yeah, that's my main question: as things currently stand, my plan is to FIRE in the next few years and move back to Portugal. So in any case I'll take the pillar 3a all at once soon. I'm mostly using it to save a bit on taxes right now, and invest that cash. But considering it's such short term (for now) is it worth it to even move it out of UBS into something else?
Of course, plans can change, and if they do I'd rather have something, since you can't pay for past years. I think? You guys that know more about this stuff, I'd love a couple ideas what I should do in my case. Maybe it makes sense to just stop paying, and invest that cash elsewhere. I dunno.
I never changed third pillar provider; but as far as I know, is not complicated at all. A couple of letter some waiting for the transfer in the nev custody account and voilà.
Let's compare your UBS with the Postfinance Pension 45. You absolutely don't know which one will do better in the next future, when you (hipotethically) plan to cash out. Past performance are NOT a predicter.
Now, let's say that you have 150'000 chf in your third pillar and you are paying 0.88% annually. That's 1320 chf.
Now with 1.53%: 2295 chf.
That's 1000 chf per year that will always grow together with your stache: the bigger the stache, the higher the costs in absolut CHF.
Let's say changing your third pillar will require 10 hour between writing a letter, telling your wife, making phone calls etc. And it will save you 2000 chf for the next 2 years, when you will be cashing out. That's a 200 chf/hour rate, I don't know if you make more but for me is a lot of money.
All in all, please consider that if you need that money in 2-3 years, and you want to be sure to have it, please consider a less aggressive investment plan (like the postfinance25) or even to cash out and move everything to a normal third pillar account with a fix 1.4% and no expenses.
You should be in stock only if you have a very long time-horizon, 15+ years. If you are counting on this money to retire in 3 years and purchase something (an house in Portugal, or I don't know) to start your life as retiree in my opinion you shouldn't be in stock.
If you are going to just cash out this money and reinvest it in a taxable account, maintaining yor asset allocation, then is different, leave everything in stocks and bonds.
But if you plan to use it, and you count on this money to be at disposition to be spent, I suggest a more prudent approach: this passive third pillar accounts have usually 45% of equity, divided in 20% swiss stocks and 25 % in MSCI world stocks. If the market crash in 3 years, and goes -50%, you'll found yourself with a third pillar stache that is only 75% of what you have now.