You don’t have to get advice when choosing super funds, or when considering making extra super contributions, or for any other financial matters. If you do want advice however, do some research on reputable advisers.Advisers deserve to be paid for providing advice, but you have to decide how you want them to be ... Read more
Super for Beginners
The Superannuation for Beginners section is a great starting point for anyone beginning their superannuation journey, or beginning their super education.
You can find the answers to questions that you may have been afraid to ask, or not known to ask.
Click on the key links directly below to access the following topics designed for Super for Beginners:
- Super for beginners: A starting guide
- Top 10 must-know super facts
- Super tips for beginners
- Age-based superannuation guide
- Super guide for women
- 8 steps to super success
- SMSFs for beginners
- Finding lost super
- Super for beginners (Q&As)
Below are some of our key Super for Beginners articles:
Set out below are all SuperGuide articles referring to Super for Beginners.
Super for beginners, part 15: Super tax – as easy as 1-2-3
Superannuation only exists because of how super savings are taxed. Superannuation savings receive tax incentives to encourage Australians to choose super as a retirement savings option. Even so, superannuation is still taxed (for most Australians), but at a lower rate of tax than non-superannuation income and ... Read more
Superannuation investing: How does it all work?
One of the key advantages of superannuation is also seen as one of its key disadvantages. Many people complain that they can’t access their superannuation until they retire, but this rule also means that your super account’s investment earnings are reinvested regularly for a long time. Keeping your investment earnings ... Read more
Financial advice: Only 97 independent financial advisers in Australia
Note: This article is updated regularly when new financial advisers join the independence club (latest update April 2018). A financial adviser does not have to be a member of the IFAAA to join the SuperGuide list, provided they can declare that they satisfy the requirements of being an independent adviser (we now have ... Read more
Take the SuperGuide Quiz (No. 2): Do you know how to boost your super?
How familiar are you with the superannuation contributions rules? Do you know how much your employer should be contributing, and whether your employer’s contributions affect the amount that you can personally contribute? Did you know you can make two types of super contributions?Are there limits on how much you can ... Read more
Take the SuperGuide Quiz (No. 1): How ready are you to plan your retirement?
How ready are you to start your retirement planning? Or have you already started?We have set this quiz to help you assess the key facts you need to be mindful of when planning for your retirement. If you have already retired, do you know the answers to the questions in this quiz?When answering each question, ... Read more
Super for beginners: A starting guide
When learning more about superannuation and retirement planning, a good place to start is trying to explain what superannuation actually means. Superannuation is an awkward word, but in plain English, when most people refer to superannuation, they are referring to a special long-term savings account with tax benefits. ... Read more
Super for beginners: Top 10 must-know facts
Just over nine years ago, in January 2009, we launched the SuperGuide website, and in March 2009 we published the first monthly SuperGuide newsletter. Since that time we have received thousands of questions, from our millions of visitors, on different aspects of superannuation. We try to represent as many questions as ... Read more
Women and super: A worry-free financial future is possible
Before I wrote the book Super Freedom: A woman’s guide to superannuation (published in late 2011), I had often discussed the need for a practical non-technical book for women on superannuation. The first question I was asked when I told some female friends that I was writing a book for women on superannuation and ... Read more
Super for beginners: 14 monkeys stop women creating a dream retirement
For so many women, the needs of other people usually come first — children, partner, parents, friends and even workmates. Often, for a woman to think about her own needs, she has to face a health challenge, financial stress or a relationship breakdown.Too dramatic, perhaps? I don’t think so. The world that women ... Read more
Remember! Retirement unlocks your super cash
In the hype and hoopla surrounding the rules relating to superannuation – in particular, tax-free super benefits for over-60s, many of the websites in the super space forget to mention the magic words ‘preservation rules’.The rules surrounding when and how you can access your super have not changed for many years. ... Read more
Superannuation rules: What applies at different ages?
Compulsory superannuation contributions (Superannuation Guarantee) and voluntary superannuation contributions are an integral part of the federal government’s retirement income policy, along with the taxpayer-funded Age Pension.As an incentive for Australians to stash money away for 30 to 40 years (rather than ... Read more
