Frequently asked questions

What are the minimum / maximum deposit amounts? Do I have to make regular deposits?

We have very few restrictions. Here’s the most important information at a glance:

  • To open your account: To activate your account, an initial deposit of just 1 franc within the first 3 months is all that’s needed.
  • For your first investment: As soon as a total of 500 francs has been accumulated in one of your investment goals, we will automatically invest the money for you. You can deposit this amount all at once or in smaller installments.
  • For top-up deposits: For us to invest your money directly, further deposits should be at least 50 francs. We simply collect smaller amounts in your account until the total is sufficient for an investment.
  • For your custom investment solution: If you have created your own ETF solution, we’ll start investing once you’ve reached 5’000 francs for this goal.

There is no maximum amount. For larger sums, we recommend depositing them over a longer time period. This makes you less exposed to short-term market fluctuations. However, regular deposits are of course voluntary.

You can find more tips on depositing money on our information page.

What would happen if findependent went bankrupt?

That’s an important question. The short and reassuring answer is: Your investments and your cash are safe.

The reason for this is simple: 

  • Your investments (ETFs): These legally belong to you. As segregated assets, they remain your property, are untouched in the event of a bankruptcy, and do not become part of the company’s bankruptcy estate.
  • Your cash (liquidity): Your cash portion (1% of your total investment) is also protected. As with any Swiss bank account, the statutory depositor protection of up to 100,000 francs applies here.

How can I deposit money into a specific goal?

It’s simple: Each of your goals has its own QR code with a unique reference number. You can find it in the app by selecting your desired goal and tapping on “Pay in“. Either scan this QR code with your banking app or enter the QR reference number manually. This ensures your money automatically goes to the right place.

A quick note: Once your money is invested in a goal, it cannot be moved to another goal. It would have to be sold and then reinvested in the other goal.

When and how often can I make withdrawals? How long does it take for my money to get back to me?

You can withdraw money from your investment solution at any time – as often and as much as you like. We do not have any notice periods or minimum investment terms. To do so, simply tap on “Pay out†under the respective goal in the app.

For your investment solution to perform optimally for you, a minimum balance of 500 francs is required. If a withdrawal causes the value of your investment to drop below this threshold, we will sell the remaining invested amount on your behalf. Of course, as soon as your balance reaches 500 francs again, we will immediately reinvest the money.

Typically, it takes 2-3 business days for us to sell your investments and for the money to arrive in your bank account.

How are the quarterly management and custody fees calculated and charged?

The management and custody fees are calculated quarterly on a pro-rata basis. The calculation is based on the average market value of your total investment amount (including cash balance) on the 25th day of the three months within the quarter. The total fee is then charged directly to your account at the end of the quarter.

The fees apply to each investment goal individually. But don’t worry, having multiple goals isn’t more expensive. Broadly speaking, it’s not the number of investment goals that matters for the fee calculation, but the total value of all your investment solutions combined.

Can I have multiple investment solutions / goals?

Yes, you can. With findependent, you can have as many investment solutions as you like to invest separately for different goals or purposes, such as for a child. 

To do so, simply create a new goal in the app (using the small green plus icon next to the name of your existing goal), choose one of our five ready-made investment solutions (or create your own) – and you’re all set!

Why is the data in the app not up to date?

We update the data in your app once a day in the evening. It always shows you the closing prices of the last completed trading day. Since the stock markets are closed on weekends, you will see the Friday values until Monday evening.

We have deliberately decided against real-time updates. Your investment solution is geared towards a long-term goal. Tracking constant market fluctuations minute by minute adds no value and only makes you unnecessarily nervous. 

Our tip: Sit back, relax, and only check the app every now and then. Use your time for the truly beautiful things in life – we’ll take care of the rest.

What are the risks of investing? Can I lose money?

Yes, an honest answer is important to us: investing always involves risks and market fluctuations. The value of your investments can decline, especially in the short term. 

The good news is: in the long run, financial markets tend to rise. The longer your investment horizon, the lower the risk of a loss. That’s why it’s crucial to hold on to your investments even during crises and to not sell in a panic.

We don’t rely on speculative bets but on a proven long-term strategy. Your money is widely spread across thousands of companies, industries, and regions. With such broad diversification, a total loss is virtually impossible. And so far, the markets have recovered from every crisis.

How can I withdraw money?

