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What does “Altersvorsorge” mean in German?

Altersvorsorge means the money and planning you put aside for old age, so you still have income after you stop working. Germans often pair it with Rente — your pension or retirement income later (the state pension when the context is specifically about the public system). Altersvorsorge is everything you do now to prepare for it: saving, investing, private schemes. Know the difference and you will follow any German personal-finance conversation.

“Das heißt, ich muss halt schon relativ viel für meine Rente, für die Altersvorsorge wegsparen.” — “That means I really have to put quite a lot aside for my pension, for my retirement savings.” It’s a compound: Alter (old age) + Vorsorge (planning/providing ahead). Together: the money and the planning you do now so you’re covered when you’re old. It’s always feminine: die Altersvorsorge. Examples: “Ich kümmere mich früh um meine Altersvorsorge.” = “I take care of my retirement savings early.” — “Die private Altersvorsorge wird immer wichtiger.” = “Private retirement saving is getting more and more important.” Usage note: The verb in the quote is wegsparen — to save away, to set money aside. It shows the compound at work: you’re not just saving, you’re actively putting money somewhere out of reach for the future.