What Does Investing in Switzerland Really Cost? The Honest Fee Comparison
March 6, 2026
9 min read
Pillar Article · Fee Comparison
What Does Investing in Switzerland Really Cost? The Honest Fee Comparison
Four typical routes compared — ETF robo-advisor, arvy, traditional bank and DIY platform. Now with all three arvy variants, from CHF 45 to CHF 101 a year on CHF 10,000.
In 30 seconds — the honest answer
- Per year on CHF 10,000: arvy costs CHF 45 to CHF 101 depending on the variant, an ETF robo-advisor around CHF 94, a bank around CHF 343, a DIY platform with 40 trades around CHF 630.
- arvy now comes in three variants. World Market at 0.45% all-in, World Market plus Founders' Selection at 0.72%, pure Founders' Selection at 1.01%. You choose how much active selection you want.
- Against a robo-advisor the difference is small — hundredths, not percentage points. Against a bank it is CHF 65,000 to CHF 88,000 over 20 years.
- Fees are not the biggest lever. The behaviour gap of roughly 1.5% a year dwarfs any TER discussion — and it is why the whole learning section comes with the savings plan.
- FinSA obliges every Swiss bank to hand you a cost information document on request. Refusing to is an answer in itself.
Contents
Fees are the only part of your return you know in advance. That is exactly why they are worth taking apart properly — and exactly why presenting them as the most important thing would be dishonest.
Most investors do not know what they actually pay. Banks spread costs across an advisory fee, custody charges, in-house fund costs and transactions. Robo-advisors advertise one number and leave out product costs. And DIY platforms sound cheap — until the first trade is settled.
This article works through four routes with 2026 tariffs. It also shows where we are not the cheapest.
Prefer to run the numbers yourself? The fee comparison calculator shows the difference on your own wealth — using the same numbers as below.
The Big Fee Comparison
All figures refer to a CHF 10,000 investment and include every cost: management, product costs, transactions and custody. Source for competitors: published tariffs, 2026. The arvy figures are set out in detail on the fees page.
Professional investing doesn't have to be expensive
Annual total cost on a CHF 10,000 investment
ETF Robo-Advisor
Selma Finance
CHF94
Management 0.68% + ETF 0.22%
✕ Active selection available
✕ Founders invest alongside
✓ No experience required
✕ Weekly education
Recommended
Three variants
arvy Savings Plan
CHF45–101
All-in incl. transactions, FX, tax statement
✓ Active selection available
✓ Founders invest alongside
✓ No experience required
✓ Weekly education
Traditional Bank
Raiffeisen Futura
CHF343
1.60% + 1.25% TER + custody CHF 50
✕ Active selection available
✕ Founders invest alongside
✓ No experience required
✕ Weekly education
DIY Platform
Swissquote
CHF630
Custody + tax statement + 40 trades
✕ Active selection available
✕ Founders invest alongside
✕ No experience required
✕ Weekly education
The Three arvy Variants
Since we began offering the world market as a variant of its own, arvy no longer has one price but three. You decide how much active selection you want — and pay accordingly.
| Variant | What is in it | Management | Products | All-in | On CHF 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Market | The entire world equity market through index blocks, roughly 88% developed and roughly 12% emerging markets | 0.39% | 0.06–0.08% | 0.45–0.47% | CHF 45–47 |
| World Market + Founders' Selection | The same world market, complemented by around 30 hand-picked companies | 0.59% | 0.12–0.13% | 0.71–0.72% | CHF 71–72 |
| Founders' Selection | Around 30 companies, every position picked by the founders | 0.79% | 0.15–0.22% | 0.94–1.01% | CHF 94–101 |
The range in product costs comes from the risk profile: Cautious (30% equities), Balanced (60%) and Growth (100%) combine the building blocks differently. Which funds those are, with ISIN, is set out on The Building Blocks.
The point rarely made
Between our cheapest variant and the cheapest ETF robo-advisor lie hundredths of a percent. Anyone deciding on price alone is choosing between several offers that cost practically the same. The interesting differences sit elsewhere — more in What Makes arvy Different.
ETF Robo-Advisor: Cheap and Passive
Robo-advisors like Selma, findependent or True Wealth are the cheapest automated solution on the Swiss market. For roughly CHF 90 to 95 a year on CHF 10,000 they invest your money in an ETF portfolio — broadly diversified, automatically balanced, with no effort on your side.
That is exactly what our World Market variant does, at CHF 45 to 47. The difference is not in the investment logic but in the rest of the offering: the option to switch to active selection, the learning section, and people you can reach.
