Can I retire at 55 with CHF 1 million?
At 55 the pensions are close, but a comfortable lifestyle asks a lot of the savings in between.
Education, not financial advice. Use at your own risk. Read the full disclaimer
The short answer
Not quite. At 55 the plan is about CHF 463’515 short; with these numbers it works from about 57.4.
Spending about CHF 1’060 a month less would make 55 work.
- Independent at
- 57.4
- Needed on the day
- CHF 1’219’009
- Bridge from savings
- 7.6 years
- Pensions cover
- 34%
- AHV from 65
- CHF 2’730 / month
- Savings at 95
- CHF 3’080’683
Open this scenario in the calculator → Change any number and see your own answer.
Fifty-five, a million invested, a well-filled pension fund and 3a, and spending of CHF 8’000 a month, a level many households reach once children and a mortgage are in the picture. Ten years to AHV is not long, but the bridge still has to be paid in cash.
Your savings over time
Age 58 (2028) Accessible CHF 1’192’164 Pension fund and 3a CHF 657’582
What the numbers say
From 57.4 you live on accessible savings for about 7.6 years, until pension-fund money, Pillar 3a and AHV have all started at 65.0. That stretch is the hard part of early retirement in Switzerland.
After that, AHV of about CHF 2’730 a month covers 34% of spending of CHF 8’000 a month; savings pay the rest.
On the default return, savings would still be about CHF 3’080’683 at 95 in today’s francs. A bad first decade in the markets can cut that sharply, which is why the plan uses a withdrawal rate with a margin.
The plan behind it
- Age today
- 55
- Spending per month
- CHF 8’000
- Saved per month
- CHF 3’000
- Invested today
- CHF 1’000’000
- Pension fund
- CHF 450’000
- Pillar 3a
- CHF 150’000
- Target age
- 55
Other inputs are the calculator defaults: Pillar 3a CHF 5’000 a year, statutory pension-fund credits, full AHV, stocks 8.0% and bonds 1.5% before inflation, 4.0% withdrawal rate, taxes for Zug.
What would change it
- Spend CHF 1’000 less a month: 2.3 years earlier, independent at 55.2
- Save CHF 200 more a month: 0.1 years earlier, independent at 57.3
Frequently asked questions
Are taxes included?
Yes, in retirement: wealth tax, income tax on pensions and investment income, and the tax on lump sums, estimated for Zug with 2026 figures of the Federal Tax Administration. Check the latest rules with your canton.
What if markets do worse?
Every year earns the average return here. With one percentage point less, the date moves by about 0.6 years. The calculator’s sensitivity chart shows the other assumptions that matter.