In the bank account, in shares or at home under the mattress: a survey shows how the Swiss invest their money.
23 percent of respondents say they keep some of their money in a safe deposit box.
Practically all Swiss people invest their money in some way. Some purposefully, others park it without thinking too much in their private accounts for everyday use. Simple private account investment is also by far the most common investment model. Like a representative survey of the online comparison service Moneyland Among 1,500 people from German- and French-speaking Switzerland, almost nine out of ten respondents (89 percent) invest at least part of their money in private accounts.
A savings account where money is deposited with a longer horizon is still used by 83 percent of those surveyed for investing. «Many bank customers do not know the difference between a private and savings account. Even in the current phase of low interest rates, some banks are still paying a little more interest on the savings account,” says Benjamin Manz, Managing Director of Moneyland.
Banknotes under the mattress
The third most popular form of investment is rather surprising: 71 percent of those surveyed stated that they keep cash at home. 42 percent of them have little cash at home. Only 8 percent say they keep much or all of their money in cash. Even people who keep their cash in a safe deposit box often only do so with a small amount.
Retirement funds increasingly popular
Provision follows these three investment classics: 65 percent stated in the survey that they had invested money in a pension fund. Also more than 50 percent of the population has paid into 3a pension funds or securities solutions as well as savings accounts of the third pillar. According to the study, pension funds and securities solutions in particular have gained in popularity compared to the previous year. “This is probably mainly due to the low interest rate environment,” says Manz. In addition, pension apps make investing in the third pillar easier and often cheaper.
When it comes to equity investments, Swiss securities still have a small lead over foreign securities among the local population: 27 percent of those surveyed stated that they invest in Swiss securities. Foreign stocks are in the portfolios of 22 percent of Swiss people.
Cryptocurrencies are catching up
Cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity. However, the survey was conducted in April 2022, when Bitcoin was still valued comparatively highly. Now that it has fallen to half of what it was then, some investors may have had doubts. In any case, in April 18 percent of those surveyed stated that they invested money in Bitcoin.
Over a quarter of the population (26 percent) now holds gold as an investment. “That’s probably a reaction to global inflation,” comments Manz. For many investors, gold is still considered a protection against inflation. At the moment, almost as many Swiss people own gold as Swiss shares (27 percent). Similar to cash, most people who have money invested in gold say it’s only a small amount. The same applies to other precious metals, according to the Moneyland statement.
Is investing a man thing?
In all forms of investment, men state more often than women that they have invested money. Funds and stocks in particular are particularly popular with men. For example, 31 percent of men said they invest in ETFs. For women it is only 18 percent. “It is conceivable, however, that women will catch up in the coming years,” says Moneyland analyst Raphael Knecht in the press release.
Older people invest less often
People over the age of 49 tend to invest less: in almost all categories, respondents in the 50 to 74 age group stated less frequently than average that they had invested money. It is particularly striking with cryptocurrencies, for example: only 6 percent of those over 49 have invested in Bitcoin. The Swiss average across all age groups is 18 percent.
Only when it comes to real estate, at 40 percent, slightly more older people than younger people say that they have invested. For comparison: the overall average is 35 percent.
How do millionaires invest?
Rich people invest much more purposefully. For example, 71 percent of millionaires said they invest in foreign stocks. Regardless of wealth, the average in Switzerland is only 22 percent. “As wealth increases, so does share ownership,” says Moneyland Managing Director Manz.
In many areas, including equities, real estate and funds, people with assets of more than CHF 500,000 invest significantly more frequently than the rest of Switzerland.