Industry

Prompted by advice industry rationalisation, the Levy review and the need for a united voice in Canberra, the two major associations will invite members to provide feedback on a proposed merger.

Fee raises at the nation’s biggest super fund have raised questions about the benefits of scale. If Australian Super has to increase fees, what chance do smaller funds have?

Morningstar has released a research paper citing how “abysmal” Australia’s portfolio holdings disclosure requirements are for superannuation funds.

News that Australian Super had reported a negative return of just 2.7 per cent for the FY22 financial year likely came as a surprise to many.

Research houses and Chant West and SuperRatings have released lists of the top performing superannuation funds for 2021-22, and leading both lists is Hostplus’ Balanced fund.

While the focus of the advice industry groups has very much been around making the day to day lives of those in the industry easier, the likes of the AFCA, Vanguard and several law firms have offered insight into the impact on the consumer.

2022 has marked just the fifth financial year of negative returns since the SG became compulsory in 1992. This should not be a surprising result.

The term “hold on for dear life” came to explain the events of 2020 and 2021, as did “buy the dip.” For those beginning investing for the first time their experience couldn’t have been more positive.

Self-managed super funds have once again returned to popularity in recent years, with establishments seeing growth once again, as more Australians become engaged with their retirement assets.

Bringing oversight to a multi-trillion dollar sector was important, but the regulations are far from perfect, with many suggesting they effectively direct industry funds toward an indexed approach, or alternatively, don’t appreciate the nuances of investing for the very long-term.

The lockdowns of 2021 and a trend for younger people to set up a self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) have driven a sharp growth in the number of funds being established in Australia with assets their assets under management (AUM) now approaching $1 trillion.

Once a stalking horse for a small cabal of noisy backbenchers, “Home First, Super Second” has found its way into the Coalition’s policy arsenal ahead of an unpredictable election.