Alpian Swiss Balanced

The cheapest plan Alpian sells, and the most Swiss. For a home-biased saver, that combination is interesting.

Alpian Swiss Balanced ranks #45 among 95 3a investment funds in Switzerland, mid-table. It's a 50/50 equity-and-bond plan with a firm Swiss tilt and, at 0.74% all-in, the lowest total cost in Alpian's entire range. For a saver who wants balance and a home-currency anchor, it's arguably the most sensibly priced door into the Alpian experience, though the returns are still backtested rather than live.

The Cheapest Alpian, but Still a Premium

At 0.74% total cost (a 0.14% TER plus the 0.60% flat fee), this is the least expensive plan Alpian offers, undercutting its own Global Balanced twin by a basis point. The lower TER is the reason, and it's enough to keep this fund in a better cost band than most of the range.

Even so, 0.74% is a premium in a market where VIAC and frankly run balanced plans nearer 0.30% to 0.44%. On CHF 100,000 that's about CHF 740 a year versus CHF 300 to 440. You're paying for the Alpian platform and advisory, not for a cheaper fund.

What Actually Stands Out

A strong home-currency anchor. At least 45% of the portfolio is held in or hedged to Swiss francs, and the equity half leans on Swiss names, about 26% of the whole fund. For a saver who doesn't want their balanced 3a whipsawed by the dollar, that Swiss tilt is a genuine draw most global funds don't offer.

The risk profile is moderate by design: a 2-out-of-4 rating, 7.2% simulated volatility and a -28.7% worst drawdown, the gentlest of Alpian's 50/50 pair. It's passive, diversified via Alpian's BlackRock blocks, and built to grow steadily without dramatic swings.

What Most Reviews Miss

The five-year backtest hides a bond bruise. The simulated 5-year return is +14.9%, noticeably below the +23.5% three-year, because a painful bond stretch sits inside that longer window. In a fund that's half bonds, the defensive sleeve was the drag, not the cushion.

All the figures are hypothetical, simulated on Swiss and global indices from 2000 to 2025, not a live fund record. And while 0.74% is Alpian's cheapest, it still roughly doubles the cost of the leanest 3a providers. Over a 30-year horizon that difference compounds quietly against a 3.6% annualized backtest that already leaves little room to spare.

The Bottom Line

Swiss Balanced is the plan to look at first if you like Alpian but hate overpaying: it's the range's cheapest, its most CHF-anchored, and its calmest 50/50. For a home-biased, moderate-risk saver that's a coherent package. Cost hawks will still find cheaper balanced 3as elsewhere, so check it against rivals on our best Pillar 3a investment funds page.

Verdict: Alpian's most sensibly priced plan and a solid pick for a Swiss-anchored, balanced saver, but the fee is still a premium versus the low-cost leaders.