We are pleased to present to you the current Financial Outlook from August 18, 2026 and wish you much enjoyment while reading.

Mortgage rates in Switzerland have recently increased again. Therefore, it is worthwhile for homeowners to review their financing early. Especially with regard to retirement, proactive mortgage planning is gaining importance.

Although the Swiss National Bank has kept its key interest rate at 0%, long-term fixed mortgages have recently become more expensive. This illustrates that not only the key interest rate but also developments in the capital market influence mortgage rates.

Even small changes in interest rates can significantly impact the household budget: With a mortgage of CHF 800,000, an increase in interest rates by one percentage point leads to additional annual costs of CHF 8,000 or about CHF 667 per month.

Particularly important is the affordability after retirement.

With the loss of earned income, financial possibilities change. Banks typically assess affordability based on calculated interest rates that are significantly higher than current market rates. Therefore, financing that is easily manageable today must also be secured long-term in retirement.

In addition to the choice between fixed-rate mortgages and SARON financing, other important questions arise: Should the mortgage be partially amortized? How much liquidity should be retained? And when is the right time to renegotiate the financing?

Our recommendation

Anyone who needs to renew their mortgage in the coming years or is approaching retirement should examine various scenarios early on. It is not only the lowest interest rate that matters, but a long-term sustainable financing that is optimally aligned with personal financial and retirement situations.

October 2026 – Rising interest rates, new opportunities in the stock markets

Review: Swiss stocks under pressure

After a positive development in the previous months, the financial markets showed mixed results in September. While the American stock markets continued to rise thanks to strong technology stocks, the Swiss leading index SMI lost about 4%.

Rising capital market interest rates and persistent inflationary pressure weighed on the markets. At the same time, the global economy remains robust, leaving little room for central banks to lower interest rates.

Outlook:Quality and dividends in focus

For the coming months, we remain optimistic, even if higher interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties are likely to continue affecting the markets.

Therefore, we remain committed tosubstantive Swiss companies with attractive valuations and sustainable dividends.. Especially after the recent price declines, we see interesting entry opportunities again in selected quality stocks.

We are also pursuing this strategy with ourSwiss Lifetime Income Portfolio, launched in April. The investment concept combines undervalued Swiss blue chips with attractive dividends and additional returns from option premiums.

The development since the launch has been encouraging: In August, the portfolio reached a previous high of about+13 %.The subsequent market correction opens up attractive entry opportunities again for long-term oriented investors.