That’s very simple to do directly in the app. For your desired goal, tap on “Withdraw“, select your bank account and the amount – that’s it. We’ll handle the sale of the necessary assets.

It usually takes 2-3 business days for the money to arrive in your account.

Do I have a fee-free allowance on each goal or only on my total investment amount?

Your fee-free allowance, on which you don’t pay management and custody fees, applies to your entire investment amount with us. We automatically distribute it proportionally across your different goals.

Can someone else deposit money into my child’s account?

Of course! As soon as you’ve made the first deposit (even 1 franc is enough) from your personal bank account, godparents or grandparents can also deposit directly into the child’s savings goal.

Important: Until the official gift or transfer, the money legally still belongs to the person who opened the account.

How do I transfer the investment goal to my (god)child once they reach adulthood?

The transfer process after they come of age is very simple:

  1. Your (god)child opens their own account with us.
    An initial deposit of 1 franc is enough to activate it.
  2. You initiate the transfer in your app.
    Click on the name of the relevant investment goal and then on “Transfer.” Select “Another client”, enter their client number, your relationship (e.g. grandchild, child, godchild), and their full name. We’ll take care of the rest.

Can I combine two investment goals? Can I transfer only part of one goal to another?

You can easily combine two investment goals yourself in the app. To do so, click on the name of your goal, select “Transfer“, and then choose the desired destination goal.

It doesn’t matter whether you use the same investment solution for both goals or not. We don’t charge a fee for this. However, please note that when combining different investment solutions (e.g., “Risky” and “Careful”), some assets will need to be sold to align with the target investment solution.

What is not possible is a partial transfer of your goal. For example, you cannot move half of the 10’000 francs from your goal A, i.e. 5’000 francs, to goal B.

Can I pursue different investment solutions or do I have to stick to one of the five?

Yes, absolutely! In fact, that’s often a good idea. You can create as many investment goals as you like and choose a different investment solution for each one. For example, you could take on more risk for a long-term goal than for a medium-term one.

Just remember that a minimum of CHF 500 per investment goal is required for us to invest your money. For a custom-built investment solution, the minimum amount is CHF 5’000 per goal.

How can I delete a goal?

You can easily delete your investment goal in the app. Tap on the name of your goal to go to its specific page. Then, simply click on “Delete goal” at the bottom, and your investment goal will be removed. 

But be aware: Before you can delete a goal, all the money must either be transferred to another goal or the entire amount must be withdrawn. You cannot delete the goal if its balance is not CHF 0.00.

If you’re unable to delete a goal (it’s likely your current “main goal”), just send us a quick message. We’ll sort it out together.

How can I change the name or the image of a goal?

Want to personalize your savings goals? It’s very easy.

Click on the name of the goal to go to its details page. There, you can tap directly on the photo to choose a new image from our selection and then edit the name right after.

Uploading your own photos is currently not supported.

Why do I have to answer questions again when creating a new goal?

Don’t worry, it’s very quick and for a good reason. Each of your savings goals can have a different purpose or time horizon. To ensure we can recommend the most suitable investment solution for your new goal, we briefly ask about the investment duration and your risk tolerance specifically for that goal. 

Your general information regarding financial knowledge and experience is already saved and does not need to be entered again.

Why can’t I see my deposit in the app yet?

Your first deposit: For regulatory reasons, we need to briefly check this manually. It’s a one-time security check. It usually takes one business day for the money to appear in the app. We will notify you by email immediately afterwards.

All subsequent deposits: You will typically see these in the app on the same business day. You’ll also receive an email confirmation from us.

Why do profit and return in % not match?

In the app, findependent calculates the return as a time-weighted return (TWR). While this calculation method is the standard in the financial industry, it can sometimes feel like the return and the profit don’t align. 

The reason is that the TWR calculation ignores all deposits and withdrawals. This means the return shown is the return that would have been achieved if the same amount of money had been invested from the very beginning. This allows for a fair comparison between different investment solutions and strategies. 

The main disadvantage of this method is that the return percentage doesn’t match your intuition (profit or loss divided by the total value of the investment) as soon as you’ve made more than one deposit. 

That’s why findependent also displays the money-weighted return (MWR). This metric takes your personal deposit and withdrawal timings into account, which often results in a return figure that aligns well with your actual profit or loss, making it easier to understand.

You can find more information on returns and how to compare returns in our blog article.