What comes with no robo-advisor: founders investing their own money in the same portfolios.
Best for
Anyone who wants to invest purely passively and as cheaply as possible, without expecting active stock selection. For that case our World Market variant is the direct comparison — and it is cheaper than most.
Traditional Bank: Expensive and Often Opaque
A classic bank solution costs roughly CHF 300 to 400 a year on CHF 10,000. That is three to eight times arvy, depending on the variant chosen.
Where does the difference come from? Banks spread costs across several layers: an advisory fee of often 1 to 1.6%, custody fees of CHF 50 to 100 a year, product costs of in-house funds with a TER of 0.8 to 1.5%, and additional transaction fees.
The numbers
The difference between CHF 343 and CHF 45 is CHF 298 a year. Over 20 years that is roughly CHF 6,000 in extra fees — on just CHF 10,000. On CHF 100,000 it would be over CHF 60,000.
Worth knowing: since the Financial Services Act (FinSA) came into force, every Swiss bank must hand you a detailed cost information document on request. It discloses ongoing costs, entry costs and distribution commissions. Refusing or stalling is an answer in itself.
DIY Platform: Cheap Only on Paper
Platforms like Swissquote, DEGIRO or Interactive Brokers advertise low transaction fees. Anyone buying themselves lands, depending on approach, at 0.20% to 0.50% a year — and with disciplined execution is genuinely cheaper than any provider, us included.
It gets expensive when there is a lot of trading. At 40 trades a year on a CHF 10,000 portfolio you end up at roughly CHF 630, or 6.3%. That is no longer a savings plan but active trading — and it is exactly the behaviour DIY portfolios often show.
The largest item appears on no tariff sheet: your own time and your own mistakes. Over thirty years, execution and tax paperwork take roughly 150 hours. On top of that, nobody puts it in context when the market falls twenty percent.
Best for
Experienced investors who want to decide for themselves and have the discipline to stick to a plan — even when it hurts. Those who can are cheaper on their own. We say so here because it is true.
The Hidden Costs
The fee on the factsheet is rarely the whole truth. Here are the items rarely communicated prominently:
| Hidden item | Bank | Robo | arvy | DIY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FX surcharge | 0.5–1.5% | up to 0.5% | no conversion | 0.5–1.0% |
| Stamp duty | 0.075–0.15% | up to 0.15% | 0–0.15%, openly stated | 0.075–0.15% |
| Tax statement | CHF 50–100 | mostly incl. | included | CHF 100/year |
| Custody fee | CHF 50–100 | included | included | CHF 60–120 |
| Your own time | 5–10 h/year | about 1 h setup | about 1 h setup | 20–100 h/year |
FX surcharge
Buying a share in USD or EUR means exchanging currency — and the provider earns from it. Banks and brokers typically charge 0.5 to 1.5% on top of the exchange rate. With us no currency is exchanged at all: the building blocks are bought in Swiss francs. The currency risk of the underlying shares of course remains — what you save is the surcharge, not the risk.
Stamp duty
0.075% on Swiss and 0.15% on foreign securities, on purchase and on sale. It is a tax and cannot be avoided, only reduced through fewer transactions. Issuing new units of a Swiss fund incurs none.
What Dividends Contribute
One point lost in cost discussions although it is larger than any fee comparison: what happens to the distributions.
The difference between a price index and an index with reinvested income is, for the world equity market over long periods, roughly two to two and a half percent a year. That is not a fee anyone collects — it is simply what dividends contribute to total return.
The right reading matters: you lose that contribution only if you actually spend the distributions instead of reinvesting them. And that happens more often than you would think — the amount is small, arrives mid-month and blends into everyday spending.
- arvy: every fund used is accumulating. Income stays inside the fund and is reinvested there — without you doing anything and with no stamp duty on your side.
- Robo-advisors: mostly use accumulating ETFs as well.
- Bank mandates: depends on the mandate type. Discretionary mandates usually reinvest; advisory mandates often pay out to the account.
- DIY: you decide. And that is exactly where the gap opens.
The Behaviour Gap — Larger Than Any Fee
The second item that appears on no table: the distance between a fund's return and the return its investors actually get. It arises because investors buy and sell at the wrong time.
| Study | Behaviour gap p.a. |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Advisor's Alpha | around 1.5% |
| Morningstar Gamma | around 1.6% |
| Dalbar QAIB | 1.5–3% |
Three independent studies, the same order of magnitude. For comparison: the difference between our cheapest variant and the cheapest robo-advisor is 0.03%. The behaviour gap is roughly fifty times larger.
