Frankly Extreme 95 Responsible ranks #5 among 122 3a investment funds in Switzerland. It's the top-ranked ESG fund in the country, combining sustainability screening with 95% equity exposure. If you want your retirement money aligned with environmental and social principles without sacrificing growth, this fund puts its money where its mouth is.
Are the Fees Competitive?
The TER is literally 0.00% because frankly uses Swisscanto funds that waive the management fee for 3a investors. You pay the 0.44% flat fee plus a 0.01% synthetic TER. Total cost: 0.45%. That's cheaper than most passive funds, despite this being actively managed with ESG screening.
The three-year return of +49.03% is impressive for a responsible fund. Most ESG products lag their conventional peers by 1-3 percentage points. This one doesn't: over five years it returned +41.35%, ahead of the passive frankly Extreme 95 Index at +38.61%. The active approach is holding its own through ESG selection rather than just excluding entire sectors.
What Actually Stands Out
Swing pricing is a genuine advantage most investors overlook. When large inflows or outflows happen, the fund adjusts its price to protect existing holders from transaction costs. In volatile markets, this can save you 0.1-0.3% per year compared to funds without it.
The CHF 447 million fund size is solid. It's large enough for liquidity and stability, but not so massive that it becomes an index hugger. The active ESG approach by Swisscanto excludes controversial weapons, tobacco, and thermal coal while positively selecting companies with strong sustainability practices.
What Most Reviews Miss
Active management is a double-edged sword. While the three-year return is strong, the frankly Extreme 95 Index fund (same allocation, passive) returned +51.50% over the same period. That's a gap of about 2.5 percentage points favoring the index version, while over five years the order flips. Active management helped in some years and hurt in others.
The five-year return of +41.35% now gives a fuller picture, but note that the window starts in September 2021, close to the pre-2022 market peak, which is why it sits below the three-year figure. There's no ten-year record, so you're still trusting that the ESG approach will continue delivering. Also, "responsible" definitions vary. Some investors may find the exclusion criteria too lenient or too strict for their values.
The Bottom Line
If ESG investing matters to you and you want aggressive equity exposure, this is the strongest option in Swiss 3a. The 0.00% TER makes it almost impossible to beat on cost for an ESG fund. Compare it head-to-head with other options in our Pillar 3a comparison tool.
Verdict: The best ESG 3a fund in Switzerland for growth-oriented investors, but consider the index version, which leads over three years, if passive tracking matters more than active sustainability selection.
