A pivotal life transition
The end of an income-generating activity, whether retirement, the sale of a business, or simply a change in lifestyle, marks a pivotal life transition. This shift goes far beyond financial adjustments: it reshapes how income is generated, how wealth is structured, and often, how daily life is experienced.
This topic is relevant to anyone who, one day, will live off the capital they have built. Whether you have worked in Switzerland, Europe, or elsewhere, wealth transition planning is a global issue. An integrated, personalised, and often international approach is essential with career mobility and cross-border asset management
Moving from regular income to a life funded by your own capital requires a fundamental change in how you view your resources. This transition demands strategic reflection:
- How can I generate sustainable income?
- What level of spending is viable in the long run?
- What part of my wealth can be drawn down, and what must be preserved?
These are complex questions that require rigorous, tailored financial planning.
Clarifying your life goals
This moment is also deeply human. Freed from professional obligations, you finally gain access to time that was long anticipated but rarely planned for. Personal projects, community involvement, or long-postponed passions often resurface. The emotional and social dimensions of this phase become inseparable from financial considerations.
A successful transition means not only knowing where you stand financially, but also understanding what you truly want to do with this newfound time.
The role of wealth planning
This is where wealth planning becomes essential. It offers a holistic view of your assets, financial holdings, real estate, liquidity, investments, family considerations, tax exposure, and more. The aim is not to optimise each element in isolation, but to connect them intelligently based on your priorities, time horizons, and life goals.
Through this approach, we can model future needs, determine the income required to maintain your standard of living, identify potential shortfalls, and build a sustainable, long-term investment strategy.
One of the key challenges is structuring your wealth according to different goals:
- What needs to generate short-term income
- What should be allocated to long-term projects or legacy planning
- What can remain invested with a focus on growth or diversification
This clear segmentation offers greater visibility and supports sound decision-making, both financially and personally.
Real-life scenarios
Business sale, taxation and retirement planning in Switzerland
Ahead of selling a business, we often design a balanced compensation strategy between salary and dividends to reduce excess liquidity in the company. This can be enhanced with pension fund buybacks funded through dividends, paired with an optimised salary to maximise the buyback potential within a 1e plan (where applicable). We also build an investment strategy to deliver reliable retirement income using the proceeds from the business sale and pension assets.
Business or property sale and taxation in the United Kingdom
Following the sale of a family business or real estate, we carry out detailed financial planning to quantify long-term income and expenses. We help structure assets efficiently while anticipating a possible change in tax residency. This includes identifying required steps, supporting strategic thinking, and engaging external experts when required.
A dynamic planning approach
Wealth planning is never static. It must evolve with your life, adapting to changes such as a new residence, tax reforms, real estate projects, or an inheritance, all while remaining aligned with goals that themselves may shift over time.
It is crucial to review your financial strategy regularly and in a structured way, with a clear understanding of the path you’ve taken and where you want to go next.
Ultimately, planning your retirement or post-career life is not just about preserving wealth. It is about equipping yourself to fully embrace a new freedom, with peace of mind. And it all starts with something simple but essential: taking the time to reflect, model, structure… and move forward with confidence.
At Mirabaud, we support Clients in this process with a holistic view of their wealth. Every decision is integrated into a coherent long-term strategy. Our commitment: to provide our Clients with personalised advice based on a 360° understanding of their situation — guided by what truly matters to each of them.
