40 years of the BVG – 40 years of trust

Mr Marti, your company Racine Reisen AG has had BVG insurance with Allianz – or initially with its predecessor Berner Leben – since the introduction of the occupational benefits system 40 years ago. How have you experienced this collaboration and why do you still place your trust in us to this day?

We signed our first contract with what was then still Berner Leben. Daily sickness benefits insurance was added to the BVG plan later. There have been no significant problems in the 40 years of our collaboration. We were always very happy with Allianz and remain so to this day. The personal contact is crucial to us. And of course the tailored products, which can be customised flexibly. After all, the travel industry has changed a lot over the years and as a result, so have our needs.

Have you always had the same customer advisor in all those years? How important was the personal relationship with your advisor for you?

In the first 25 years, we had two different customer advisors. Since then, we’ve had the same one. The working relationship has always been very friendly.

A customer relationship lasting this long is based on trust, foresight and sustainability. Are these values also relevant in your business environment?

Absolutely. Trust in particular is extremely important in the travel industry. We have customers who have been putting their trust in Racine Reisen and regularly booking their holidays with us for over 40 years.

Do you see any other parallels between your sector and the insurance world?

The countless opportunities offered by the Internet are fantastic on one level, but they can also cause uncertainty. For that reason, personalised, individual advice is more important than ever. While fewer and fewer customers are coming into our office in person, contact with advisors is increasingly taking place via social media. Protecting our customers is also paramount to us – and we ensure this with an emergency hotline for crises. We have already experienced a number of such situations, including the Swissair grounding over 9/11, environmental disasters and the COVID pandemic.

How important is to you to protect your employees, particularly with regard to occupational benefits?

Very. We are a small team and have been working together closely for many years now. One staff member and I have already reached retirement age, but continue working for Racine. Not because we have to – thanks to the occupational benefits system – but because we want to.

This means that you are one of the first insured people from 1985 to be reaching retirement age. How do you see your life after retirement?

We both had our pension fund assets paid out as a lump sum – which went without a hitch, by the way. With the BVG, the AHV and some savings, I can manage well financially. However, I don’t want to retire completely just yet or I’ll get bored. That’s why I’m still working on the Board of Directors at Racine Reisen.

What was it like 40 years ago when the pension fund was introduced? Did you have any concerns?

The decision was definitely a financial burden – both for employees and employers. However, we were glad to have the financial protection it provided, because until then we didn’t have a solution. As we were still very young – all under 25 – occupational benefits insurance was not an issue that particularly occupied our minds. Today, we are of course very grateful to have had so many years to save up.

What did you pay attention to when you took out your pension fund plan? Do all employees have the same cover or do you also have individual solutions?

For the first 20 years we all had the same cover. Later, we took out a senior management insurance plan in the elective component.

What, in your view, is the biggest opportunity that a good pension fund can offer an SME?

For me personally, tailored advice and flexible pension solutions that are adapted to the company already go a long way.

How do you think the occupational benefits system will develop over the next 40 years?

Occupational benefits insurance should remain an important component of our system of financial provision for the foreseeable future. How the interest and conversion rates develop will be crucial in this regard.

Thank you for the interview.