German Sherpa
Frequently asked questions
Welcome to Our FAQ for Expats in Germany
Over the past 10 years and several hundred consultations, we’ve collected the most frequent questions our expat clients ask. If you’re missing an answer, just let us know – we’ll gladly add it here.
💼 Consultation & Onboarding
Our consultation is free of charge and non-binding.
Even though the Swiss Life Select Headquarter in Hannover decided, that we are allowed to charge a 95 Euros onetime consultation fee – but we as the German Sherpa Expat Team decided to skip this fee for all our clients.
What is the reason for this?
We believe that first you should experience how we work and build trust with us.
If you are a happy client, you will recommend us to you friends and colleagues – you can use our recommendation form for this
So that we create a win-win-win situation:
– You get our consultation for free and save the 95 Euros onetime consultation fee
– Your friend gets the same good consultation and
– we get additional clients.
We start with a needs analysis, then design a financial concept tailored to your situation. You can choose to implement it with our support.
Usually new clients attend our free seminars (face to face or online)
Here you can register for the next seminars
Then we go for an individial 1:1 meeting with one of the consultants where we come up with a concept and solutions for your financial topics.
At this time you decide to become a client.
Once you are a client, we will set up (at least) yearly follow up meetings to monitor changes in your personal or financial situation and adapt the strategy accordingly.
Yes, our consultations are available in English, Spanish and German.
Bring your salary slip, passport and residence permit and current insurance or investment documents (if any), and think about your goals in Germany (e.g. retirement, buying property, family security).
🎉 Sponsoring & Events
We support selected sports teams and events that align with our expat values. Reach out to apply.
Yes, we’re happy to support initiatives that strengthen expat communities.
We hold webinars regularly. Dates are announced on this website, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Please check our seminar calendar, there you will find all the upcoming online and live seminars.
We rotate cities based on demand. If you want a session in your city, send us a request.
💰 Financial Planning & Insurance
Not always. We compare providers independently and recommend the best mix based on coverage and pricing.
There is no company the best provider for all the insurance.
If a company provides you a bundle of 20-30% if you take all insurance with them they added the discount on the price upfront.
With our Best Select Approach we find the best provider and solution for each and every product – for a better price.
For some insurance it makes sense to separate the provider – e.g. Do you really think the same company would sue themselves if their liability would not cover a damage if you have legal insurance and liability with the same provider?
Let’s set up a 1:1 Meeting to discuss details.
Usually you can nominate one person as your beneficiary in case of your death.
This can be the spouse or any other person (parent, brother, sister,…)
Here it is irrespective if this person lives in Germany or abroad.
You can also change the beneficiary person anytime in the future.
For all contracts there is an extra cancellation right if you deregister from Germany.
In case of leaving Germany we only need the official deregistration form from the city and the insurance providers will refund already paid future premiums back to your account (This might take a few weeks but is is a proven process).
Some products like some flexible asset growth schemes you can also continue abroad.
In some scenarios it can make sense to continue contracts for a certain period (Some private health care plans with worldwide unlimited coverage – e.g. if you move to the US can be used there for up to 60 months)
Usually: NO
A private liability insurance covers those damages you or one of your family members (same household) cause to 3rd party.
You cannot protect your belongings against damages caused by yourself, as you as the owner have responsibility against your assets yourself.
But: There is the option to add an electronic device insurace to special household contracts, this would also cover damages on mobile phones and laptops owned by you.
Ask us for an offer for this.
Welcome in Germany!
An insurance policy is still an official document and therefore it needs to be sent to you as an original via post.
Pls ensure that your name is on the letterbox so that you can receive the post with the policy document.
🏦 Banking, Tax & Legal Support
Yes, we assist with a free bank account setup for expats.
As financial consultants we are as per law not allowed to do the tax filing for our clients.
We know that there are some other financial consultants outside our team are providing this service but this is not legal and can cause a lot of trouble for you.
As financial consultants we can support to to avoid future taxes by converting taxes into assets and use legally allowed ways to receive government support and subsidies.
We have three alternatives for your tax filing:
– Apps like elster or tax fix (Pro: low cost solution / Con: only for standard tax filing)
– Communities like Steuerring (Pro: personal contact / medium price range)
– decicated tax consultants (Pro: individual support for more complicated cases / Con: starts at 500 Euros per year)
Yes, but the rate and method depend on the product type. We help you optimize taxes legally.
Yes, we only work with licensed, regulated providers in Germany.
🏡 Real Estate & Loans
As we work with more than 500 Banks and the interest rate is effected by many factors (such as household income, expenses, Loan-to-value ratio of a property and many more)
We suggest to book a 1:1 Meeting with one of our loan and homeloan specialists.
This is depending on the type of real estate.
For emotional investment (you buy a property to move in yourself) it can take several months.
If you want to go for a newbuild home or a home younger than five years we suggest to sign up for a Bauherrenrechtsschutz (Construction Legal Insurance) – to be signed 6 months before the house contract.
We suggest to setup a meeting with Marcel and one of our home loan specialists.
For capital investment in real estate (you buy a property to rent it out) it can be much faster – the fastest processing I have seen was 2 weeks from first meeting to signature at the notary. The average time is about three to six months.
Starting point is to…
– attend one of our free real estate seminars.
– bring you on our preferred list that you can receive all future offers
– have a 1:1 meeting with Marcel
– decide about right project
– discuss finance details and tax advantages
– attend notary appointment
– become a landlord in Germany
📊 Investment & Retirement
We begin by identifying your personal investor profile, which includes:
– your financial goals
– your current financial situation
– your investment experience
– your preferred timeline (investment horizon)
– your attitude toward risk
We then compare this profile with over 8,500 available investment options in Germany, current market trends, and our experience with expat needs.
The result is a tailor-made investment proposal based on your specific situation — no one-size-fits-all approach.
You can start with as little as €25/month – or build larger portfolios for long-term growth.
Yes, even with a temporary residence permit you can invest legally.
It offers higher long-term returns, inflation protection, and tax advantages.
Compared to a regular investment depot (custodian account), a fund-based pension contract offers several significant advantages, especially for long-term, tax-optimized wealth building:
– No annual capital gains tax inside the contract – returns grow tax-deferred until withdrawal
– Flexible access – funds can be withdrawn anytime, with gains taxed like a standard mutual fund
– No front-end load (entry fees) on the selected investment funds
– Access to exclusive B2B institutional funds – lower internal fees and improved fund quality
– Free fund switches – adapt your strategy without transaction costs
– After age 62 – 50% of all profits are tax-exempt, and the remaining amount is usually taxed at a lower retirement rate
– Portable international contract – can be continued globally, unlike custodian accounts which may need to be closed upon leaving Germany
This makes it a highly efficient option for expats planning for retirement or long-term investing with cross-border flexibility.
In managed products like fund-based pension schemes, the total contract costs are often front-loaded — meaning most fees are charged within the first 5 years. That’s why the break-even point is typically reached between year 5 and 7.
This is completely normal for mid- to long-term investment strategies and should not be a cause for concern.
That said, there are also positive exceptions: some of our clients have reached break-even within just 12 months.
Ultimately, performance depends on the selected funds, market conditions, and your individual investment profile.
Many can be continued internationally. Others can be frozen or paid out. We advise based on each case.
If your question isn’t listed, feel free to email us. We’re happy to expand this page for the benefit of all expats in Germany.
Book Your Financial Consultant Today and Start Planning!
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