My SmartStart Super

Super is a long-term investment helping you fund your retirement. So how it's invested today can have a big impact on how much income you'll have to live on when you retire. By taking a few minutes to review your situation, you're making an investment in your future. First up, it's important to understand your investment strategy and the important role it plays when making an investment choice that works for you. Think about what you want your super to achieve for your age, the level of risk you're willing to take and how long you'll be investing for. Most super funds will let you choose from a range of different investment options. The type of options available will vary with many being diversified managed funds. Investment options are typically made up of a mix of different assets. These can range from low risk like cash and fixed interest through to high risk like Australian and international shares.

When deciding, it's important to choose the option that's right for you. Remember that higher risk options are likely to experience more volatile returns over the short term, but they usually achieve higher returns over the long term. And lower risk options usually provide lower returns over the long term that are less volatile.

If your fund is a MySuper fund, you may also have access to a life cycle investment strategy. This option is sometimes known as an age-based strategy and is designed to change with you. It does this by automatically changing your investment mix as you age, moving you from higher risk investments, aiming for higher returns when you are younger, to more stable conservative investments as you get closer to retirement. This option means you don't have to choose a particular investment yourself. You choose to invest in the strategy instead and all the work is done for you.

Understanding all the investment options available in super can be overwhelming, which is why we built an education hub to help build your knowledge. You'll find lots of educational articles, including managed funds explained and risk versus return. If you'd like more information on how to choose a super fund, our wealth concierge team can give you complementary general advice or refer you to a financial planner for personal advice. To get in touch, make an online inquiry through our website or drop in and see us at your local Bendigo bank branch. Or if you already have a financial planner, you can simply contact them and ask for some personal advice.