About Actuary Explains
Actuary Explains is an independent blog for people living in Switzerland who want to understand their finances better and make smarter long-term decisions.
It explains how the Swiss financial system works and gives you calculators, examples, and frameworks you can use for your own situation.
If you’ve ever looked into buying a home in Switzerland and felt overwhelmed by high prices, strict mortgage rules, pension withdrawals, and tax side effects.
If you’ve ever opened your Swiss pension statement and thought “This feels like black box”
If you earn well but still wonder whether you’re using the tax system as efficiently as you could.
The Swiss financial system works as clearly as Zürich Airport.
Everything is labelled. Everything is clean. Everything runs on time.
And yet I keep hearing:
“Why does buying a home feel like a legal–tax–pension exam?”
“Why do three professionals give me three different answers?”
“Why do I only understand the consequences after I’ve signed?”
The system is organised. It’s just not organised in one place.
In Switzerland, buying property isn’t just a lifestyle choice. It’s a long-term financial structure that connects your mortgage, your pension, and your taxes.
Your pension isn’t only about retirement. Small structural decisions made early can quietly compound over decades.
And the tax system offers real opportunities — mostly to people who understand how the pieces fit together. Everyone else tends to discover them too late.
Actuary Explains exists to connect the dots.
About the Author — A Qualified Actuary Making Swiss Finance Simple
Hi, I’m Aga (Agnieszka) — a UK- and Poland-qualified actuary living in Zurich.
For over 15 years, I’ve worked in finance, insurance and consulting.
But behind all those formulas, what I really enjoy is explaining money in a way that genuinely helps in real life.
How it Started
When I moved to Switzerland, I was simply trying to find my footing: new role, new routines, and a financial system that took some decoding.
But the more I looked into our pension statements, tax deductions, and mortgage rules, the more I realised how complicated (and powerful) the Swiss system really is.
As an actuary, I couldn’t resist diving deeper. I began building spreadsheets, modelling tax outcomes, and testing “what-if” scenarios.
Soon, friends began asking me to explain how health insurance, mortgages, or WEF withdrawals really work.
That’s how Actuary Explains was born — to turn that curiosity into something practical for others, not just for my own family and friends.
Twelve years later, my husband and I moved into our second Swiss home — a place big enough for our family of four. It’s the seventh property we’ve bought together, each one teaching us more about planning, trade-offs, and the value of long-term thinking.
Through this blog, I share those lessons along with the analytical tools that helped us turn financial dreams into structured, achievable goals.
What You’ll Find Here
I write about the systems shaping both my financial future and yours: Swiss pensions (Pillars 1–3), home ownership, mortgage planning, investing, and tax optimisation. On my blog, I explain these ideas in plain English, grounded in facts and numbers.
Whether you’re a professional looking to optimise your taxes, an expat family working toward your first home, or simply curious about smarter ways to invest, my goal is to help you decode Swiss finance.
My Journey
I earned my Master’s in Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems at the Warsaw School of Economics and studied Financial Econometrics at the Norwegian School of Economics.
I also pursued Mathematics at the University of Warsaw — a mix that shaped how I think: rigorous in analysis, practical in application.
I’m a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (FIA, UK) and a Polish Qualified Actuary (Licence No. 0248) — credentials built over more than 15 years across pensions, insurance, and investments.
Why I Write
I’ve always loved reading, writing, and exploring how things work — and yes, I’m a bit of a numbers nerd.
As an actuary, I’ve spent years analysing pensions, insurance, and investments — not just professionally but for my own family.
I realised that many people around me faced the same questions I once researched in the background.
So I decided to share what I’ve learned — the logic, the strategy, and the small tweaks that can make a big difference — through this blog and later podcast.
I believe finance doesn’t have to feel abstract or intimidating. It can be something you genuinely understand — a tool to help you build freedom, security, and better choices for your family.
Actuary Explains is where I share that belief — through stories, models, and insights that helped make the Swiss system clear and actionable for me.
Join the Conversation
If you’ve ever felt lost in your pension statement or mortgage calculator, you’re in the right place.
Leave a comment, share an article, or subscribe for next article — and let’s make smart, numbers-based decision-making part of everyday life.