A retail fund is a retail managed fund that’s subject to superannuation laws and entitled to concessional tax rates on investment earnings. These funds are run for profit by financial institutions such as banks, financial planning groups and fund managers.
The following articles refer to Retail funds and superannuation.
Can you feel it? The warm breeze is the collective sigh of relief within the funds management and superannuation industries that super fund returns are in the black – and in double digits.
Q: I have my super with a major financial organisation. I’m wondering, are they a good company to be dealing with? I feel that their fees are a bit high: based on an investment amount of $300,000 the MER amount is $6,600 plus a monthly admin fee of $8.44. What are your thoughts on this matter?
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.
Q: I know that industry super funds generally have a good performance – particularly because of low fees, but I wondered, what is the benefit of picking one for your particular industry?
The Super System Review (SSR) panel, in particular, chair Jeremy Cooper, has drawn a line in the sand and publicly stated that the SSR believe it’s possible to reduce the fees charged by super funds to a mere half a per cent, or even less. Go Mr Cooper!
The Super System Review chaired by Jeremy Cooper has gone back to basics for our future super needs: no frills, lower fees and no more commissions leading to the inevitable, slow death of the financial adviser/retail fund love-in.
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).
When superannuation funds are delivering strong returns, you don’t see much written about the costs of investments, including the costs charged to member accounts by super funds. When returns are poor however, fees become more obvious. Along with investment performance, can be an important factor in determining the size for your final retirement benefit. Costs [...]
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.
Any consumer thinking about switching super funds may want to reconsider whom they rely upon for financial advice, based on survey findings released in 2006 by financial regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). The survey found that nearly one in three consumers received questionable advice from licensed financial advisers when choosing a superannuation [...]
Is there an age limit for starting a DIY super fund? Q: Let us say I contribute to super to a retail managed fund and then at 65 I want to receive an income and/or the fund says I am no longer eligible to remain in the fund and I have to take the money. [...]
Hi - I'm Trish Power, author of Superannuation For Dummies and many other books on super and investing.
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