Case Studies & Examples
Real-world examples and case studies: savings strategies tailored to different investor profiles and life situations in the French context.
Nothing beats concrete examples to understand how savings and investment strategies apply in real life. Each wealth situation is unique, defined by age, income, family composition, existing wealth, risk tolerance, and life goals. The case studies presented in this section illustrate strategies adapted to various profiles: from the young professional just starting their career to the retiree optimizing the transfer of their estate, through the senior executive in career acceleration, the business owner preparing to sell their company, or the couple investing to fund their children's education.
These case studies detail the amounts invested, supports chosen, tax wrappers used (life insurance, PER, PEA), the asset allocation selected, and projected results over different horizons. They highlight common mistakes to avoid: over-concentration in euro funds due to excessive caution, failure to establish a fiscal date on life insurance, PER contributions by a non-taxable person, neglect of the beneficiary clause, or allocation mismatched to the investment horizon. Each case study is accompanied by realistic numerical projections based on prudent return assumptions and the taxation in force in 2026, allowing you to project yourself into a situation close to your own and transpose the lessons to your personal case.
The projections account for projected inflation of 2% per year to express results in constant euros, which is essential for evaluating the real purchasing power of your future savings. We also incorporate the updated 2026 PER deduction ceilings, the current income tax scale, and applicable social contribution rates, ensuring projections perfectly aligned with current tax legislation.
Our guides on case studies & examples
Catching Up on Savings at 50: Complete Strategy in France
Building a retirement supplement from almost nothing at age 50: a strategy combining assurance vie and a PER, with intensive contributions over 12 years.
Unlocking Your PER for a Property Purchase: A Worked Example
Early PER withdrawal to fund the deposit on your main home in France: conditions, taxation and a detailed calculation of the tax advantage, step by step.
Selling Your Business in 2026: Where to Reinvest the Money
Reinvesting 1.2 million euros after selling a business: assurance vie, PER and real estate combined. Detailed allocation, taxation and strategy for 2026.
Couple in the 30% Tax Bracket: Life Insurance and PER
A couple taxed at 30% combines life insurance and a PER to reduce taxes and prepare for retirement. A detailed strategy with concrete figures for 2026.
Divorce and Life Insurance in France: Division in 2026
Dividing life insurance policies in a divorce in France: legal rules, tax impact, beneficiary clause changes and how to reorganise your finances afterwards.
Saving for Children's Education with Life Insurance
Building 50,000 euros per child with life insurance to fund higher education: contributions, allocation and projected returns over 15 years, with figures.
Returning to France: Optimising Life Insurance and PER
Reorganising your assets after returning to France from abroad: life insurance, PER, tax treaties and a tailored reinvestment strategy, explained step by step.
Freelancer Retirement in France: PER and Life Insurance
How a freelancer makes up for the lack of an employer pension with a PER and life insurance: self-employed ceilings, contributions and a 25-year strategy.
Inheriting 200,000 Euros: How to Invest It in 2026
How to reinvest a 200,000 euro inheritance: life insurance, PER, and PEA combined. Recommended allocation, optimized taxation, and 20-year projection.
First Life Insurance at 25: Where to Start in France
Opening your first life insurance policy as a young professional: which contract, how much to save on 2,200 euros net a month and which allocation to adopt.
Retirement Pension Top-Up with Scheduled Withdrawals
Using life insurance to top up your retirement pension with scheduled withdrawals: making the most of the 4,600 euro allowance and its tax treatment in France.
41% Tax Bracket in France: Cut Your Taxes with a PER
Reducing your income tax at a 41% marginal rate with a PER and life insurance: detailed tax savings, deduction ceilings and allocation strategy for 2026.
Passing 500,000 Euros to Children via Life Insurance
Passing 500,000 euros to three children through life insurance while limiting inheritance tax: allocation, allowances and detailed tax treatment in 2026.
Widowhood in France: Reorganising Your Finances After a Loss
Reorganising your finances after the death of a spouse in France: assurance vie, scheduled withdrawals, passing assets on to children and extra income.
Key takeaways
Approach by investor profile
Each investor profile (young professional, family, senior executive, liberal professional, pre-retiree, retiree) calls for distinct strategies in terms of allocation between emergency savings, long-term investment, and tax optimization. Age and investment horizon determine the acceptable level of risk-taking.
Realistic numerical projections
Our case studies rely on prudent return assumptions: 2.5 to 3% for euro funds, 6 to 8% for global equities over the long term, 4 to 5% for SCPI real estate. Calculations incorporate inflation, actual contract fees, and applicable 2026 taxation for reliable projections.
