Who's behind bergmoney
An independent editorial guide to Swiss banking, investing, insurance, pension, and taxes — written specifically for expats and foreigners living in or moving to Switzerland.
Every guide is researched using Swiss primary sources, firsthand testing where possible, and editorial review.
We're a small editorial team. We live in Switzerland. Many of us have gone through the same relocation, permit, banking, insurance, and tax questions our readers face. We've opened, used, and sometimes closed the same accounts we write about.
Our contributors include expats living in Switzerland with backgrounds in finance journalism, legal research, taxation, business operations, and long-term firsthand experience navigating Swiss banking, pension, and insurance systems.
What we cover
Seven core areas of Swiss personal finance, all viewed through the expat lens.
- Swiss banks and digital banks
- Brokers and investing for expats
- Säule 3a and Swiss pensions
- Health insurance (Krankenkasse)
- Taxes for Permit B and C holders
- Cross-border money transfer
- Mortgages and Swiss property for foreigners
Why we built this
If you arrive in Switzerland from abroad, the existing finance information is either:
- Written for German-speaking long-term residents (Comparis, Moneyland, Bonus.ch) — useful, but not built for someone who just moved here and is comparing a Swiss bank against the one they had back home.
- Marketing copy from banks and brokers themselves Naturally optimistic, naturally pro-their-own-product.
- Outdated expat forum threads from 2017 Half the products mentioned no longer exist or have changed pricing.
bergmoney exists to fill that gap: clear, current, English-language guidance about Swiss money — written from the expat seat, not the local resident seat.
Who writes the content
Articles on bergmoney are published under the byline bergmoney Research. This is intentional.
Rather than spotlighting a single personality, we work as an editorial team — similar to how publications like The Economist or MoneySavingExpert operate. Multiple contributors with direct lived experience in Switzerland review, fact-check, and update each piece.
- Every review is checked by someone who has actually held or tested the product, where possible.
- We don't use fictional expert personas, invented credentials, or biographies written to look more authoritative than they really are.
- We don't claim certifications, awards, or qualifications we don't have. We're an editorial research publication, not licensed advisers.
How we research
Four principles that apply to every review we publish.
- Step 1
Use the product where possible
Open the account. Run a real transaction. Check the fees on a real statement. When it isn't possible — premium broker tiers, large mortgages — we say so.
- Step 2
Read the primary source
Bank fee schedules, prospectuses, FINMA and BAG documents, cantonal tax tables. Not other blogs.
- Step 3
Update quarterly
Swiss fees, Krankenkasse premiums, broker pricing change. Every review carries a "Reviewed & updated" date. Anything older than 12 months should be treated as a reference point.
- Step 4
Disclose limits
When we couldn't test something, we say so. When we don't know an answer, we say so. When a product changed recently, we say so.
What we don't do
- Publish sponsored articles. Never.
- "Top 10" lists where the order is influenced by who pays.
- Recommend products we wouldn't open ourselves.
- Take down a negative review because the company complained.
How we make money
We earn referral commissions from some — not all — of the products we review.
When you click a link to a bank, broker, or insurance comparison from our site and complete a qualifying action, the partner pays bergmoney a referral fee. This costs you nothing extra. The price, terms, and product you receive are identical to what you'd get going to the provider directly.
Commission rates do not influence which product we recommend. Several of the products that pay us the most are not at the top of our comparison tables, because they're not the best fit for most readers.
We do recommend products that pay us nothing. When the best answer for a category is a product without an affiliate program, we say so and link to it without an affiliate tag.
We tell you which links are affiliate. Inline disclosure on each article.
What we are not
We have to be very direct about this because it's a financial site and the stakes are real.
- bergmoney is not a licensed financial adviser. We are not registered with FINMA, the FCA, the SEC, or any equivalent regulator.
- Our content is journalism and education, not advice. We explain how Säule 3a works. We don't tell you whether you, specifically, should max it out this year.
- We don't know your situation. Permit type, family situation, country of citizenship, cross-border tax exposure — these change everything, and we don't see them.
- For decisions that meaningfully affect your money, talk to a professional adviser in Switzerland.
Sources we use
When we cite numbers, rules, or processes, our preference order is:
- 1 Swiss federal and cantonal authorities: FINMA, BAG, SECO, Federal Tax Administration, cantonal tax offices.
- 2 Provider documentation: current published fee schedules, T&Cs, prospectuses.
- 3 Established Swiss media: NZZ, Le Temps, RTS, SRF.
- 4 Comparison services (Comparis, Moneyland, Bonus.ch) — for cross-checking only, always confirmed against primary sources.
We may use expat forums and community discussions to understand common questions, pain points, and user experiences — but never as primary sources for factual claims about fees, regulation, or product behaviour.
Contact
Created and editorially operated from Switzerland by expats who actively use the Swiss financial system.
Contact usEditorial feedback, corrections, and story ideas welcome on the contact page. Partnership enquiries: same address, subject line "partnership".
We aim to reply within five working days.
A note on the name
Berg is German for mountain. We thought money was self-explanatory.
It's not a slick fintech name. We'd rather sound like a publication you trust than a fintech trying to sell you something.
Reviewed & updated: 24 May 2026 by bergmoney Research.