How did it all start? A fresh page and a lot of ambition.
In 2019, FBKConseils was just a sparkling idea in the mind of its founder - a mind then too busy juggling writing articles, creating videos, and designing simulators and unfortunately not enough time to think about writing a simple 'About' page. And yet, it's a bit like forgetting to introduce yourself on a first date, isn't it?
We've decided to put that right. So here are a few lines to describe who we are.
FBKConseils today
In just a few years, FBKConseils has evolved from a one-man project run by an overworked enthusiast. It's a dynamic team, a group of dedicated professionals who make our website shine and respond brilliantly to the varied needs of our clients. In short, we've gone from a one-man show to a harmonious symphony! At the end of the page you'll find our team and the people whose experience has helped our company grow.
Why did we create FBKConseils?
The hidden side of financial advice
FBKConseils was born of a rich and revealing professional experience in a major financial consultancy firm. This journey of initiation enabled our founder to navigate through the intricacies of tax, property, pensions and insurance in Switzerland. Above all, it brought to light the less glamorous aspects of this industry: commissions, remuneration, the pressure of numbers...
This ceaseless quest for "customers with needs" who were none other than his family and friends, more generally his entourage. Why are all these financial areas so difficult to understand, when everyone needs them?
He quickly realised that advising under pressure to sign contracts was simply not transparent, independent or motivating. At FBKConseils, we believe that contracts should not influence our recommendations. After all, we must learn to walk before we can run, as the saying goes.
Our solution: Inform and stay neutral
Rather than canvassing people who probably don't need help, we prefer to reverse the process: provide as much information as possible and make ourselves available to advise anyone who needs it.
From there, the machine was launched with a single goal in mind: to make all this information accessible, understandable and available on the same website.
And our response was threefold:
- Educate: Provide as many articles as possible in all areas of finance to enlighten our customers through our website, which has been built up over the years, and our YouTube channel, which provides a variety of sources of information.
- Neutrality: Avoid commissions wherever possible to ensure impartial and independent advice.
- An advertising-free company (at least for the time being): We want as much as possible to provide quality content that will answer our customers' questions. We don't want to spend money to gain visibility, we want to earn the trust of our customers. Our entire customer base has been built up through word of mouth, natural referencing of our website and, of course, our YouTube channel. Since its launch, our marketing budget has been around CHF 100.
The birth of FBKConseils in 2019: From idea to reality
And so FBKConseils was born - first as a glimmer in our thoughts, then gradually taking shape to become the website you know.
Today, FBKConseils has over a hundred articles available in French and English, dozens of videos on our YouTube channel and hundreds of thousands of readers and viewers.
But who's behind FBKConseils?
At FBKConseils, we believe that it takes a dream team to handle dream cases, and our clients never fail to bring us challenges that are as unique as they are. Over the years, we've surrounded ourselves with a wide range of experts, from:
- Property finance experts
- Tax lawyers and legal experts
- IT developers in Switzerland and abroad
- Bank and insurance advisers
But at the heart of this constellation of experts are our three pillars, united by their backgrounds and their passion for finance and innovation.
Yanis Kharchafi - The Innovator
This is the person who came up with the idea for a 100% customer-focused website. The aim was simple: to convey his experience and knowledge as well as possible through words, examples and simulators.
Before embarking on this journey, Yanis studied at the HEC business school in Lausanne and then began his career with Switzerland's leading financial advisory firm.
Once he had turned the page, he passed the insurance adviser exam (AFA) and then the financial adviser exam (IAF) with flying colours.
Absorbed by his (mad) passion for taxes, he continued his self-taught education: tax guides, laws, training with experts and he continued to write his articles to provide as much information as possible to as many people as possible.
Roxane Henrioux
Roxane joined us in February 2020 and is the person who has brought our company to life by creating our mascot Noé and his little family. She's the one who makes our website fun, easy to understand and, in particular, who makes our company unique. She looks after the YouTube channel, from design to publication of the videos.
Fiona Wallace
Fiona joined the team in 2022 and her unwavering determination has contributed to the growing success of FBKConseils. After graduating from the HEC business school in Lausanne with a Master's degree in Finance, and spending a few years working in the finance department of a multinational, Fiona learnt all the tricks of the financial advisory trade, particularly in the tax field.
Today, she looks after and advises all the English-speaking clients of FBKConseils.
These three talents, with their diverse but complementary backgrounds, form the beating heart of FBKConseils. Together, they represent our commitment to excellence, innovation and genuine, transparent financial advice. At FBKConseils, we're not just a team - we're a family, united by our passion for helping our clients navigate the complexities of the financial world that affect their daily lives.