Are there still people sing Google+? Really?

What other medium/source would you suggest?

a LinkedIn page/group, maybe?  Or a dedicated forum/blog, where people can submit contributions.

Thanks for the linkedin group option. I have considered this, fb, google+, & a new forum. Google+ definitely appears to offer the best solution. Although not as big as facebook (135 million active users vs 1+ billion on fb) it's more informative than social which is a good point. A linkedin group doesn't seem to offer as much functionality by comparison.

I am aiming to hit a critical mass in whichever medium I use so that hopefully members will contribute disucssion topics and answers in the same way as happens here. 

I may try running 2 group (linkedin & google+) concurrently to see which one is more successful. A linkedin page is not the right option but a linkedin group may very well be. 

Moving on, what topics would be of interest to people?

Personally, I have been looking for some resources analogous to Bogleheads (link) and Mr. Money Mustache (blog, forum) but for Europe (even better, Switzerland) because they are strongly targeted at a US audience.

For example, I know many (at least, many financially literate) Americans swear by Vanguard and similar "low-cost" index funds, but what's the equivalent in Switzerland?

(I know Vanguard also exists here, but it's more expensive and I'm not at all informed about the alternatives)

Case in point, I have money sitting in the bank (which is a waste, inflation soundly outpaces the meagre UBS interests rate) and I'm trying to educate myself to decide what to do with it.

Hey Paul, 

It sounds that you, not unlike a lot of us, are not very familiar with investment products and possibilities (btw. Vanguard is only one promotor of "index funds" or ETFs and as far as I know not many of its European funds are registered in Switzerland - which funds need to be for you to be able to invest).

But if you´re already an UBS client, I would suggest that as a first step you consult them. Because apart from being a bank UBS is also one of the biggest investment platforms not only Switzerland but in Europe. They distribute most investment funds registered in SWitzerland and should therefore be able to give you at least a first insight in various investment products, their performances, fee structures and most importantly what would be suitable for you. Then you can still decide whether you want to invest via UBS or look out for other opportunities.  

Hope that helps! Happy Easter, 

Birgit

As a general rule of thumb, I would never sit with a bank consultant unless you pay him for the advice he/she gives you and you are not selling products from him/her. If they get paid by the provisions of selling the products, many will not sell you the product, that is best for you!

Indeed I think that having ETFs is the best strategy. Whatever risk one takes, there is at least one ETF for all kinds of purposes.

Thanks all for the advice on the topic. I'll look to create something along the lines of options available for investing and their associated costs, what to look out for etc.

As an example, should you hold money in a brokerage account, with all the investments in direct stocks/shares or low cost ETFs? Is this the cheapest option. What are the tax implications? Could an apparently more expensive option work out cheaper? Is the lowest cost investment always best or is paying more a sign of a good investment? (actually neither, as life isn't that simple).

What if someone wants advice? What are the options? Typically, someone who can advise across the whole of market is a better option than someone who is tied (i.e. a bank may only be able to offer bank products)? Does paying for advice mean that it is impartial?