FAQ

Below please find the answers to some frequently asked questions. They will help you make a well-informed comparison.

What term of payment should I choose?
Your benefit payments can be made to you monthly in arrears. However, you can also choose to receive your payments less frequently: quarterly, semiannually or even once a year in arrears. The costs vary according to the term of payment. A benefit payment once a year in arrears is higher than a monthly payment in arrears, because the corresponding costs are lower. Please think carefully about what you want and need. You should also take your expenditure pattern into account. Experience shows that the longer a term of payment is, the more difficult people find it to align their income to their expenditure. They would therefore rather receive their pension payments in more frequent intervals.

How do I know that everything will be settled when I submit my request for an offer?
When we receive your request for an offer, we will contact you by telephone to discuss your request and to supplement any data that might be missing. Rest assured that your request will be fully completed and processed. When we have obtained the input data and answered any questions, we will email you the requested offer. If you accept the offer, we will handle your request further. We will keep you updated throughout the entire process of requesting an offer, transferring your pension capital and drafting your policy.

Please address any questions to us on 020 - 470 09 20 or send an email to: info@apple-tree.nl. You are also very welcome to visit us at Apple Tree's offices at any time to get personally acquainted.

Is the calculated pension benefit a gross or net payment?
This is a gross payment; tax deduction must still be made.

Are the calculations made free of obligation?
On this website we give you a quick and easy way of obtaining clarity on the offers made by different insurance companies relative to your personal situation. These are no-obligation calculations.

I am not retiring yet, but would like to find out which provider can make me the best offer now. Is this possible?
It is possible to find out at this point which insurance company has the most suitable offer based on the current market interest rate. The pension calculation will then be an indication only. Six weeks before your pension capital finally becomes available, you can make a definitive calculation. It is quite possible that there will be a difference in the amount of pension capital you have accrued, or that a different insurance company can make a better proposal. Not until you have made a definitive calculation can you accept one of the offers. This is due to the limited period of validity of the offers.

What do our intermediary services cost?
If you accept an offer that we have made, we will take care of its administrative handling. For this we charge a fee of € 395 (VAT free). The amount paid will have no effect whatsoever on the comparison. This fee is also stipulated in our service agreement.

Do I still have to send forms to SPIN?
No,if you accept an offer through Appetree, we will take care of all forms to SPIN.

When will I receive a definitive offer?
The period of validity of the offer will vary depending on the insurance company, from a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of eight weeks. The period of validity is stated in the offer. We recommend that you make a definitive calculation approximately six weeks before the start date of your pension. We must receive your request and the accepted offer within this period of validity. Clearly, we will guide you through the request process and will extend your offer if possible.

How can I get modified offers?
On our website you can compare the most common forms of pension. If you have special wishes, the best thing is to get in touch with us. The following are examples of special wishes:

• A high/low benefit: the benefit starts with high payments over a number of years and then changes to lower payments at a fixed ratio of 100:75.
• Fixed annual inflation linkage: this is to allow your pension benefit to increase with the annual rise in prices. Your benefit payments will then start lower and end higher.

Who can answer questions about my pension benefit?
When your pension benefit payments start, you can contact us with any questions. We will give you our contact details when we send you your policy.