Your personal situation and financial objectives will guide you towards the long-term savings solution that suits you best, as each product has its own advantages and disadvantages.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"1. Regulated savings accounts"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"This is a solution that presents the least risk, but which therefore suffers from generally lower interest rates than other long-term financial products. You receive basic interest plus a loyalty bonus (earned after being in the account for at least 12 months).
"}},{"componentType":"cta","textLink":{"url":"/en/individuals/saving/compare-savings-accounts","text":"Discover the ING offer"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"2. Pension savings insurance"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"In Belgium, the statutory pension is too low to guarantee a standard of living equivalent to your period of paid employment. On average, a pensioner receives just over 60% of his or her last net salary*: that's one damn good reason to set aside additional capital that you will have built up over the years.
In general, there are 2 solutions for pension savings:
Pension savings fund
Your capital is invested in equities, bonds and cash. The aim is to achieve a higher return, which means taking on risk (market risk to use the jargon, i.e. the value of the assets in the portfolio is influenced by the market to which these assets belong. Asset prices follow market trends and can therefore rise or fall). This means that the capital paid in and returns are not guaranteed and are not covered by the Guarantee Fund (just like branch 23 insurance).
You should also be aware that this fund can benefit from a tax advantage if you have saved for at least 10 years.
Pension savings insurance
If you opt for branch 21 or 23 life insurance, your capital will be paid to you when you reach the age of retirement.
For branch 21, the periodic payments made throughout the lifetime of this insurance contract will be paid out to you in the form of a lump sum when you retire. To this must be added the fixed interest generated and any annual profits (or profit sharing). (THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER SOLD.)
Branch 23 life insurance, on the other hand, involves more risk, as you will receive the capital gains on your investments. If the financial markets do not perform well, you risk losing the capital invested. Conversely, if the markets are buoyant, you can achieve a much higher return.
Mutual Funds (FCP) or Undertakings for Collective Investment (UCIs) are organisations whose purpose is the collective investment of financial resources. In other words, they invest in a diversified way in instruments such as equities, bonds and even property certificates.
Depending on your risk appetite, the fund manager may decide to mix these 3 products. Not all financial instruments present the same risk. In general, a bond, for example, carries less risk than a share.
Mutual funds offer the opportunity to diversify products and therefore dilute risks.
"}},{"componentType":"cards","cards":[{"componentType":"productCard","cardType":"product","cardSize":"small","title":"Investing for beginners","intro":"Read everything (truly everything!) about how to start investing","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/35900c88-f0fb-497f-a071-6622a59e2f4e/investing-for-beginners-1920","type":"image","width":1920,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/25767fdbfd6d47c9/original/investing-for-beginners-1920.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"link":{"url":"/en/individuals/investing/investing-for-beginners"}}]},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"3 tips for building a good long-term savings plan"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Once you've built up a reserve of money to cover unexpected expenses with peace of mind (your savings should be equal to 3 to 6 months' net salary and be available), you'll be able to think about your long-term investment plan and the best way of putting it in place.
"}},{"componentType":"applicationProcess","steps":{"stepList":[{"title":"Step 1 Set financial performance targets and plan ahead","body":"Whether you're looking for an extra monthly sum for your pension or to finance the purchase of a second home, deciding how much you need will determine the frequency and size of your regular payments. "},{"title":"Step 2 Compare offers and products according to your investor profile","body":"It cannot be repeated often enough: investing involves risk. To protect individuals from making risky decisions, Belgian banks and insurance companies are obliged to define an investor profile in order to offer a product that matches, among other factors, their knowledge of financial investing... \r\n\r\nSo if you're new to investing, a bank won't be able to steer you towards complex investment solutions. \r\n\r\nOnce you've ruled out the products that don't suit you, it's up to you to study the conditions of access: are there any entry, management or exit charges? Are there penalties for exiting before the term? When is it possible to benefit from tax advantages, etc.? ","textLink":{"url":"/en/individuals/investing/the-ing-investment-strategy","text":"What is ING's investment strategy"}},{"title":"Step 3 Limit risk by diversifying your financial assets","body":"You know the old adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket, so diversifying your investment products is highly advisable. \r\n\r\nTo maximise your future returns, don't invest all your capital at once. On the contrary, the longer you invest, the more you will be able to benefit from more or less favourable conditions in terms of returns, for example. ","textLink":{"url":"/en/individuals/managing-my-assets/investment-academy/investment-risk","text":"How to reduce the risks associated with your long-term investment plan"}}]}}]},"complementaryZone":{"flexComponents":[{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Also interesting!"},{"componentType":"cards","cards":[{"componentType":"articleCard","cardType":"article","cardSize":"medium","title":"When is the best time to start a personal pension plan?","body":"The chances that your statutory pension will be sufficient later on are slim. Therefore, it is good to provide an extra little something for yourself through pension savings.","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/7edad6d2-6aa4-4b8d-920b-f030d739f059/pension-savings-age-1920","type":"image","width":1920,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/7ab8e2ca3ceeae43/original/pension-savings-age-1920.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"date":"2023-06-28","link":{"url":"/en/individuals/managing-my-assets/retirement/age-start-pension-plan"}},{"componentType":"articleCard","cardType":"article","cardSize":"medium","title":"Save for your children","body":"And prepare for their future!","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/216695a9-4f8e-4fb8-8bd7-db8312e9f9c1/youth-save-for-your-children-1920","type":"image","width":1920,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/4f8ad995e3756a9f/original/youth-save-for-your-children-1920.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"date":"2021-03-23","link":{"url":"/en/individuals/my-life/budget-tips/start-saving-children-youth"}},{"componentType":"articleCard","cardType":"article","cardSize":"medium","title":"Saving or investing?","body":"How to choose?","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/e50295fc-9f70-433e-8e27-24019329946b/investments-basics-video-investing-or-saving-1920","type":"image","width":1920,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/5a50dd8ebbb34ff3/original/investments-basics-video-investing-or-saving-1920.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"date":"2023-01-26","link":{"url":"/en/individuals/managing-my-assets/investment-academy/saving-and-investing-basic-concepts"}},{"componentType":"articleCard","cardType":"article","cardSize":"small","title":"How to build a savings plan?","body":"Several options exist, depending on your needs and investor profile","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/3c1a3b5a-95f2-4ba6-9254-9f0f62160f94/Man-riding-e-scooter-looks-at-mobile-phone","type":"image","width":5964,"altTextEN":"\"","altTextNL":"\"","altTextFR":"\"","altTextDE":"\"","original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/3db557439edad51c/original/Man-riding-e-scooter-looks-at-mobile-phone.jpg","extension":"jpg"},"date":"2023-06-08","link":{"url":"/en/individuals/saving/savings-plan-how-to-build-it"}}]}]},"legalZone":{"flexComponents":[{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"* When the pension contributions for each year of your career are added together and the amount of your pension is fixed, your pension is:
either calculated at the single rate (up to 60% of salaries taken into account),
is raised to the household rate (up to 75% of salaries are taken into account). Source: https://www.sfpd.fgov.be/fr/montant-de-la-pension/calcul/types-de-pensions/salaries/situation-familiale