How can I change my IBAN for payouts?

For security reasons, you can only withdraw money to a bank account that is in your name and from which you have previously made a deposit to your findependent account (CHF 1 is sufficient). 

We don’t do this to make your life difficult – for us, security comes first. This method ensures that withdrawals from your findependent investment solution always go to an account that belongs to you and not to someone else. 

You can find the list of all currently available withdrawal accounts at any time in the app under “Withdraw.” There, you can simply select your desired account for each withdrawal.

When and how do I receive my tax return documents? How much does the e-tax statement cost?

We also make doing your taxes as easy as possible. 

You can find your electronic tax statement every year in the second half of February directly in the app, in your profile under “Documents.” We’ll notify you by email as soon as it’s available. 

The best part: You can import the data into your online tax return with just a few clicks – no tedious typing required. And of course, this service is free of charge for you. 

At many traditional banks, you often pay high additional fees for this service. This is one of the many small but significant differences that help you save money with us.

How can I increase my fee-free allowance / amount to save on fees?

You always have the option to further increase your fee-free allowance / amount by referring findependent to others. If the person you invite also invests with us, both your and their fee-free allowance will increase. 

Here’s how it works:
Share your personal referral code with your friends and family. You can find it in the profile section of the app under “Invite friends now.”

You can find more information on our information page.

How (often) can I change my investment solution? Does it cost anything?

You can change your investment solution at any time directly in the app. To do so, click on the name of the goal and then on “Adjust investment solution“. 

Important: Since changing your solution requires selling some ETF shares and buying new ones, the usual transaction costs (e.g. stamp duty) will apply. 

A tip from us: Your investment solution should match your long-term strategy. We advise against changing it in reaction to short-term market fluctuations. There’s a high risk of always being one step behind. It’s better to choose a strategy that lets you sleep well, even in turbulent times.

Can I invest in a specific ETF or an individual stock like Tesla?

No, we deliberately avoid investing in individual stocks. Instead, we invest broadly in global markets via ETFs – this lowers your risk and allows you to benefit from the performance of thousands of companies at the same time. 

You can choose:

  • Ready-made solutions: Our five investment solutions with up to 11 ETFs –  simple, broadly diversified, and effortless.
  • Custom solution: Starting from CHF 5’000, you can build your personal investment strategy from a selection of around 40 curated ETFs. 

Is there a specific ETF you’re missing? Just let us know – we are constantly expanding our selection.

How exactly does findependent monitor my investment solution? (Rebalancing)

We always keep an eye on your investment solution, so you don’t have to.

  • Weekly & Automatic: Every week, our system checks if the weighting of your asset classes (e.g. stocks or bonds) is still on track. If it deviates too much from the plan, we automatically rebalance it. This ensures that your risk level always matches your profile.
  • Bi-annually & Personal: Our investment committee, made up of investment experts, reviews all the ETFs we use twice a year and replaces them if better or more cost-effective alternatives become available on the market. 

This is how we ensure your investment solution is always optimally configured for you.

Can I invest in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies with findependent?

Yes, this is possible under certain conditions:

  • With your custom investment solution (from CHF 5’000): Here you have the flexibility to invest up to 10% of your investment amount in Bitcoin. This is done via a proven investment product (WisdomTree Physical Bitcoin ETP).
  • In our ready-made investment solutions (from CHF 500): We deliberately exclude cryptocurrencies from these. We are convinced that the mix of stocks, bonds, real estate, and precious metals already provides a sufficiently broad and solid foundation for your long-term wealth building.

Why is my allocation to an asset class significantly higher / lower than the target value?

This can happen with smaller investment amounts (under CHF 2’000) and is for purely technical reasons. Since we can only buy whole ETF shares and some shares cost over CHF 100, the percentage allocation can initially deviate slightly from the target value. 

Don’t worry, this is completely normal. The more money you invest, the more closely the allocation will match your chosen target. Our system automatically optimizes this for you with every deposit.

How does two-factor authentication (2FA) work?

  • What you need: An authenticator app (e.g. Google or Microsoft Authenticator) or the Apple app “Passwords†on your smartphone.
  • How to activate 2FA: In your findependent app, go to Profile -> “Activate Face ID / 2FA” and follow the instructions. In the future, you will need to enter a code from your authenticator app in addition to your password when logging in.
  • What if you lose access? Lost your phone? Don’t worry. Just contact our support team. We’ll help you quickly and easily to regain access to your account.

