Bank Cler Nachhaltig Einkommen (CHF) V

1.22% TER on a conservative income fund. Bank Cler charges growth-fund prices for a bond-heavy product.

Bank Cler Nachhaltig Einkommen ranks #62 among 67 3a investment funds in Switzerland. With just 32% stocks and 65% bonds, this is the income-focused, conservative option in Bank Cler's sustainability lineup. The five-year return of +3.79% barely beats inflation, and the 1.22% TER is disproportionately high for what's essentially a bond-dominated portfolio.

Are the Fees Worth It?

Let's be direct: a 1.22% TER on a 32/65 stock-bond fund is hard to justify. The five-year return of +3.79% means you earned roughly +0.76% per year. After deducting the 1.22% TER from gross returns, you can see that the fund's gross performance was about +1.98% per year. The manager took more than you kept.

A 3a savings account at 0.80% interest would have returned approximately +4.07% over five years with zero risk and zero fees. This investment fund, carrying market risk and charging premium fees, delivered less. For a product marketed as "Einkommen" (income), it delivered precious little of it.

What Actually Stands Out

Swing pricing and Bank Cler's digital platform are the main differentiators. The sustainability screening is comprehensive, and the "Einkommen" (income) label suggests a focus on yield-generating securities, which makes theoretical sense for investors who want regular distributions.

The CHF 21 million fund size is small but not critically so. Bank Cler positions this as the entry-level sustainability product for cautious investors who want some market participation. The BKB group backing provides institutional stability even if the individual fund is modest.

What Most Reviews Miss

The "Einkommen" label is misleading in a 3a context. Unlike regular investment funds, 3a funds don't pay dividends to investors. Returns are reinvested automatically. The income-focused strategy might select higher-yielding bonds and dividend stocks, but you never see that income as cash flow. It just compounds within the fund, making the label a marketing choice rather than a functional feature.

BKB's sister fund (Nachhaltig Einkommen) has identical performance at +3.79% over five years. Same managers, same securities, same story. The CHF 50 million in BKB's version versus CHF 21 million here again makes the parent fund the more stable choice if you're in this product family.

The Bottom Line

Bank Cler Nachhaltig Einkommen charges too much for too little return. A 3a savings account would have beaten it over five years with no risk. If you need a conservative sustainability fund, cheaper options exist with better outcomes. Explore your options in our guide to the best Pillar 3a products in Switzerland.

Verdict: Expensive, underperforming, and struggling to justify its existence when savings accounts deliver more. Only for committed Bank Cler customers who insist on an ESG fund wrapper.