Over the past 12 months I have reviewed many super funds. With March and April 2020 investments globally falling out of bed it was a serious concern for many people.
Not all my clients move their super to be managed by me…. That is until a global pandemic which had an economic rippling effect.
Often I will look at a super fund, its performance, its fees, it’s investment structure and will advise accordingly. The conundrum I would often have was I could not beat the fee structure. But, at the end of the day it is clear you get what you pay for.
So going forward my focus has been more about performance and ensuring the investments will meet my clients long, medium and short term goals and objectives.
When you are paying fees (often known as ICR’s) and your investment is doing well then the money is well spent – and don’t be fooled we all pay investment fees, it’s just not always clear on the Super fund statement.
Our Growth (assertive) model returned 33% this past year following the bounce back of March and April 2020. So it was surprising to read that of the 77 My Super products there are 21 that are under performing and I can guarantee that the majority of those account holders are unaware of this.
In reading the Money Management article yesterday which reported this fact I have to honestly say I was gobsmacked… this is $100 billion in assets charging $1.2 billion in fees underperforming.
Sorry, but this is where I chime in as a financial adviser and say this is where the true value of advice lies… If you are not getting monthly investment reports, you will not know if your super is performing well or underperforming.
Our fund is benchmarked and we watch closely to what the market is doing and keep the channels of communication open with the fund managers we have selected.
There are some great performing industry funds that do well and offer low fees but I urge you not to be complacent when it comes to your money, its best to have an adviser who gives investment advice look over your super to ensure you are on track with your retirement savings.
If this article interests you and you want to chat about your super then book me for a complimentary consult here.