{"id":8112,"date":"2026-08-24T13:34:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wealthapi.eu\/?p=8112"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:37:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:37:30","slug":"when-it-comes-to-the-retirement-pension-depot-the-winner-is-the-one-with-the-best-database","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wealthapi.eu\/en\/when-it-comes-to-the-retirement-pension-depot-the-winner-is-the-one-with-the-best-database\/","title":{"rendered":"When it comes to the retirement pension depot, the winner is the one with the best database"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading uncode_shortcode_id=”200574″]When it comes to the retirement pension depot, the winner is the one with the best database<\/span>[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”430039″] It has been law since the end of May 2026, and it goes live on January 1, 2027: the retirement pension depot is replacing the Riester pension. This means that millions of existing contracts will become switchable virtually overnight. And a billion-euro market will be redistributed. <\/span><\/p>\n

A portfolio starts to move<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Retirement Pension Reform Act has passed the Bundestag and Bundesrat and came into force at the end of May. From January 1, 2027, banks, brokers, fund providers, and insurers will be allowed to offer the subsidized depot. However, there is no guarantee requirement, but instead direct access to the capital market and a mandatory, cost-capped standard version. The old Riester portfolio enjoys grandfathering protection. But those who wish to can transfer their credit to the new retirement pension depot without losing tax benefits. <\/span><\/p>\n

And this portfolio is large. At the end of 2025, the <\/span>BMAS<\/span><\/a> still counted around 14.7 million Riester contracts, a downward trend for years. According to BMAS estimates, no more contributions are currently being paid for a good fifth to just under a quarter of them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone reading these figures immediately thinks of a dying legacy product. And that’s true. As a product, Riester failed due to the guarantee requirement and costs, and is accordingly unpopular in public perception. However, private pension provision itself has not disappeared; it has simply been redistributed. One part continues to flow into existing Riester contracts, which can be transferred more cheaply to the retirement pension depot starting in January. Another part has long been flowing into ETF savings plans with neobrokers\u2014high-yield, but without a cent of state subsidies. And a third part lies in checking and instant-access savings accounts with little or no interest. <\/span><\/p>\n

The retirement pension depot has an answer for each of these pots starting in January: transfer the expensive legacy contract to the cheaper depot, bring the unsubsidized savings plan into the subsidy scheme, and activate liquid funds for retirement for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The retirement pension depot is a real break from the old system. That is exactly what makes it attractive for millions of existing contracts and sets a portfolio in motion that was stuck for two decades. The exciting question is therefore not whether people will switch, but rather who recognizes for whom the switch is worthwhile. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether the switch is worthwhile is decided on a per-person basis<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cRecognizing\u201d sounds easier than it is. Because whether a switch is worthwhile is a question of the individual situation, essentially a calculation per person: <\/span><\/p>\n