Frequently Asked Questions

The total cost of wealth management typically consists of three components: the management fee for the service itself, the product costs of the funds and ETFs used, and the custody fees of the bank where the assets are held. What matters is not the individual percentage, but the overall cost burden — and whether the management fee excludes retrocessions, meaning rebates that the manager receives from product providers. At Tellian Capital, all retrocessions we would receive are credited in full to the client. The specific fee structure is part of the initial meeting — it depends on the scope of the mandate and your individual situation.

You issue us a written management authorisation that precisely defines how we may manage your assets — within the investment strategy we have agreed upon together. Your assets remain in your own securities account at a partner bank. You retain full transparency, can view statements at any time, and can revoke the authorisation whenever you wish. We make the investment decisions, document them and provide you with a quarterly account. You do not need to approve each individual transaction — that is precisely the value of professional management.

Investment decisions are not made by a single individual, but by the investment committee. It meets monthly and brings together the management board, the Chief Investment Officer, international partner asset managers and specialists for alternative asset classes. In exceptional market developments, the committee convenes at short notice. This structure ensures that no investment decision arises from a single viewpoint or a momentary sentiment. You personally have a dedicated contact person who knows your portfolio structure, your goals and your preferences.

No. In market crises, the discipline of our quantitative process is precisely what comes into effect. We act when our models and the investment committee signal it — not when the news cycle becomes hectic. Every position has defined loss thresholds. If a threshold is breached, the committee reviews whether the basis of the position still holds, and decides accordingly. In exceptional market developments, the committee convenes at short notice — also outside the regular monthly cycle. Over nearly three decades, through several market crises and regulatory shifts, this methodical approach has proven itself.

Yes. The management authorisation can be revoked by you at any time — without notice period and without any fees. Your assets are held at the custodian bank, not at Tellian Capital, and are available to you at all times. If you need liquidity, we coordinate the sale of positions in such a way that the strategic allocation is preserved as far as possible. We recommend clarifying any liquidity needs in the initial meeting so that the portfolio structure can be designed accordingly.

Professional wealth management typically becomes worthwhile from an investment volume of around CHF 250,000 to 500,000. Below this threshold, the relative weight of management fees tends to be high, and individual advice offers little advantage over a standardised ETF portfolio. From this level upwards, personal allocation, tax optimisation and active risk management become genuinely relevant. Tellian Capital works with mandates from CHF 300,000 — exceptions can be discussed individually.

Robo-advisors are algorithmically managed portfolios that operate in a standardised way. They are cost-efficient and transparent — but they do not know you. Your allocation is based on a questionnaire, not on your concrete life situation. At a wealth manager like Tellian Capital, the portfolio is built individually and continuously monitored by the investment committee. You have a dedicated contact person who knows your goals, your tax situation and your family circumstances. When market developments require adjustments, decisions are made by people with market knowledge — not by algorithms without context.

Yes. Your assets are not held by Tellian Capital, but in a securities account in your name at a partner bank we have selected together with you. We have access to the account in order to implement investment decisions — but the assets always belong to you, legally and in accounting terms. You can view your accounts directly through the bank's e-banking. This model is structurally safer than solutions where assets are held by the manager itself: if Tellian Capital were to cease to exist, your assets would not be affected.

A classical approach often relies on the assessment of individual portfolio managers — what they currently think about markets, sectors or companies. A quantitative approach uses systematic models based on data: macro indicators, valuation models, technical factors, market psychology. Tellian Capital has worked with this approach since 1996 — as one of the first Swiss wealth managers, well ahead of the industry mainstream. The advantage: the methodology is not influenced by short-term sentiment or headlines. The models provide the foundation on which the investment committee then makes disciplined decisions.

Every client at Tellian Capital receives an individual portfolio — no model portfolios, no standard allocation. In the initial meeting, we clarify your goals (capital preservation, growth, income), your investment horizon, your risk capacity and your risk appetite. We take into account your overall financial situation, existing obligations, liquidity needs and your experience with financial investments. This results in your individual investor profile, which forms the framework for all further decisions. The strategic allocation is based on your goals — not on a fixed scheme that treats all clients alike.

ESG criteria can be incorporated into the portfolio structure upon request. We do not offer a generic ESG standard, because 'sustainable' can mean something different for each client — from the exclusion of specific sectors to the active selection of companies with high ESG ratings. In the initial meeting, we clarify which criteria are important to you and integrate them into your individual allocation. From a methodological perspective: we use ESG criteria not as a marketing label, but as an additional evaluation dimension that can feed into our quantitative models.

Your assets are structurally not affected. They are held in a securities account in your name at a partner bank — separate from the accounts and balance sheet of Tellian Capital. If Tellian Capital were to cease operations for any reason, you would retain full access to your account at the bank. You would only need to appoint another wealth manager — or manage the assets yourself directly. This is one of the most important structural advantages of the mandate model compared to investment forms where assets are held directly by the manager. Tellian Capital is FINMA-licensed and is subject to ongoing supervision by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority.

The first step is a no-obligation initial meeting — in person at Löwenstrasse in Zurich, or digital. In this meeting, we clarify what you want to achieve with your assets, what expectations you have and whether our working method matches your vision. There are no costs and no obligations. If you decide to proceed afterwards, we jointly define your individual investment strategy, open the securities account at a partner bank and set up the management authorisation. We typically make the first investment decisions within two to four weeks after the mandate is signed.

A bank pursues two business models at the same time: it manages your assets — and it sells its own investment products, funds and structures. This dual role creates a structural conflict of interest. An independent wealth manager like Tellian Capital does not produce its own investment products. We select from the entire market based on analysis, not on in-house distribution targets. In addition: with an independent manager, you choose your banking relationship freely. Your assets remain in your account at a partner bank — we only make the investment decisions.