Menu
Skip to content 
Descartes recently introduced a new investment solution. The updates are exciting for experienced investors, but especially for young or beginner investors. Why? Not only can you now invest with Descartes from as little as CHF 10, but you also always have full cost control.
In this experience report, you will find out everything you need to know about the new Descartes Invest solution and what makes it special.
One of the most exciting innovations in Descartes is the possibility, Start investing from as little as CHF 10. Why is that exciting?
For beginners, high minimum volumes are usually a hurdle that prevents them from investing. Small amounts such as CHF 10 at Descartes Invest, on the other hand, enable a simple initial test and therefore do not put anyone off.
So with Descartes you can invest from as little as CHF 10 and get a Start a regular savings plan.
The special advantage of a savings plan? You basically never have to open a financial newspaper, but can set up a standing order and watch your investments grow over the long term.
Here is a brief comparison with other well-known providers. We don't even need to talk about the big banks:
| Descartes Finance | Findependent | Finpension Invest | Postfinance e-asset management | True Wealth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum investment amount | CHF 10 | CHF 500 | CHF 1 | CHF 5'000 | CHF 8'500 |
Table in alphabetical order.
Another highlight of the Descartes investment solution is the Transparent and uncomplicated fee structure. Descartes offers you a "true all-in" fee, which covers all costs incurred in asset management.
Note: Unfortunately, the term "all-in" has been watered down by other providers, because then some other costs appear. This is different with Descartes, where investments are made with absolute transparency.
The Descartes fees are all-in and vary depending on the chosen strategy and equity allocation. They range from 0.84% to 1.05% per year.
No hidden costs and a clear overview The information on the fees incurred gives you a clear overview of your assets with Descartes Invest.
Your key to success! Discover our top recommendations from real testimonials.
With Descartes Finance, you can choose between two investment strategies. In addition to a classic, passive investment strategy, there is also a Minimum variance strategy as an investment model to choose from. The latter was developed in collaboration with OLZ and aims to minimise the risk of the portfolio while achieving a stable return. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
A minimum variance strategy attempts to reduce fluctuation (volatility) by optimising the portfolio structure, which is particularly advantageous in uncertain market phases.
You may have already heard about the minimum variance strategy in the Descartes 3a Read report.
Advantages of the minimum variance strategy:
Disadvantages of the minimum variance strategy (minimum risk):
In addition to the minimum variance strategy, Descartes also offers a passive investment strategy on. This classic strategy relies on low-cost index funds and ETFs and aims to replicate the performance of a specific market index.
Advantages of the passive strategy:
Disadvantages of the passive strategy:
This depends heavily on your Expectations of your investments off. To put it simply, you can opt for the passive strategy if you can ride out major fluctuations. Then you can invest more favourably and therefore probably achieve a better return in the long term.
If you cannot tolerate short-term fluctuations or generally want to reduce investment risk, the minimum variance strategy may be more suitable for you.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
Descartes Invest's passive and minimum variance strategies are geared towards sustainability.
Compared to a comparable fund, the passive strategy a CO₂ load that is around 20% lower. ESG criteria are also implemented passively via exclusion criteria.
If sustainability is particularly important to you, the minimum variance strategy could be of particular interest to you. This has a 30-50% lower CO₂ emissions than a comparable passive fund on.
Descartes takes security very strictly and sees it as a FINMA regulated asset manager also checked.
In the event of bankruptcy, securities would in any case be held as special assets and not by the Swiss Deposit protection affected.
When you go through the uncomplicated and fully digital onboarding process at Descartes Invest, the Private Bank Lienhardt & Partner opens an account for you. Your money is then held and invested by a secure Swiss private bank that has been in existence since 1868. Descartes itself is independent of banks and owner-managed, which allows them to independently select the best fund products for clients.
The Zurich-based company is managed by co-founder Adriano Lucatelli, who taught at the University of Zurich and worked at various major banks.
The focus is visible every time you log in to the app or the web customer portal. You will then receive a code via SMS on your mobile phone for 2-factor confirmation. Payouts can only be made to an account in your name at a Swiss bank. This is intended to further increase Descartes security.
Overall, the safety standards are therefore very high.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
With the new investment solution, Descartes offers an attractive option for anyone who wants to take their first steps in the world of investments. The combination of low entry barriers, transparent fee structure and a focus on Sustainability make the Descartes investment solution an exciting proposition.
The offer works completely digitally and makes a solid, secure impressionwhich is reinforced by 2-factor measures.
Thanks to the two strategies to choose from, as well as the well-rounded offering with Descartes 3a and their Vested benefits account we will probably hear a lot more from Descartes in the future.
More about You can find out more about Descartes Invest here on their website. If you have any questions about the provider or the two strategies, feel free to ask them in the comments!
The minimum variance strategy aims to minimise the risk in the portfolio by examining the volatility (fluctuation) of the individual investments historically. The fluctuation in the portfolio is reduced through an active selection of securities as well as broad diversification and optimisation.
As a Swiss asset manager with fair and transparent fees, Descartes Invest offers an all-in fee structure of between 0.84%-1.05%, depending on the investment strategy.
Descartes cooperates with the Swiss private bank Lienhardt & Partner for account and custody account management.
Yes, with the new Descartes solution you can customise and invest in savings plans from as little as CHF 10. This makes it particularly easy to start investing on a regular basis, making it especially attractive for young investors and newcomers.
In addition to investing in free assets, you can use the solution for vested benefits and pillar 3a pension accounts for unrestricted pension provision. The Zurich-based fintech Descartes therefore not only offers favourable and sustainable investment solutions with a high equity component and low entry barriers, but also attractive offers for unrestricted and restricted pension provision.
Descartes also offers a B2B business and thus enables other digital providers to use the Descartes platform. The well-known smartphone investment app Yuh, for example, uses Descartes' Pillar 3a.
(1) Stamp duty not included for all products. See note on the Descartes fees page: Swiss stamp duty (0.075% for domestic ETFs and 0.15% for foreign ETFs) is only payable on the Swisscanto (LU) Money Market Fund Responsible CHF FT and OLZ Equity Emerging Market Optimised ESG funds, as these are registered abroad.
Transparency notice: This article was created in collaboration with Descartes. However, the content and presentation were created freely and independently of Schwiizerfranke.