What is the difference between profit and income?

Simply put:

  • Your profit is the total difference between the current value of your investments and the total amount you have deposited. It changes daily with the market prices.
  • Your income refers to specific cash inflows like dividends or interest, generated by your ETFs. These are credited to your account, appear as individual transactions in your app, and are then automatically reinvested for you.

What is stamp duty and when do I have to pay it?

The stamp duty is a federal tax that is levied on every purchase and sale of securities like ETFs. It is settled automatically for you and is already included in the transaction costs. This way, you don’t have to worry about anything. 

The amount is low, at 0.075% for Swiss securities and 0.15% for foreign securities.

Can I deposit money into my investment solution from any account?

No, for regulatory reasons, we can only accept deposits from a Swiss bank account that is in your name. 

There is one exception for children’s savings goals: After you have made the first deposit from your account, close relatives like godparents or grandparents can also deposit directly into this goal from their own accounts.

How can I close my findependent account? Can I do this at any time?

Yes, you can close your account at any time if you wish.

  1. Withdraw the total amount of your investments.
  2. Send us a brief email with your cancellation request to service@findependent.ch. 

Our alternative: Pause your account for free. With us, you only pay fees when you have money in your account. You can simply let your account rest with a zero balance at no cost. This way, you keep your personal fee-free allowance and can start investing again at any time.

I don’t want to invest money right now, but I’d still like to keep my account – is that possible?

Sure, that’s no problem at all. You can keep your account with a zero balance for free and simply pause it. 

This way, you remain flexible, keep your personal fee-free allowance, and can make deposits again whenever it suits you. We are convinced that long-term investing is the best strategy, but ultimately, you decide what’s right for your life situation.

Can I withdraw money from my investment solution to any bank account?

For security reasons, you can only withdraw money to a bank account that is in your name and from which you have previously made a deposit with us (CHF 1 is sufficient). 

This isn’t meant to be difficult, but an important security measure. It ensures that your money always goes directly to you, even if someone were to gain unauthorized access to your app.

Could a third party steal money from my findependent account through unauthorized access?

No, that is not possible. Even if someone gained unauthorized access to your app, your money can only be transferred to one of your registered bank accounts that are in your name. A transfer to a third-party account is impossible.

My investments have lost value over a longer period of time – what should I do?

Stay calm, even if it’s difficult. Short-term losses are a part of investing – they usually even out in the long run.

  • All past crises have been overcome – and a recovery has always followed.
  • Broad diversification protects you: Your money is spread across over 3,000 securities worldwide.
  • Market timing rarely works: Those who wait for “the right moment” usually fall behind.
  • Seize opportunities: Lower prices mean you get more for your money. 

So, stick to your plan – patience pays off in the long term. 

And if you’re still unsure, feel free to contact us at any time. We’re here to help.

Are earnings automatically reinvested? (distributing vs. accumulating ETFs)

Yes, we make sure your earnings (like dividends) are automatically put back to work for you. Wherever possible, we use reinvesting (accumulating) ETFs. These reinvest earnings directly, which is cost-effective and makes the most of the compound interest effect.

For a few ETFs, a suitable accumulating version is not yet available. In these cases, the earnings are credited to your account and then reinvested for you along with your next deposit. In both cases, you don’t have to worry about anything.

Does findependent use physically or synthetically replicated ETFs?

We exclusively use physically replicated ETFs. This means that the ETF actually buys and holds the stocks or bonds it is designed to track. This offers you the highest possible level of security. 

We deliberately avoid synthetic ETFs, which use derivatives and thus carry additional risks.

Why doesn’t findependent use currency-hedged ETFs?

Currency hedging often leads to high costs for investors. Besides direct costs like higher product fees (often called Total Expense Ratio or TER), there are also “hidden†costs. The fund uses derivatives purchased from banks for hedging, and both these derivatives and the transactions cost money.

However, the largest portion of the cost is economic. Investors pay the interest rate differential between their “home currency” and the currency they are hedging against. For example, if a Swiss franc investor wants to hedge against the US-Dollar, this currently costs 3-4% per year (US interest rate: 4.5%, Switzerland: 0%). For a US-Dollar hedge to be “worthwhile”, the US-Dollar would therefore have to lose about 4% against the Swiss franc annually.





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