Q: I am trying to understand how my super is taxed and it seems that it is taxed at every turn. Can you please explain when, and how, a super benefit is taxed? A: If it were not for tax, superannuation wouldn’t exist. You would simply invest in your own name. Superannuation is taxed at lower rates to encourage ... 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.
Financial advice: Only 124 independent financial advisers in Australia
Note: This article is updated regularly when new financial advisers join the independence club (latest update October 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 ... Read more
Ten years on: Four lessons from the GFC (Grab-For-Cash)
Note: A version of this article was first published in 2009, in Trish Power’s book, DIY Super for Dummies (Wiley), and republished in 2015. I was holidaying in Europe when the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) officially hit in October 2008 (although investment markets had been falling dramatically since December 2007). ... Read more
Retirement Age Reckoner: Discover your preservation age and Age Pension age
Your superannuation benefit and your Age Pension entitlements are likely to be very important for your retirement plans. Did you know your right to access your super, or claim the Age Pension, is based on the date you were born? Use the Retirement Age Reckoner below to discover: your preservation age (the ... Read more
Super for beginners, part 11: Is my super fund good enough?
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 (2.2%) plus a monthly admin fee of $8.50. What are your thoughts on this matter? I am not ... Read more
Super for beginners, part 20: Comparing your super fund’s performance
Q: The investment return on my super fund account doesn’t seem to compare with the investment returns that I read about in the newspapers. Are the newspapers wrong, or am I in a rubbish super fund? A: Every month or two, the general media reports the latest returns from Australia’s largest super funds. As a ... Read more
Super for beginners, part 21: You know where your super goes, right?
Q: How do I find out where my super contributions end up? What I mean is, how do I find out the name of my super fund? A: Your question is a popular one in Australia, even though super fund members receive member statements from their super funds every year. ... Read more
Superannuation: 10 great benefits you may not know about
Besides being a great way to save for retirement, superannuation offers lots of little-known benefits for super fund members. Depending on the type of fund you belong to, and your employment status, there is a swag of benefits you may be receiving without even knowing it. SuperGuide has gathered together a list of ... Read more
10-point guide to First Home Super Saver Scheme
Saving a deposit to buy your first home is a tough task, and purchasing an affordable first home can be an even greater challenge. In response to this affordability issue, the federal government announced in the May 2017 Federal Budget, a new scheme to allow first homebuyers to use their super account to save some of ... Read more
Advertisement
Seeking financial advice? A 5-step guide to obtaining expert help
After the major shake-up of the super system in July 2017, Australians saving for their retirement, or now in retirement, face a revised set of rules when it comes to their super contributions and super pensions. Unfortunately, the new rules have not made things easier to understand and many of us still need financial ... Read more
Problem with your adviser or super fund? A 2-step plan to resolve it!
Knowing who to turn to when you need help resolving a problem with your super fund or financial adviser can be tricky. There are a number of organisations that can help, but they all have different areas of responsibility and can help you in different ways. To help you understand what assistance is ... Read more
New body to handle super complaints from November 2018
Disputes about your superannuation and other finances are never fun, but the complexity of the current system makes the process even tougher. Just working out which of the multiple external dispute resolution bodies is the right one to approach has long been a source of frustration for super fund members and consumers ... Read more