Common mistakes identified
The case studies highlight the most frequent errors: not establishing a fiscal date on life insurance, neglecting the beneficiary clause, underestimating the long-term impact of fees on performance, or maintaining an allocation mismatched to the investment horizon. Each mistake is quantified to measure its impact.
Multi-wrapper strategies illustrated
Each case study demonstrates how to concretely combine PEA, life insurance, PER, and regulated savings accounts for a given objective. The allocation between wrappers is justified by the specific tax advantages of each and adapted to the tax profile of the studied taxpayer.
Real-life scenarios
Property purchase, birth of a child, career change, divorce, inheritance, retirement: each life event modifies the optimal wealth strategy. Our case studies show how to adapt your allocation and contributions based on these key life stages.
Frequently asked questions
How should a 25-year-old young professional structure their savings?
A young professional should first build an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses in a Livret A and LDDS. Next, open a life insurance contract to establish a fiscal date (even with a minimal 100 euro deposit) and a PEA to invest in equities via global ETFs. If their TMI is at 30% or higher, regular PER contributions are relevant.
What strategy for a couple with children earning 80,000 euros per year?
This couple in the 30% bracket should combine PER contributions (up to 8,000 euros each to save 4,800 euros in tax) with a balanced managed life insurance portfolio for medium to long-term savings. For children's education in 10-15 years, a life insurance policy with 60% equity ETFs and 40% euro funds is relevant. Each spouse's PEA can receive regular contributions in European ETFs. Finally, they must verify their beneficiary clauses and consider a cross-dismemberment arrangement to protect the surviving spouse.
How can a business owner optimize their compensation with the PER?
A business owner (self-employed or assimilated salaried) can use the PER to optimize their overall compensation. As a self-employed worker, their PER deduction ceilings are enhanced and can reach 80,000 euros per year. They can favor higher compensation in years when they contribute to the PER to maximize tax savings, and reduce compensation in years without contributions. The combination of individual PER and company PER allows multiplying deductible contributions. In anticipation of a business sale, the PER allows smoothing the taxation of capital gains by spreading contributions over several years.
What strategy for a 58-year-old pre-retiree with 300,000 euros in savings?
At 6 years from retirement, the pre-retiree must begin progressively securing their allocation. If in the 41% bracket, they should maximize PER contributions using carried-forward ceilings from the three previous years to generate a substantial tax saving. Their long-standing life insurance (over 8 years old) becomes a supplementary income tool thanks to allowance-based withdrawals. The allocation should shift from 60% to 40% equities over the next 6 years, reinforcing euro funds and secure bonds.
How can a 72-year-old retiree optimize the transfer of 500,000 euros?
The retiree must distinguish between premiums paid before and after age 70. If their existing life insurance contracts were funded before age 70 with up-to-date beneficiary clauses, their heirs will benefit from the 152,500 euro allowance each. For post-70 contributions, they can still contribute to a new life insurance policy: only the premiums will be subject to the global 30,500 euro allowance, with gains being completely exempt.
What is the impact of fees on long-term performance?
The impact of fees is considerable over the long term due to the compounding effect. Let us compare two contracts with an initial 50,000 euro investment and identical gross performance of 6% per year over 25 years. With total fees of 0.8% (online contract), the final capital reaches 172,000 euros. With total fees of 2.5% (traditional bank contract), it reaches only 116,000 euros. The 56,000 euro difference represents more than the initially invested capital.
Summary
Case studies are the best way to move from theory to action in savings and investment. Each investor profile, each life stage calls for specific responses in terms of asset allocation, tax wrapper selection, and estate transfer optimization.
The detailed examples in our guides show that it is never too early or too late to structure your savings effectively. A young professional who starts investing 200 euros per month in a global ETF at age 25 can expect to accumulate a substantial capital by retirement thanks to compound interest.
A pre-retiree who optimizes their final years of PER contributions can significantly reduce their taxes while building a substantial retirement supplement. Whatever your profile, take the time to analyze our case studies, identify the one closest to your situation, and adapt the presented strategies to your own objectives.
Statistics show that savers who follow a structured plan with scheduled contributions achieve on average 2 to 3 additional percentage points of annual performance compared to those who invest opportunistically, primarily by eliminating the emotional bias of market timing. Our simulators then allow you to precisely quantify the expected results for your personal situation.