Choosing a Super Fund – Part 5: Insurance Benefits Inside Super Funds

Your super fund is there to help you save for retirement. But did you know that most super funds also offer insurance? Insurance can give you and your family peace of mind, knowing that you’re covered financially if something happens to you. There are a number of different types of insurance that can be included in a super fund, such as death cover, total and permanent disability cover, income protection cover. The level of cover Read more…

Building Your Super – Part 4: Claiming Lost Super

Did you know there is literally billions of dollars currently sitting in uncontactable or inactive super accounts? You may have one of them! Lost super can occur because benefits are not transferred when people change jobs. Your super isn’t automatically transferred to your new fund – you have to do it yourself. Have you changed your name, address or lived overseas? These may also be reasons you may have unknowingly lost track of a super Read more…

How Much Super Will I Need – Part 4: Saving on Household Expenses After Retirement

If you’re like most people, you’re probably looking for ways to save money on household expenses after retirement. Here are a few changes you can make to your home and household expenses post retirement that can help you stay within your budget. One way to save money on household expenses is to downsize your home. If you’re no longer working, you may not need as much space as you did when you were raising a Read more…

Choosing a Super Fund – Part 4: Low Fee Versus High Fee Funds

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think too much about your super fund. But did you know that the fees you’re paying can have a big impact on your retirement savings? Let’s say, for example, that you have $100,000 in your super fund. If your fund charges fees of 2% per year, then you’ll pay $2,000 in fees each year. But if you choose a low fee fund that charges 0.5% per year, Read more…

Building Your Super – Part 3: Consolidating your Super

If you currently hold more than one super fund, there can be significant benefits to consolidating those multiple accounts into a single account. One of the main benefits of consolidating your super funds is that you can save on fees. When you have multiple super funds, you may be paying multiple sets of fees. By consolidating your super into one fund, you can reduce the fees you pay. Another benefit of consolidating your super funds Read more…

How Much Super Will I Need – Part 3: Changes in Expenses After Retirement

As we approach retirement, many of us are looking forward to a time when we can finally relax and enjoy life. However, it’s important to be aware that our expenses may change after retirement. For some of us, our expenses will actually go down after retirement. This is because we no longer have to worry about things like paying for childcare or commuting to work. Additionally, we may have paid off our mortgage by this Read more…

Choosing a Super Fund – Part 3: Super Fund Performance

Fund performance is typically measured by looking at the fund’s total return, which is the fund’s percentage gain or loss over a certain period of time, typically one year. When it comes to choosing a super fund, performance is definitely an important consideration. Super funds are required to disclose their investment performance annually. This information can be found on the fund’s website and product disclosure statement (PDS). When comparing performance of different funds, be aware Read more…

Building Your Super – Part 2: Voluntary Contributions

When you choose to add your own money to your super fund, these are known as voluntary contributions. Over time these voluntary contributions can make a significant difference to your final super balance. Salary Sacrifice: This is when you make contributions from your gross salary. That is, contributions taken out of your salary before tax. The advantage is these amounts are taxed at a lower rate of 15%. The other advantage is they can be Read more…

How Much Super Will I Need – Part 2: The Effects of Inflation on you Super Balance

Inflation eats away at your retirement money every single day, of every week, of every year! Therefore, it’s important to invest your money to offset the reduction of your spending power by inflation. What is inflation? Inflation is the rate at which prices for goods and services rise over time. In other words, inflation reduces the purchasing power of your money. The $100 you have today, won’t buy you the same amount in ten years’ Read more…

Choosing a Super Fund – Part 2: Investment Options and Risk

When it comes to choosing the right superannuation fund for you, it’s important to understand your risk appetite. Do you want a low-risk investment option, or are you willing to take on more risk for the potential of higher returns? Generally speaking, there are three main risk levels when it comes to superannuation funds: low risk, medium risk and high risk. Low risk investments tend to be more stable, with less chance of losing your Read more…