. Jewelry, watches, diamonds and paintings can also be considered as tangible assets.
In general, when investing, always pay attention to your risk capacity and risk appetite.
Your most important companion for long-term financial success.
The TIME.
Now let's look at how much you would need to save each month to reach a savings goal of CHF 150`000 by the age of 65.- to achieve.
In our example, we assume an annual return of five percent. This is a realistic estimate, measured against the average stock market returns of the past 40 years.
Monthly savings for CHF 150,000.- with 65 years
While as a 60 year old you have 2197.- CHF per month would have to put aside, suffice as a newborn 26.- CHF per month.
As a 25-year-old, a monthly savings amount of 98.- CHF reach its goal.
Let your money work for you
The interplay of time and returns
on that your tax advisor does not only fixate on the past. We recommend you someone who both looks in the rear view mirror and is on the fast track to tax optimization in the future . This prevents you from paying too much tax. Use the tax-optimized asset classes and compare them. A well-chosen strategy and the symbiosis of different instruments, such as pillar 3a and pillar 3b, investments with tax-free capital gains, are a "must".
Pension Fund
Here, from a certain age and under certain circumstances, purchases into the pension fund are interesting. You may have the option with your employer to choose certain plans on how to automatically save more or better cover certain risks.
Living
Have you already thought about becoming a homeowner? In our view, this is an immense optimization opportunity in the long term. This is how you can live rent-free later on and at the same time have an additional investment in tangible assets . Finally, check whether you are entitled to a rent reduction on the basis of the reference interest rate.
Insurance and health insurance
The need for a certain degree of security is innate and absolutely legitimate. It is important to review your insurance portfolio regularly and independently. So you can save a lot of money or massively increase benefits for the same contribution. Our credo is: As little as possible, but as much as necessary. With the health insurance it applies to keep it , particularly the basic insurance in the point of view. The benefits from the KVG are always the same, but the prices vary greatly. The suitable choice of the franchises is to be examined also regularly. In addition, you can save even more money with alternative models.
AHV
The AHV rates are fixed. Here you could consider in the medium term to convert a hobby into a partial self-employment. Under certain circumstances, you can generate tax advantages and improve your pension.
Practical tip: Invest in lifelong learning. This will enrich you as a person, increase your labor market value, sharpen your profile and improve your positioning. In the long run, this gives you good opportunities to increase your income and even become (partially) self-employed in the medium term. "Leaders are readers "
A life in abundance?
Whether you feel wealthy or not is not only related to the balance in your bank account, but mainly to your spiritual and mental attitude. In order to develop a good feeling for it, we recommend to donate regularly and to live conscious gratitude, in order to signal abundance to the subconscious mind. You do not become a millionaire first and then start saving money. You start saving and eventually become a millionaire. It is the same with donations. Hand on heart: No matter how we look at it, we are doing well compared to the rest of the world. Very good even.
"Not the lucky ones are grateful. It's the grateful ones who are happy." (Francis Beacon)