Best performing super funds: Conservative category (21–40%)

In the long term, a Conservative-style investment option will generally enjoy more certainty but should not be expected to grow as much as investment options in other risk categories with greater exposure to growth assets. 

Top 10 Conservative investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2021

Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Conservative options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.

2020-21 was a roller coaster year for superannuation and the global economy in general, but the median 1 year return for Conservative investment options across the board was 8.0%.

Below you can find the top 10 performing Conservative investment options over 1 year for previous time periods. Click the arrow to see the top 10 for each period, or continue reading to discover the top 10 performing Conservative investment options over 10 years.

Playing the long game

It’s important to keep an eye on how your super is performing for you year to year (and interesting to see how other funds have performed), but for most people, superannuation will be the longest-held investment we ever have, and our lens on super should reflect that. 

Longer-term figures are more significant because they incorporate the ups and downs over that entire period, and allow us to see which investment managers can consistently deliver superior performance, regardless of changing external conditions. 

Top 10 Conservative investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2021

Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Conservative options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.

Again median figures can provide good context. In the ten-year period to December 2021, Conservative investment options as a category delivered a median return of 5.6%. 

A small difference in performance makes a big difference over time

Although the difference between the top performer and the median may not seem that significant (1.3% per year), the difference builds up significantly over time due to compounding. We have developed the SuperGuide Super fees and returns calculator to help readers understand the difference the fees they pay and projected returns may make over time.

For example, a 25-year-old with $5,000 in super and earning $50,000 per year, paying 0.8% in fees and achieving 6.9% per year, could retire at 67 with a super balance of approximately $417,017.

All other things being equal, achieving 5.6% instead would mean a super balance of approximately $305,914 – a difference of $111,103, or approximately 27% less.

Below you can find the top 10 performing Conservative investment options over 10 years for previous time periods. Click the arrow to see the top 10 for each period.