The retirement savings account starts on January 1, 2027. But anyone who thinks they can take care of it in December 2026 has done the math without the bureaucracy. Identity verification, opening a securities account, tax ID, setting up a savings plan – if you want to do all of this on the deadline, you will lose days or weeks. And every day without a deposit is a day without funding. The smart alternative: Open a normal depot now and get started straight away from January 2027.
Depot & retirement savings account from a single source. Open now for free and from January no funding miss.
1
Open a depot at finanzen.net ZERO.
2
Start a savings plan.
3
Register for the retirement savings account.
🔒 Free · Completely online · Done in minutes
The bottleneck on January 1st
When the retirement savings account starts, the same thing happens as with every new opening: everyone wants in at the same time. New identity checks take days, not minutes, at peak times. Support hotlines are overloaded and video identification appointments are fully booked. And as long as your portfolio is not activated, you can neither make a deposit nor start a savings plan – the funding for these weeks is lost.
However, if you are already a customer of an online broker, you have already completed the most complex steps: identity verification (KYC) completed, reference account linked, tax ID stored. As soon as the retirement savings account is available, just a few clicks are enough – and the first savings plan is running.
👉 Ask the AI: Why should I convert my Riester pension into a retirement savings account?
When the retirement savings account starts on January 1, 2027, Hundreds of thousands of savers try to open a portfolio at the same time. The result: overloaded systems, long waiting times for identity verification, delayed activations. And every day of delay is a day without funding – because the allowances do not flow retroactively. Anyone who opens a free account at finanzen.net ZERO nowhas already completed the identity verification and can get started straight away on January 1st – no queue, no missed funding.
What you can do now with a normal depot
A normal ETF portfolio is not a replacement for a retirement portfolio – but it is the perfect preparation. Four advantages if you start now:
Test savings rate. Do you want to pay 150 euros a month into your retirement savings account from 2027? Then start an ETF savings plan now for the same amount. This way you can see whether the rate fits into your everyday life – before you commit yourself from January. And if you maintain the savings rate in the normal portfolio, you will have two pillars from 2027: the subsidized retirement portfolio plus a flexible ETF portfolio without withdrawal restrictions.
Get to know ETF selection. In your retirement portfolio you invest in ETFs from a legal positive list. Most of the broad world ETFs (MSCI World, FTSE All-World) will be there. If you start making your selection now, you won’t have to do any research in January; you’ll know exactly which fund you want to save.
Use compound interest immediately. Every month that your money works on the capital market counts. If you don’t start investing until January 2027, you’ll be giving away nine months of returns by then. A normal ETF savings plan with a neobroker does not cost any order fees and will simply continue to run parallel to the retirement savings account from 2027.
No duplication of work. If you are already a customer, you do not have to go through another identity check or set up a new account when you start your retirement savings account. The existing infrastructure – depot, clearing account, access data – is already there. The retirement provision portfolio is managed as an additional portfolio with the same provider.
Why you should open a portfolio at finanzen.net ZERO now
0 euro order fees (plus spreads) on ETF savings plans – every euro of cost savings equals several hundred euros in additional returns over decades. finanzen.net ZERO offers you an excellent cost structure – named cost winner by Stiftung Warentest (issue 12/2025).
Depot and retirement savings account from a single source. From 2027, you can manage both your normal ETF portfolio and your subsidized retirement portfolio with ZERO – in one app, with one login. Anyone who opens a ZERO depot nowall you have to do in January is activate your retirement savings account.
Prepare Riester transfer. Anyone who has an existing Riester contract can transfer their assets to the retirement savings account at ZERO from 2027. All allowances remain the same and the change is free after five contract years. If you are already a ZERO customer, you will save yourself having to open a depot in January and can submit the transfer application straight away.
Prepared in three steps
Step 1: Open a depot. Open a ZERO depot now at finanzen.net! Takes a few minutes. Have your ID card ready, go through online identification, and you’re done. You will then have a fully-fledged ETF portfolio and will be pre-registered for the retirement portfolio from January 2027.
Step 2: Start the ETF savings plan. Choose a broadly diversified global ETF and start with the amount you want to pay into your retirement portfolio from 2027. 100 euros? 150 euros? Test the rate in everyday life. The savings plan at ZERO costs nothing in terms of order fees. You don’t know which ETF yet? Then take a look at the finanzen.net Amundi MSCI World (WKN ETF300). It impresses with a particularly favorable cost structure.
Step 3: Have it earmarked for the retirement savings account. On the ZERO page for the retirement savings account you can register without obligation. You will be informed as soon as the retirement savings account is available – and you can start on the first day, without waiting in line.
What happens after January 1, 2027
As soon as the retirement portfolio is live, you set it up as a second portfolio at ZERO. Your existing ETF portfolio will continue to run in parallel. The combination is the optimal option for most investors: the retirement provision portfolio for funding (up to 1,800 euros personal contribution), the normal portfolio for everything above that – without any withdrawal restrictions, without a positive list, with full flexibility.
Anyone who has a Riester contract submits the transfer application in January. Informal letter to the old provider, no consent required, all allowances remain intact. The credit ends up in the retirement savings account at ZERO – and from now on works with the full share quota and tax-free compound interest instead of 2 percent Riester fees.
Depot & retirement savings account from a single source. Open now for free and from January no funding miss.
1
Open a depot at finanzen.net ZERO.
2
Start a savings plan.
3
Register for the retirement savings account.
🔒 Free · Completely online · Done in minutes
Conclusion: If you start now, you will save yourself the stress in January
The retirement savings account will be available on January 1, 2027. Anyone who is already a customer of finanzen.net ZERO will have completed the identity check, found the right ETF, tested the savings rate and only has to make a few clicks. If you don’t start until January, you’ll have to wait in line.