Automated Investing in Switzerland | arvy
September 7, 2026
5 min read
- Automation beats discipline. If you invest before you spend, there is nothing to overcome at month end — the decision was made long ago.
- The execution date matters more than the execution rhythm. Set right after payday, a savings plan survives expensive months too.
- A savings rate five points higher, 15% instead of 10%, is worth more over 25 years than any provider optimisation. On CHF 6,000 net income: roughly CHF 243,000 of difference.
Willpower is a limited resource. A standing order is not.
Most people fail at building wealth not through product choice but through repetition. The first month always works. The seventh — when the dentist's bill arrives and the car needs servicing — is the actual test, and you do not pass it with good intentions. You pass it with structure.
01Pay yourself first
The principle is old and still works: invest first, spend afterwards — not the other way round. Investing whatever is left at month end means investing very little in practice, because spending reliably expands to fill available income.
Reverse the order and something unremarkable but decisive happens: the amount is gone before it is ever perceived as available. Spending adjusts to what remains. You are not consciously going without — you barely notice.
In practice: set the standing order for the day after your salary arrives. Not the 25th, not the last day of the month. What leaves first does not get spent — and a savings plan that depends on leftover balance will not survive its first expensive month.
02Why automation delivers more than better decisions
An automated savings plan invested in March 2020 and in October 2022 without asking how things felt. That indifference is not a shortcoming — it is the entire point.
The value of that indifference is measurable. Vanguard puts the return from disciplined behaviour at roughly 1.5% a year, Morningstar at 1.59%, Dalbar at 1.5% to 3%. All three measure the same thing: the gap between what an investment delivers and what its owners keep.
No provider choice and no fund selection moves numbers of that magnitude. The largest available improvement almost always lies in doing nothing — reliably, over decades.
03The savings rate is the strongest lever
You control the amount far more than the return. An example on CHF 6,000 net income over 25 years at 7%:
10% savings rate — CHF 600/month
CHF 486,043
after 25 years
15% savings rate — CHF 900/month
CHF 729,065
after 25 years
A savings rate of 15% instead of 10% is worth roughly CHF 243,000 here. For comparison: the difference between a provider at 0.45% and one at 0.90% all-in costs, over a comparable period, is a fraction of that.
04Increasing it without feeling it
The most effective trick is not your starting contribution but how it develops. Automatically routing half of every pay rise into the savings plan lifts the savings rate substantially over the years without ever reducing your accustomed standard of living. Money you never saw in your account is money you never miss.
The same applies to one-off inflows: bonus, thirteenth salary, tax refund. A fixed rule — invest half, say — works better than deciding case by case, because it is decided in advance.
05What automation does not solve
A standing order can be stopped at any time — and that is exactly what happens during crises. The mechanism protects against inertia, not against panic. So automation needs a second layer: a rule set in advance for what happens when prices fall sharply. What makes sense in that moment is covered in Markets Down 20%: What to Do Now.
And automation is no substitute for an emergency fund. Without a liquidity buffer the savings plan becomes the emergency reserve — and has to be liquidated precisely when prices are low.
06Frequently asked questions
When should the standing order execute?
As soon as possible after payday. Investing at month end means investing whatever is left, which experience shows is considerably less than planned.
How high should the savings rate be?
As orientation, 10 to 20% of net income once the emergency fund and expensive debt are handled. More important than the figure is whether it is sustainable over years.
Should I increase the amount automatically each year?
It is one of the most effective levers available. Routing a fixed share of every pay rise into the plan lifts the savings rate noticeably without changing your standard of living.
What should I do with a bonus or thirteenth salary?
Setting a fixed rule in advance — invest half, for example — works better than deciding afresh each time. One-off inflows are best invested immediately rather than held back for a better moment.
What happens if my account has insufficient funds?
The execution is usually skipped and resumes at the next scheduled date. To stop that happening regularly, choose an amount that survives an expensive month too.
Should I split the plan across several execution dates?
The effect on returns is minimal. Splitting makes sense mainly if your income arrives in several instalments and you want the outflow to follow it.
How do I combine a savings plan with an emergency fund?
The emergency fund comes first and stays fully liquid. Only then does the savings plan start. Without that buffer the plan becomes the emergency reserve — and has to be liquidated exactly when prices are low.
07Keep reading
Overview
Everything about automated, regular investing.
Set it up once, then let it run
The arvy ETF Savings Plan invests weekly — without you having to do anything.
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To the savings plan →This article was written by Thierry Borgeat, co-founder of arvy, and reviewed by Patrick Rissi, CFA, and Florian Jauch, CFA.
Disclaimer: arvy AG is a manager of collective assets authorised by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA under Art. 24 of the Collective Investment Schemes Act (CISA). This article is for information purposes only and constitutes neither investment advice nor tax or legal advice, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell financial instruments. The calculations shown are model calculations based on the stated assumptions and are not forecasts; they assume a constant return compounded monthly at the stated nominal annual rate. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Equity investments are subject to price fluctuations; losses up to the total loss of the capital invested are possible. Tax consequences differ by canton and by individual situation — please clarify yours with a professional.
