Product Comparisons & Reviews

There is no single best contract, as the choice depends on your priorities: if you are looking for the best euro fund, check out Linxea Spirit 2 (insurer Spirica) or Lucya Cardif (insurer Cardif). For ETF-based managed portfolios, Yomoni, Nalo, and Ramify offer the most competitive offerings. For SCPI access within life insurance, Linxea Spirit 2 stands out with an extensive selection and favorable conditions (100% rental income passed through). For self-directed ETF investing, Lucya Cardif and Linxea Spirit 2 contracts are the market references.

Online contracts almost systematically outperform traditional bank offerings on objective criteria: zero entry fees (vs 2-4% in banks), reduced management fees (0.5% vs 0.8-1%), wider unit-linked range, and ETF access. The only advantage of traditional banks is in-branch support, but online brokers now offer quality telephone advice. If you are comfortable with digital tools, choosing an online contract will save you thousands of euros over the lifetime of your contract.

Several fees are sometimes underplayed: switching fees (often free online, but can reach 0.5-1% in banks), unit-linked management fees (sometimes higher than euro fund fees in the same contract), internal fund fees (from 0.1% for an ETF to 2.5% for an active fund), annuity exit fees, and transfer penalties. Add all these fees together to obtain the total 'all-in' cost of your contract. This total cost determines your actual net performance.

To compare euro funds, look at the net-of-management-fees rate published by the insurer, which is the return actually credited to your contract. Compare over several years (3 to 5 year minimum) to assess performance consistency. Be wary of boosted rates conditioned on a minimum percentage of unit-linked funds, which do not reflect the performance accessible to all. Also check the insurer's reserves (provision for profit-sharing, PPB) which anticipate future returns. An insurer with a large PPB will be able to maintain better rates in coming years.

A full transfer of a life insurance contract to another insurer is not possible without losing fiscal seniority, except within the same insurer (PACTE Law, 'Fourgous' transfer). The Fourgous transfer allows migrating from a single-support contract (100% euro fund) to a multi-support contract with the same insurer, provided at least 20% is invested in unit-linked funds. If you change insurers, you must close the old contract and open a new one, which resets the fiscal clock to zero. The recommended strategy is to keep old contracts that are over 8 years old and open a new, more competitive contract for future contributions.

The best PERs in 2026 stand out for their reduced fees and extensive support range. The PER Linxea Spirit (insurer Spirica) offers 0% entry fees, 0.5% management fees, and access to more than 700 supports including ETFs and SCPI. The PER Yomoni offers an excellent 100% ETF-based managed portfolio. The PER Placement-direct is competitive with Suravenir as insurer. For self-employed workers, the PER Madelin from Linxea offers attractive conditions. Compare total fees (management + mandate + internal fund fees) and managed portfolio performance over at least 3 years before making your choice.