Letztes Update: 28. September 2023
As you can read here, I decided to test the Swiss robo-advisor with my own money and invest in sustainable ETFs. In this Selma experience report, you will now find out how I experienced the first month and a half with the financial assistant.
Transactions
Under “Transactions” all purchases, deposits, charges and sales, if any, are listed. Selma did not build up my portfolio of CHF 2000 in one fell swoop, but bought the ETFs in stages.
Under “Log” the next transactions are listed. In my portfolio, the next step is to buy two shares of the ESG corporate bond ETF.
Of course, all purchases and sales of ETFs are already included in the fee of 0.68% per year. Which brings us to the fees.
Fees
As you can see in the picture above, the fees are deducted monthly. By the way: if you open an account with this link*, you will get the annual fee on the first CHF 5000 for free.
Currency transactions should be reported more transparently, in my opinion. For example, the ETFs I manage are traded in euros. So my Swiss francs have to be converted first when I buy. Since Selma could show the applied euro rate for each transaction.
Performance
Talking about performance doesn’t make much sense, one and a half months is simply far too short a period for long-term investment. But I want to show you briefly where you can see the performance of each ETF. To do this, select “Advanced” under “My Planet” and you will see which ETF has performed how. For me this looks like this:
The graphic below looks like a raging sea with many crests. However, this is because the line chart only starts at CHF 1920; if you started at zero, it would look like a lovely little lake with cute waves.
In my case, the total portfolio has made a gain of CHF36.54 (1.81%) since opening on June 3, 2020.
Further
In case of any ambiguity regarding representations, billing data or other questions, Selma’s team responds quickly via chat and mail. The answers were always detailed and understandable.
Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to see directly how high the weighted TER of the ETFs used is. But if you are interested, just write Selma in the chat and soon you will get this information. In my case, for example, the weighted TER in mid-June was 0.28% per year. As each customer portfolio is individually tailored to the owner, this figure naturally varies. However, according to the Selma crew, this will be incorporated into the website in the future.
For more exciting insights behind the scenes of Selma, watch the recording of the behind-the-scenes chat with Selma CEO Patrik Schär and Senior Advisor Dr. Stefan Jaecklin.
Advantages of a robo-advisor
A significant advantage of a robo-advisor, which I only became aware of when trying it out myself: You are not tempted to constantly change your strategy. Because that’s tempting with ETFs, too. YouTuber XY introduces a great new sector ETF. A newsletter promotes an ETF that has lowered fees by 0.01 percentage points and someone on Instagram suggests a much better risk-weighted ETF allocation. With a robo-advisor, you have someone on your side who doesn’t act based on short-term fads, but according to a set plan. All you have to do is set up a standing order and don’t look back at your deposit until 10 years from now. Well, at the latest when filling out the tax return, a quick look at the depot would be beneficial 😉
Advertising
Open your custody account or your pillar 3a with the digital investment assistant Selma via this link* or the code finanzdepot and receive a starting bonus of CHF 34
Transparency and disclaimer
I was not paid by anyone for this blog post, it reflects my subjective opinion.
If you open accounts or business relationships, order products or services through my links and codes, I may receive a commission for doing so. However, you will not suffer any disadvantages such as higher prices or the like. The terms and conditions of the respective providers apply. Affiliate links are marked with a *.
Investments are associated with risks which, in the worst case, can lead to the loss of the capital invested.
All publications, i.e. reports, presentations, notices as well as contributions to blogs on this website (“Publications”) are for information purposes only and do not constitute a trading recommendation with regard to the purchase or sale of securities. The publications merely reflect my opinion. Despite careful research, I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the information contained in the publications.