Savings plans: a time horizon for every goal

A child's university, a holiday home, a business to start. We give your goal a time horizon and fund it with gradual contributions, calibrated to what you can set aside each month without sacrifice.

In short

  • A savings plan funds a goal through periodic, automatic contributions, instead of requiring capital available all at once.
  • Contributing at regular intervals averages the purchase price over time, without having to guess the right moment to enter the market.
  • The contribution is calculated from the goal and the horizon: we first define where you want to get to and by when, then the monthly amount follows.
  • The plan stays flexible: it can be paused, increased or reduced as your situation changes.

What exactly is a savings plan?

A savings plan is a simple mechanism: instead of investing capital in a single lump sum, you contribute a smaller amount periodically, usually monthly, automatically. Over time those contributions build capital earmarked for a specific goal — not a generic investment, but a project with a target and a date.

The main advantage is not just the convenience of an automatic contribution, but the way it reduces your dependence on the moment you enter the market: with the same amount contributed at regular intervals, you buy more units during downturns and fewer during upturns, averaging the purchase price over time.

Why does it need a time horizon first?

A savings plan works well when it has a clear target: how many years until you need that capital, and for what. The horizon also determines the composition of the underlying instruments — the more time you have, the more short-term fluctuation you can tolerate in search of a higher return; if the goal is near, the more cautious component becomes a priority, so you are not forced to sell during a downturn.

Why does starting earlier cost less?

For the same final goal, starting earlier significantly reduces the monthly contribution needed: time works alongside your contributions, not just in their place. Delaying the start by a few years does not just mean losing time — it means having to pay a higher contribution later to reach the same target.

Who it is for

Which goals are built with a savings plan?

These are the situations where a goal needs a method, not just good intentions.

A child's university

A goal with a date known years in advance: there is time to build it calmly, you just need to start.

You save little but consistently

You do not have significant capital to invest right away, but you can set aside a small amount every month.

You fear entering at the wrong time

You do not want to decide alone when "the right moment" to invest is: you prefer an automatic mechanism.

You have a goal with a date

A wedding, a sabbatical year, starting a business: you already know when you will need the capital.

What changes in practice

Four features of a savings plan

Monthly The typical cadence of contributions: automatic, regular, no need to think about it each time
Averaged The mechanism buys units at different prices over time, instead of betting on a single entry point
30 vs 45 For the same goal, starting earlier significantly reduces the monthly contribution needed to reach it
Flexible You can pause, increase or reduce the contribution as your situation changes
How we work

From goal to automatic contribution, in five steps

  1. 01

    We define the goal

    What you want to reach and in how many years, with a real amount and date, not a generic one.

  2. 02

    We set the horizon

    It determines both the contribution and the composition of the plan's underlying instruments.

  3. 03

    We calculate a sustainable contribution

    A monthly amount compatible with your household budget, not one that becomes a burden.

  4. 04

    We set up the automation

    The contribution starts on its own every month, with no need to remember or decide each time.

  5. 05

    We check in every year

    We verify the plan is still consistent with the goal, and adjust it if anything has changed.

The mistakes we see most often

Three ways a plan gets interrupted

Stopping the plan exactly during downturns

This is when the price-averaging mechanism works best for you, but it is also when the temptation to stop is strongest.

Setting too high a contribution

An unsustainable contribution almost always leads to pausing the plan in the first difficult months, undoing the whole mechanism.

No goal defined

Contributing with no defined target makes it harder to choose the right horizon and easier to abandon the plan at the first difficulty.

How much do you need to contribute each month for your goal? Our simulator calculates the monthly contribution needed based on what you want to reach, in how many years and at what average expected return.
Go to the simulator →
Frequently asked questions

What we are asked most often

A savings plan exists precisely for those who want to set aside modest sums regularly, not for those who already have significant capital available. The contribution is calculated from the goal and the horizon, not the other way round: you start from what you want to reach and by when, and the monthly amount follows from that calculation.
Yes. A savings plan is not a rigid commitment: you can pause contributions in a difficult period, increase them as your saving capacity improves, or reduce them if priorities change. That flexibility is one of the reasons it suits life goals that are built up over years.
It depends on what you already have. If the capital is already available, a lump-sum contribution removes the time the money would otherwise spend outside the market. If instead you are building capital over time from earned income, a savings plan is the natural tool: regular contributions that buy units at different prices, without having to guess the right moment to enter.
The plan adapts: the horizon can be lengthened or shortened, the contribution amount changed or, if needed, the goal itself redefined. That is why we review it together periodically, rather than setting it up once and not looking at it again until the deadline.
It does not remove market risk, but it dampens it over time: by contributing the same amount at regular intervals, you buy more units during downturns and fewer during upturns, averaging your overall purchase price. It is a mechanism that above all helps resist the temptation to stop contributing exactly when markets fall.

Didn't find your question? Write to us directly — we answer personally.

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Your contact for savings plans

Giuliano De Sandi
Contact

Let's talk over a coffee

The first meeting is about getting to know each other, with no commitment. Write to us or stop by our office in Vittorio Veneto.

Office
Via delle Terme 2, 31029 Vittorio Veneto (TV), Italy
Phone
+39 327 558 4213
Email
vittorioveneto.p13@allianzbankfa.it
Opening hours
9:30 – 12:30
15:00 – 18:30