Investment special, Top performing funds, Productivity Commission report, Franking credits, Life expectancy
Welcome to the JANUARY 2019 edition of the SuperGuide Premium newsletter. Highlights include:
- TOP PERFORMING FUNDS FOR 2018: The last quarter was a rollercoaster for many investors, but the median balanced super funds managed to eke out a positive result – the 7th year in a row. Find out which funds did even better.
- PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION: The PC has handed down it’s final report card on super. Janine summarises the main considerations for Australian consumers, and separately assesses the “Best in show” proposal which is making all the headlines.
- FRANKING CREDITS: The ALP’s ban on franking credits could become a reality if they win the next election, and would have significant consequences for many SMSFs. Ali Cain explores how this can affect an SMSF’s investment strategy, and what options SMSF trustees might consider.
- SMSF INVESTMENT: Discover what SMSFs are investing in – including the most popular Australian shares, International shares and alternative investments.
- LIFE EXPECTANCY: One of the trickiest areas of retirement planning is knowing how long you’ll be around for. Luke Vanem looks at the key factors and statistics, while David Orford urges us to treat the statistics with a pinch of salt.
SMSF INVESTMENT
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SMSF investment: 20 most popular Australian shares
SMSF investors continued their love affair with dividend-paying Australian shares in the year to June 2024, with all the usual suspects in the top 20.
SMSF investment: 20 most popular international shares
While the number of SMSFs investing directly in global shares is still relatively small, the booming tech sector is attracting an increasing number of those that do.
SMSFs: Top 10 alternative investments
SMSF trustees are often accused of being unadventurous in their asset allocation, but some are bucking the trend with ‘exotic’ investments in everything from horse semen to vending machines and dividend-paying cows.
IS YOUR SUPER FUND PERFORMING?
Best performing super funds: Conservative category (21–40%)
In this article you can discover the top 10 performing Conservative super funds over 1 year and 10 years to 31 December 2024. Conservative funds have 21-40% invested in growth assets.
Best performing super funds: High Growth category (81–95%)
In this article you can discover the top 10 performing High Growth funds over 1 year and 10 years to 31 December 2024. High Growth funds have 81-95% invested in growth assets.
What are lifecycle super funds, and how do they perform?
Lifecycle funds are designed to reduce risk as you near retirement without sacrificing returns; recent research shows many do just that but you need to know what to look for.
PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION
Super’s next shake up? Productivity Commission gets tough
Australia’s current super system is “harming millions of members” through underperforming funds, multiple accounts and excessive fees.
What are average super fund fees?
An easy way to determine if you believe your super fund is good value, is to assess the cost of your super fund against the average costs for the different types of super funds available.
Super fund fees: Do lower fees mean better net returns?
Fees are important, but they are not the only thing driving superannuation’s investment returns.
How to compare super funds in 7 easy steps
Comparing super funds may not seem very exciting, but getting into a quality fund that meets your needs could be one of the best things you do for your retirement.
HAVE YOU PLANNED FOR A LONG LIFE?
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How long you can expect to live and what it means for your super
While none of us knows exactly how long we will live, you can narrow the possibilities with these life expectancy projections based on Australian numbers.
SMSFs
SMSFs structures: Corporate or individual trustee?
Corporate trustees are becoming increasingly popular with SMSFs, but an individual trustee structure also has its merits.
Currency hedging for SMSFs
You may think currency hedging is too esoteric to worry about, but it can make a significant difference to your returns from global investments.
UPDATED CONTRIBUTIONS GUIDES
Making superannuation contributions: Super for beginners guide
It can be confusing to understand all the different types of super contributions. But it’s worth learning the main types and what each one offers you.
Concessional super contributions guide (2025-26)
Concessional contributions make up most of the money going into your super account, so it’s important to understand what these are and how they work.
Non-concessional super contributions guide (2025–26)
Making a personal contribution into your super can be a great way to boost your retirement nest egg and enjoy the tax-effective benefits of the super system.
A super guide to the bring-forward rule
Using the bring-forward rule is a great way to put a larger contribution into your super account in a single year. Here’s what you need to know about the rules.