APRA stands for the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the regulator of financial organisations and super funds, which oversees the safeguards put in place to protect the assets of super funds.
The following articles refer to APRA and superannuation.
Individuals with a terminal medical condition are able to access their super lump sum payments tax-free, regardless of age. A super fund can release super benefits to a member if they have a terminal medical condition.
Q: I am 16 years of age. I still go to school but I have just started my first part-time job. Do I get any superannuation? And if I do, where does it go?
On 5 July, the Government released the final report of the Super System Review (Cooper Review). Although there won’t be an official response on the final report for several weeks, the Superannuation Minister…
Unless you work in the superannuation industry, how the world of super works can be bamboozling (sometimes it can be confusing even when you know the industry well). This article, on the different types of super funds, is the first in a series of articles explaining the main players in the Australian super world.
Individuals running DIY super funds now control 31.8% ($400.2 billion) of the $1.26 trillion invested via Australian superannuation funds. Ten years ago, DIY super funds represented one-tenth (10%) of all superannuation money.
In the latest preliminary report from the Super System Review (SSR) (see article SMSFs: Nothing exotic or personal says Cooper Review), the SSR recommends that the Superannuation Complains Tribunal (SCT) have a greater role to play in the resolution of complaints over death benefit payments.
Note: Every three months or so, we update this article with the latest performance data on superannuation funds (and pension funds) issued by SuperRatings, SelectingSuper, ChantWest and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
If you’re a member of one of the following super funds, then you need to read this article. Astarra Superannuation Plan, Astarra Personal Pension Plan, My Retirement Plan, (including subplans – Seagrims Retirement Plan, TIC Super, and Titanium Retirement Fund), Employers Federation of NSW Superannuation Plan.
A popular article on the SuperGuide website, particularly for our overseas readers, is 12 legal ways to access your super. I have received many questions from readers, some in serious financial situations or suffering illness who are seeking more information on how to access Australian super benefits early. Other readers seeking early access to super [...]
In August 2009, financial regulator APRA released performance data on Australia’s largest 200 funds. In the August SuperGuide newsletter, we noted that the performance figures have received a lot of criticism from the super industry. I think the level of criticism is a bit unfair.
Before the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) hit in October 2008, around a third of Australian super funds delivered returns averaging at least 9% per annum over the five-year period from 2004 to 2008, while 10% of super funds were delivering double-digit returns over this same period, according to performance data released by the superannuation industry [...]
Q: What you do is very important, thank you. I am 62 years, retired and draw an allocated pension from a public sector super fund in Queensland. For a year I have had all of my funds in their ‘cash’ option because I feared a significant market correction (as happened). As a result of that [...]
Hi - I'm Trish Power, author of Superannuation For Dummies and many other books on super and investing.
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