Pension Stabiliser

What is the Pension Stabiliser? 

In your pension scheme money is put aside for you for the moment you stop working. You use this money to buy a pension benefit at your retirement age from an insurer of your choice.  

The money of your Zwitserleven Pensioen is invested until you retire. If you make no other choices, your pension capital will be invested by default via the Smart Standard. Zwitserleven uses the Smart Standard to ensure that your investments match your age, your salary and your retirement age.  

In the Smart Standard we invest for you in the following funds:  

  • The Rendement fund 

    • This fund invests in a basket of different investment funds with the aim of achieving a good return at an acceptable risk. Investments are made in stocks, real estate, emerging market debts and credits. 

  • The Matching funds: Long and Short 

    • As you get older and closer to your retirement age, you will invest more and more in the Matching funds. In these funds you invest in government bonds. The purpose of these funds is to minimize the risk of setbacks so that you can purchase the pension you expect.  
       
      Setbacks can arise if interest rates fall or prices rise (inflation) in the period before your retirement date. In case of a lower interest rate, insurers ask more capital for the same pension benefit. The purchase of a pension benefit is more expensive in case of a lower interest rate. And with increasing inflation, you can buy less with the same pension benefit, because everything becomes more expensive. 
       
      The Matching Funds offer you protection, because the return is linked as much as possible to the rate that insurers use to convert your capital into a monthly payment. We also ensure that your capital moves with the development of prices. If prices rise, your capital will increase and you can purchase a higher pension benefit from an insurer. 

It is possible to invest differently than based on the Smart Standard. One of the possible choices is the Pension Stabiliser. If you choose the Pension Stabiliser, we will no longer invest in the Rendement fund. With the Pension Stabiliser you only invest in the Matching funds. With this we try to follow the rates of the insurer and the development of prices. We cannot guarantee this, but you do have good protection. 

Whether the Pension Stabiliser is available to you depends on the agreements your employer has made with us about this. You can find these agreements in the pension rules. On your participant portal we only show the choices you can make. It is possible that your employer has not agreed on the Pension Stabiliser. If this is the case, then you cannot choose ​​for the Pension Stabiliser. 

Who is the Pension Stabiliser intended for? 

The Pension Stabiliser can be interesting if you are looking for more certainty about the amount and purchasing power of your income when you (soon) retire. Or if you don’t want to be hit by falling share prices for a limited period of time. 

Attention!: A substantial amount of capital is required to ensure that you receive a good pension later on. Investing your money through the Pension Stabiliser over the entire term does not yield enough return. For a good pension, investing in shares and other investments with a high return over a longer period is necessary. 

When is the Pension Stabiliser suitable? 

There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing the Pension Stabiliser. Whether it suits you depends on what you find important. And your financial situation, now and in the future.  

Pros

  • You have more certainty about the amount and purchasing power of your income when you retire.  

  • You are better protected against falling interest rates and rising prices. 

  • Your pension will not be affected by falling share prices. 

  • You are free to leave the Pension Stabiliser in the meantime. 

Cons

  • The Pension Stabiliser offers you protection, but the amount and purchasing power of your pension is still not guaranteed.  

  • You no longer invest in shares and other investments with a high expected return. 

  • If you invest in the Pension Stabiliser for a longer period, your pension is expected to be lower. 

  • You cannot combine the Pension Stabiliser with the options of Smart Investing, Self Investing or preparing for a variable benefit. For these choices, see the information on this website. 

  • You are personally responsible for ensuring that the risk of the Pension Stabiliser matches your personal situation (risk profile). When you choose the Pension Stabiliser, Zwitserleven determines whether the risk you are willing and able to take is appropriate for the Pension Stabiliser. If this is not the case, we recommend not to choose the Pension Stabiliser.

Suitable:

  • If you expect to receive enough income after your retirement and want more certainty about the amount and purchasing power of your pension. 

  • If you are close to your retirement date and want better protection against falling interest rates and rising inflation.  

  • If you expect that the stock markets will fall soon and you temporarily do not want to be affected by this. 

Not suitable:

  • If you expect to receive not enough income after your retirement and need a higher return on your investments. 

  • If you are still young and your pension capital will therefore be invested over a long period. Investing your money through the Pension Stabiliser over the entire term does not yield enough return. 

  • If you are prepared to continue to invest with more risk with your pension capital until the retirement date and thus want to take advantage of the chance of a higher pension income.  

  • If you want to continue to invest based on the Smart Standard, with which Zwitserleven ensures that your investments match your age, your salary and your retirement age. 

  • If you already want to prepare the mix of your investments for a Variable Pension. 

  • If you want to put together your own investment mix via the option “Self Investing”.  

    What other options are there for your investments? 

    If you want to choose more certainty by accepting a lower expected pension income, you can also adjust the investment risk in other ways. 

    • By choosing Smart Investing and choose for a lower expected income. We will then adjust your investments and reduce your risks. You will then reduce your investments in the Rendement fund sooner and faster than in the Smart Standard. This does mean that, in contrast to the Pension Stabiliser, you still take a partial risk when stock markets fall. 
    • By choosing Self Investing and choose funds with less investment risk, such as the BlackRock Institutional Euro Liquidity Fund. This does mean that, unlike the Pension Stabiliser, you are not protected against falling interest rates and rising inflation. 

    How do you choose the Pension Stabiliser? 

    If you do not make a choice, we will invest for you on the basis of the Smart Standard. 

    On the Dashboard of your participant portal you can adjust your investments via the arrow “Adjust investments” in the tile “Your pension investments”. Via the button “What choices do you have?” you can then open the options menu for the Pension Stabiliser. Whether this selection menu is shown depends on whether your employer has included the Pension Stabiliser in your pension scheme. 

    In this menu you can see the consequences for your expected income. But also for your income if things go well (optimistic income) or if things go against you (pessimistic income). We also show your investments before and after your choice before you confirm your choice.  

    Subsequently, a questionnaire is used to test whether the Pension Stabiliser is suitable for you based on your risk profile.   

    If you submit your choice for the Pension Stabiliser no later than a few working days before the end of the month, this change will be processed in the following month. If you wish, you can switch back to the Smart Standard, Smart Investing or Self Investing at any time via the menu described above. 

    When does the Pension Stabiliser automatically stop? 

    If you have chosen the Pension Stabiliser, you will continue to invest in the Pension Stabiliser until you retire. Even if you leave your employer before your retirement date, you will continue to invest in it.  

    The Pension Stabiliser therefore only stops automatically when you retire. At that point, all your investments will be sold. 

    How do you stop investing in the Pension Stabiliser? 

    You can deactivate the Pension Stabiliser at any time via the participant portal. On the Dashboard of your participant portal you can adjust your investments via the arrow “Adjust investments” in the tile “Your pension investments”. Via the button “What choices do you have?” can you submit the change. You then go back to the distribution over the funds that you had before you opted for the Pension Stabiliser and possibly before Self Investing, whereby any previous choice for preparing for a Variable Pension is disabled. You can see there that you will invest in the Rendement fund again. If you wish, you can immediately make other investment choices afterwards. 

    Need advice?

    We are pleased to assist you with your retirement choices. Those choices can have major financial implications. Our guidance is only about your Zwitserleven Pensioen. Whether a choice is right for you naturally depends on your entire personal situation. Now and in the future. Have you thought about asking an advisor? They can give you an overview of all your financial affairs. And help you make the most appropriate choices.