Hallycon Academy

Course 13 · Next step

Pensions and tax-smart saving

How pensions work in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, how big your gap may be, how tax rules shape your saving, and how to plan the years after work.

  • 7 lessons
  • 49 min
  • Free
  • A certificate when you finish

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Who it is for

For anyone from 35 on who wants to know what their pension will really pay, how large the gap may be, and how tax rules shape their saving.

The lessons

Each lesson has a short video, a quiz and links to learn more. The full lessons open after a free sign-in.

  1. Lesson 1: How your pension works: the three pillars

    7 min

    State, workplace and private pensions, country by country. Most people only know the first one.

    Key points

    • Pillar 1 is the state pension, pillar 2 the workplace pension, pillar 3 your own saving.
    • BE: legal pension, supplementary pension, pension saving. DE: gesetzliche Rente, bAV, Riester and private. FR: base and Agirc-Arrco, company PER, individual PER. NL: AOW, pension fund, lijfrente. CH: AHV/AVS, BVG/LPP, pillar 3a.
    • Know which pillars you have and roughly what each will pay.

  2. Lesson 2: The pension gap

    7 min

    The state pension replaces only part of your pay, and fewer workers support each retiree. What the gap is and why it matters from 35 on.

    Key points

    • Compulsory pensions often replace well under your last pay: for an average earner, from about 48% in Switzerland to 96% in the Netherlands (OECD, 2025).
    • Ageing populations strain pay-as-you-go systems: the EU went from 24.7 people aged 65+ per 100 of working age in 2005 to 34.5 in 2025 (Eurostat), and the rules keep changing.
    • Your gap is what you'll miss each month once you stop working.

  3. Lesson 3: Find your number

    7 min

    Every country gives you a free pension statement. Where to get yours, how to read it and how to compare it with your costs.

    Key points

    • Get your statement: mypension.be (BE); Renteninformation and the Digitale Rentenübersicht (DE); info-retraite.fr (FR); mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl (NL); your AHV account extract and pension fund certificate (CH).
    • Compare the expected monthly amount with your expected costs.
    • Gap per month × 12 × years in retirement gives a rough target (illustration, before inflation and returns).

  4. Lesson 4: Starting at 35, 45 or 55

    7 min

    The approach changes with the years you have left: time does the work at 35, amount and habits at 45, costs and safety at 55+.

    Key points

    • At 35, time does most of the work.
    • At 45, the amount and steady habits matter more.
    • At 55+, focus on costs, perhaps working a little longer, and safe money for the first retirement years.

  5. Lesson 5: Tax-friendly pension saving in your country

    7 min

    Each country rewards pension saving with tax breaks: pension saving in Belgium, company pensions, Riester and its 2027 successor in Germany, the PER in France, lijfrente in the Netherlands, pillar 3a in Switzerland.

    Key points

    • Use your country's tax-favoured box first; limits change every year, so check them.
    • Tax breaks often come with lock-ins until retirement and with product costs; read both.
    • Germany replaces Riester for new contracts from 2027, the Netherlands moves workplace pensions to new rules by 1 January 2028, and Switzerland's 3a limit is CHF 7,258 in 2026 for employees with a pension fund.

  6. Lesson 6: Tax on your investments, country by country

    7 min

    Dividends, interest and gains are taxed differently in each country. The main rules in plain words, life-insurance wrappers like assurance-vie and branch 21/23, and why the wrapper can matter as much as the investment.

    Key points

    • BE: a tax on every stock-exchange trade, 30% withholding tax on dividends and interest, and since 1 January 2026 a 10% tax on capital gains above €10,000 a year. DE: a flat 25% plus solidarity surcharge above a €1,000 yearly allowance.
    • FR: a 31.4% flat tax since 2026, lower after 5 years in a PEA or 8 years in an assurance-vie. NL: box 3 taxes an assumed return on wealth. CH: private capital gains generally untaxed, but wealth is taxed and 35% is withheld on Swiss dividends (reclaimable for residents).
    • Every rule is dated: check it with your tax office. General information, not tax advice.

  7. Lesson 7: Spending it later

    7 min

    The years after work need a plan too: how much to draw, what to keep safe, lump sum or lifelong pension, and planning for a long life.

    Key points

    • A common approach: keep two to three years of spending in low-risk money so a market fall doesn't force you to sell.
    • Lump sum or lifelong pension: in Switzerland and elsewhere you may choose, and it is one of the biggest money decisions you'll make.
    • Plan for a long life; running out at 90 hurts more than leaving something behind.

What’s inside

  • Short videos: About two minutes for each lesson
  • Quizzes: Three questions after each lesson
  • Calculators: Inflation, compound interest, an emergency fund and fees
  • Certificate: For every course you complete

The full lessons, videos and quizzes open after a free sign-in: your name, email, mobile number and a PIN. No card, no obligation.

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General financial education. Hallycon Academy does not manage money, sell investment products or give personal advice. Examples in the lessons promise no return.

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