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September 2025 Super booster newsletter

What to check on your annual super fund statement
Your annual member statement contains lots of valuable information about your super account, so it’s important to check your fund has been working hard for you. Read more
What to check on your annual super fund statement
Your annual member statement contains lots of valuable information about your super account, so it’s important to check your fund has been working hard for you. Read more
APRA’s performance test: Platforms continue to miss the mark
The second annual performance test for MySuper funds reveals some improvement, but the test itself has its critics. Read more
APRA’s performance test: Platforms continue to miss the mark
The second annual performance test for MySuper funds reveals some improvement, but the test itself has its critics. Read more
Checklist for employers to master your super responsibilities
Getting the details right when it comes to paying employees’ super can be tricky, so use our 7-point checklist to ensure you meet your super obligations. Read more.
Checklist for employers to master your super responsibilities
Getting the details right when it comes to paying employees’ super can be tricky, so use our 7-point checklist to ensure you meet your super obligations. Read more.
How to recontribute your COVID-19 early release super
If you withdrew super during COVID and want to put it back without it counting towards your contribution caps, here’s how. Read more.
How to recontribute your COVID-19 early release super
If you withdrew super during COVID and want to put it back without it counting towards your contribution caps, here’s how. Read more.
Super fund performance: Monthly returns to August 2025
Super funds built on their strong start to the new financial year with a 1.3% return in August, with Chant West estimating the median Growth fund is up 3.2% over… Read more.
Super fund performance: Monthly returns to August 2025
Super funds built on their strong start to the new financial year with a 1.3% return in August, with Chant West estimating the median Growth fund is up 3.2% over… Read more.
Super news for September 2025
Costs for retirees continue to rise, Use of AI to make investment decisions grows, Senate committee cancels inquiry, Financial services misconduct an ongoing concern, Super sector tops $4 trillion, Advised… Read more.
Super news for September 2025
Costs for retirees continue to rise, Use of AI to make investment decisions grows, Senate committee cancels inquiry, Financial services misconduct an ongoing concern, Super sector tops $4 trillion, Advised… Read more.

SuperGuide members Q&A: September 2025

Thursday 18 September 2025 at 11:00 am AEST

In this webinar super expert Garth McNally answers recent questions from SuperGuide members.

Q: Recently I have been looking to change my Super Account manager and have been calling other Superannuation funds and asking questions. I find it impossible to obtain answers to even basic questions.

For example, most super funds have an allocation of assets invested in Australian Shares. So, I start asking basic questions on the Australian Share portfolio side of their investments. Here are my questions:

1) What is their benchmark for measuring performance, such as ASX200 or ASX300 or the All Ords Accumulation Indices, or what other benchmark?

2) What is the universe of eligible shares they consider owning? For example, do they restrict investments to only ASX200 shares, or is it the All Ordinaries, or any liquidity requirements, or what?

3) “What is their equities investment style?” Growth, Income, Value, Large Cap, Small Cap, low Beta, High Beta, Active or Passive?

4) How much of the FUM is managed in house or with outside managers?

5) How much turnover of investment positions is there annually? This is to get a sense of tax issues and transactions costs eating away at returns.

6) What is your current target for risk weighted return by asset class? Is your divisor Standard Deviation or Beta? (i.e., Sharpe Ratio or Treynor Ratio)

7) On the fixed income side of the portfolio, what is your average duration so I can understand the portfolio valuation risk levels to changes in interest rates. Defensive would have shorter duration, whereas a longer duration 7+year is now a portfolio that is not really defensive but more growth oriented.

You get the gist of all this.

Every single question is impossible to get an answer on. Why is this information not available? Or, where does one obtain such information?

None of these questions is ever in the too hard basket when talking to non super asset managers. Why are superannuation managers trying so hard to obfuscate answers to these questions?

How can one make an informed decision when denied basic answers for understanding their methodologies and performance benchmarks?

Please advise how you obtain this information when you are making your assessments of superannuation funds.?

A: Some of the answers you are looking for will be found in the investment guide for the fund you’re considering, including benchmarks, however the bulk of the example questions you have posed here will not have publicly available answers.

All the underlying investments of a fund are however disclosed though portfolio holdings disclosure rules. If you search for ‘portfolio holdings’ on the website of any fund you are considering, you will be able to download a spreadsheet listing the underlying assets of each of the options they provide in-house.

TInvestment options are generally actively managed unless they are named ‘indexed’, for example ‘indexed balanced’. This signifies passive investments.

As far as tax management goes, all super funds make an effort to minimise trading because considering tax consequences is a requirement of super law. The returns that funds declare are net of tax and fees.

If you want to choose managed funds for your super, you could consider a platform super product that offers access to the managed funds you’re interested in, or set up a Self-Managed Super Fund to access them. Chant West’s rating of platform options is linked here.

Alternatively, most large funds offer the option to choose your own mix of shares and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) directly rather than one of their managed options. This is often called a ‘member direct‘ option.

Almost 65% of Australians hold all their super in their fund’s default investment option. Don’t put making a choice in the too-hard basket when a simple switch now could make a significant difference to your final balance. Learn how to choose an option aligned with your risk profile.

Important: All information on SuperGuide is general in nature only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether any information on SuperGuide is appropriate to you before acting on it. If SuperGuide refers to a financial product you should obtain the relevant product disclosure statement (PDS) or seek personal financial advice before making any investment decisions.

Superguide Pty Ltd ATF Superguide Unit Trust as a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR) is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Independent Financial Advisers Australia, AFSL 464629.