ETF: How a Handelsblatt Journalist Left His Retirement Insurance After 15 Years

Herz — World Desk · 30 July 2026 at 11:42 · 30s summary · 2 min read

What We Know

Sebastian Dalkowski, a journalist at Handelsblatt, published an investment account on July 30, 2026, describing how he abandoned a private retirement insurance policy in favour of ETFs.

In 2008, after completing his studies, he had purchased a private retirement insurance policy backed by stock funds through an acquaintance. In retrospect, he views this decision as a mistake.

After more than 15 years and over €20,000 in contributions, he had earned only €1,000 in gains. He attributes this poor result to the contract's high fees—a performance worse than a standard savings account would have delivered.

A Turnaround at 42

After joining Handelsblatt's editorial team at age 42, Dalkowski decided to reassess his retirement arrangements. He cancelled the retirement insurance contract and recovered over €20,000 to reinvest.

In August 2025, he launched a Sparplan—an automated monthly savings plan—invested in ETFs, choosing products with an ecological focus.

Selecting Green ETFs

To identify green ETFs, the author consulted specialist portals ecoreporter.de and faire-fonds.info, as well as dedicated online forums.

Ethical funds offered by GLS Bank and Ökoworld come with higher fees. Title selection is managed actively by humans to ensure sufficient sustainability standards are met.

A standard MSCI World ETF holds approximately 1,500 holdings. Its SRI version—for Socially Responsible Investment—contains fewer than 400.