What we do — and what we do not promise
We do not claim that our commentary recovers those 1.5% for you. That would be a return promise, and nobody can keep one. What we commit to: when the market falls ten percent, we put it in context. When it falls twenty, we point out that historically those were the moments when adding paid off most. Whether you stay invested is your decision.
The 20-Year Arithmetic
Assumptions: CHF 10,000 starting capital, CHF 500 a month, 7% gross return, 20 years.
| Route | All-in p.a. | Final wealth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| arvy World Market | 0.45% | CHF 283,617 | — |
| ETF robo, cheapest | 0.48% | CHF 282,510 | −CHF 1,107 |
| arvy World Market + Founders' Selection | 0.72% | CHF 273,839 | −CHF 9,777 |
| ETF robo, typical | 0.90% | CHF 267,545 | −CHF 16,072 |
| arvy Founders' Selection | 1.01% | CHF 263,783 | −CHF 19,833 |
| Bank, typical | 2.50% | CHF 218,617 | −CHF 65,000 |
| Bank, upper end | 3.43% | CHF 195,186 | −CHF 88,430 |
Calculated with a constant gross return and constant fee. Real returns fluctuate; the order of magnitude stands.
The honest conclusion
Against a robo-advisor the difference is small — against a bank it is CHF 65,000 to CHF 88,000 over 20 years. The switch that genuinely pays is away from the bank, not between two digital providers.
And anyone choosing active selection deliberately pays more: roughly CHF 20,000 over 20 years against the pure index variant. That decision should rest on conviction, not on an expected outperformance we cannot guarantee.
Conclusion: What Really Matters?
The cheapest route is not always the best. And the most expensive one almost never is. What matters is the ratio of cost to what you get.
A robo-advisor at around CHF 94 a year gives you passive index investing with no human decisions. Solid, cheap, and perfectly adequate for many investors.
arvy World Market at CHF 45 gives you the same at a lower price, with disclosed building blocks and a learning section that comes with it. arvy Founders' Selection at CHF 101 gives you instead around 30 hand-picked companies and founders investing their own money alongside.
A bank at CHF 343 gives you an adviser — and roughly CHF 65,000 less final wealth over 20 years.
The question is not "what does it cost?" but "what do I get for it?" — and what the provider I am not choosing costs me.
Frequently asked questions
What does investing in Switzerland really cost?
Per year on CHF 10,000: arvy CHF 45 to CHF 101 depending on the variant, an ETF robo-advisor around CHF 94, a classic bank solution around CHF 343, a DIY platform with 40 trades around CHF 630.
Which arvy variant is the cheapest?
World Market, at 0.39% management plus 0.06% to 0.08% product costs, so 0.45% to 0.47% all-in. That is CHF 45 to 47 a year on CHF 10,000 — less than most ETF robo-advisors.
Why is Founders' Selection more expensive?
Because every position there is picked by hand rather than following an index. That costs 0.79% management plus 0.15% to 0.22% product costs. Whether it is worth it is a question of conviction — we expressly do not promise outperformance.
Is arvy cheaper than a robo-advisor?
In the World Market variant yes, but only by hundredths of a percent. Over 20 years that is roughly CHF 1,100 against the cheapest provider. The relevant difference is not the price.
How much do I save against a bank?
On CHF 10,000 plus CHF 500 a month over 20 years, between CHF 65,000 and CHF 88,000, depending on how expensive the bank solution is. That is the switch that actually pays.
Would it not be cheaper to do everything myself?
Anyone who buys with discipline, picks the cheapest broker and prepares their own tax paperwork lands at 0.20% to 0.50% a year and is cheaper than we are. On top come roughly 150 hours of time over thirty years — and the behaviour gap, which nobody closes for you.
What is the behaviour gap?
The distance between a fund's return and the return its investors get, caused by buying and selling at the wrong time. Research by Vanguard, Morningstar and Dalbar estimates it at 1% to 1.5% a year — many times any fee difference between digital providers.
Are there hidden costs at arvy?
No. Management fee, product costs and stamp duty are stated individually. No custody fee, no execution fee, no FX surcharge, no performance fee. At fund level a subscription charge may apply; the terms are in the respective factsheet.
How do I check my bank's fees?
Ask for the cost information document. Under FinSA every Swiss bank must provide it on request. It discloses ongoing costs, entry costs and distribution commissions.
What does Pillar 3a cost at arvy?
Pillar 3a has its own flat fee of 0.93% a year, all-in. At a bank 1.2% to 2.5% is typical.
Three variants, one price per variant
From CHF 45 a year on CHF 10,000, invested weekly, from CHF 500 entry. All costs disclosed.
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