What risk -free investments will do better than booklet A in 2025?

While the rates of regulated booklets fell in 2025, many savers are looking for alternatives. Life insurance, SCPI, bond funds … What investment products will be able to offer a more attractive return this year than booklet A, while remaining cautious?

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Watch out for dropout. In the past two years, regulated booklets (Booklet A, LDDS, LEP) have, thanks to inflation, displayed attractive remuneration: up to 6.1%, for example for the LEP, at the height of the ‘Inflation, and a rate of 3% blocked for booklet A between August 1, 2023 and February 1, 2025. A bygone era, since with the reflux of the price increase (2% In 2024, after 4.9% in 2023) the rates of the booklets were revised mechanically downwards on February 1, 2025. Booklet A and LDDS fell to a yield of 2.4%, and 3.5% For the LEP.

Fortunately, in order not to see the remuneration of your savings melt, there are alternative investments likely to bring you as much or more as your booklets and with an equivalent or slightly higher level of risk.

The ideal alternative to booklet A: Life insurance in euros funds

First alternative: Life insurance in euros funds, which has a size advantage: lack of risk. By pouring your savings on these guaranteed capital supports, you are assured, as on your booklets, to always be able to recover – and at any time – the sums deposited. Two drawbacks, however, in terms of yield. On average, funds in euros should not bring in more than 2.50% in 2024, and, unlike the booklet at this rate is given net of management fees, but gross taxation. It will therefore be necessary to withdraw social security contributions (17.2%) if your contract is over 8 years old.

To obtain a higher return to the net yield of your booklets, you will have to choose from the best contracts on the market, which served up to 4.65% in 2024. “In terms of return, security and liquidity, life insurance in euros is a placement similar to booklet A”summarizes Martin Alix, Director of Product Development at Primonial. So difficult to find better equivalent. As an alternative, “It will necessarily be necessary either to turn to a little more risky investments, or to partially give up the liquidity found on the booklet A, that is to say to accept to immobilize for a certain time its savings”, Press Olivier Herbout, co-founder of Ramify.

SCPI: a little more risky and a little less liquid

Real estate investment through civil real estate investment companies (SCPI) is one of these slightly more risky and slightly less liquid alternatives. Unlike booklet A, there is a risk of partial or total loss of its capital, but it remains contained: SCPIs are generally noted 3 or 4 out of 7 on the risk scale presented in the key information document (DIC) . Likewise, it will be necessary to accept not to be able to recover the capital invested for a few years: “Generally, it is recommended to invest for a period of at least 3 years, to avoid imposed exit penalties”says Olivier Herbout.

However, if you accept these constraints, performance can be more substantial than on your booklet A: in 2024, the SCPI market displayed an average yield of 4.73%, and for the best students in the cuvée, the Distribution rate – TD, yield equivalent – can reach 12%. Station nevertheless to taxation: property income is subject to income tax according to the marginal tax tranche (TMI, from 0% to 45%), to which are added social security contributions to the rate of 17.2 %.

Some opportunities still on bond funds

In the range of placements at lower risk, we find the large family of bond funds. Among them, monetary funds offer the advantage of a very limited risk (generally 1/7 on the risk indicator), as they invest in bonds of short -term business or states. Problem: with the decline in inflation and the cycle of drop in guiding rates initiated by the European Central Bank (ECB) These obligations should not report more than your booklet next year, because this type of placement is subject to Single flat-rate levy (pfu or flat-tax) of 30%.

On the other hand, it may be cunning to invest in these monetary funds via the units of account (UC) of your life insurance: “Insurers should still offer remuneration bonuses on euros funds in 2025. However, to benefit from these (which can boost your return up to +2%, editor’s note), it is often necessary to invest in a certain proportion of UC “recalls Martin Alix. By opting for monetary UCs, you therefore keep a very limited level of risk while enjoying better remuneration.

Finally, there remains the investment in bonds, which you can acquire per unit via a securities account or a trading application, or through a bond fund (generally rated 3/7). With the drop in rates, the safest securities (state bonds) will gradually report less: buying French debt for a period of ten years remunerates for example 3% gross, and 4% on the United States, gross of Taxation also. To find a higher return, it will be necessary to venture into more risky business obligations (called “high yield” or high-yield) which can still display a yield from 4.5% to 7%.