Descartes Index 60

A balanced 60/40 index 3a with a private bank custodian and a phone line to a human advisor.

Descartes Index 60 ranks #18 among 90 3a investment funds in Switzerland. It's a passive Swisscanto index strategy at 60% equity, 40% money market, held in a personal securities account at Lienhardt & Partner Privatbank Zürich. A reasonable middle-ground allocation, priced at 0.61% all-in because of the hybrid digital-plus-human advisor model.

How Index 60 Stacks Up Against Cheaper Balanced Funds

All-in cost is 0.61% (0.21% weighted TER plus 0.40% flat fee). On CHF 50,000 that's CHF 305 per year. Pure-digital 60% equity 3a strategies sit at roughly 0.40-0.45% all-in. So you're paying about CHF 80-105 more annually than the cheapest passive 60/40 alternatives.

What you get for that extra cost is on-demand human advisor access plus a personal securities account at a Zurich private bank rather than units in a collective foundation. Whether that's worth the premium depends entirely on whether you'll use the advisor. If you'll call them once a year to talk through a strategy switch, probably yes. If not, no.

What Actually Stands Out

The portfolio holds Swisscanto Responsible index funds at 60% total (World ex CH, Switzerland Total, MSCI World ex CH FTH1, Emerging Markets) balanced by 40% in Swisscanto Money Market Fund CHF FT. ESG screening is at the underlying level.

Lienhardt & Partner Privatbank Zürich runs custody in your own depot, with weekly trading in the 3a domain. The Descartes app handles contributions, statements and strategy switches, but the advisor line is the real differentiator. Per Handelszeitung's coverage, that hybrid model hasn't translated into worse net performance versus the pure digital providers.

What Most Reviews Miss

The 40% defensive sleeve is money market, not bonds. That means short-duration cash exposure. You don't get the interest-rate kicker a true bond fund would give in a falling-rate environment. If you specifically want duration in your 3a, Descartes Index 60 isn't structured for that.

The 5-year return of +15.50% lags pure-equity strategies meaningfully and lags some bond-included 60/40 funds too. Part of that is the cash drag in the defensive bucket. Part is the all-in cost differential. The 10-year +72.80% is more competitive and reflects a longer compounding window.

The Bottom Line

Descartes Index 60 works if you want a balanced 60/40 with a personal depot at a private bank and the option to call a human advisor. If you don't need either, cheaper pure-digital balanced strategies save you about CHF 100 per year per CHF 50,000. See the full landscape in our guide to the best 3a investment funds in Switzerland.

Verdict: A solid balanced 3a for cost-tolerant investors who actively use the human advisor channel.