Tips & Advice On Your Super And Funds

Don't fall for the super industry's scare tactics

Peter Martin Retirees’ cost of living is not as outrageously high as the industry would have us believe.

SUPER & FUNDS

Read your super fund statement and dump dud funds

John Collett It is that time of year when super funds send annual statements or email them to their members. Yet how many statements remain, if not unopened, at least unread?

BOURIS ON MONEY

'Transition to Retirement' the best-kept secret in super

Mark Bouris There's an under-used government policy that allows the benefits of both working and using your super, without totally losing the advantages of either.

YOUR QUESTIONS

'Splitting' to equalise couples' super

George Cochrane George Cochrane advises a reader about how a husband and wife can use "splitting" to equalise superannuation.

ASSET CHECK

Proposals could damage super system

Daryl Dixon How new lifetime caps on superannuation can be introduced midstream without disadvantaging young people and those with lesser amounts already in super is a major issue.

Super rip-offs amount to $780 per member per year

Peter Martin Expensive related-party transactions by for-profit super funds cost members as much as $740 a year, analysis has found.

RETIREMENT

Time for a new type of age pension

Richard Livingston The recent change in prime minister and treasurer has opened up the possibility of a policy reset. No longer hamstrung by budget emergencies and with fewer political encumbrances, we now have the opportunity to look at real ideas for fixing genuine problems.

SUPER & FUNDS

Lifestage super neither simple nor transparent

John Collett A new type of superannuation investment option promises to give the fund member a smooth "glide path" where the risk is dialled-down as they age.

BASIC TRAINING

Basic Training: A rookie's guide to superannuation

Larissa Ham With a few pointers up your sleeve, picking the right super account doesn't have to be painful.

The $2.6b super rip-off

Caitlin Fitzsimmons and John Collett Dan Warne thinks it is "ridiculous and counterintuitive" that the government is considering reducing the penalties on employers that don't pay superannuation to effectively zero.

Employers diddle workers out of super payments

John Collett Almost 700,000 workers at any given time are being dudded out of their super, costing $2.6 billion a year.

ASK NOEL

How to make super last a (longer) lifetime

Noel Whittaker Our resident personal finance expert answers reader questions.

YOUR QUESTIONS

Should my husband register with Centrelink?

George Cochrane George Cochrane answers readers' questions, such as whether to register with Centrelink even if you're not entitled to any money.

ASSET CHECK

Super proposals would make tax system less fair

Daryl Dixon If superannuation is made less attractive, it would encourage the well off to over-invest in the family home and do even more negative gearing of investment properties.

ANALYSIS

Past disasters a guide to BHP recovery

David Potts BHP was struggling even before the mine disaster in Brazil and some mud, so to speak, is bound to stick.

Major industry funds defend short-selling bonanza

Sally Rose Investment chiefs from five of Australia's largest industry superannuation funds have defended the practice of loaning out stocks to short sellers, who typically drive down share prices, and denied they are shirking the responsibility to exercise their shareholder voting rights.

NAB, CBA, join calls to help boost women's super

Nassim Khadem Women should be able to grow their super savings while on parental leave to help stem the problem of retiring with significantly less than men.

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BOURIS ON MONEY

Structuring your super for success

Mark Bouris When the superannuation annual statements start landing in our mailboxes, inevitably there's discussion about how well super is performing. And if the results are poor, people say that super is not a worthwhile investment.

YOUR QUESTIONS

Superannuation in a nutshell

George Cochrane A reader asks George Cochrane to clear up confusion about superannuation.

ASSET CHECK

Why we need a more flexible super

Daryl Dixon Treasurer Scott Morrison needs to tread warily in evaluating Treasury's proposals for superannuation tax reform to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

APRA official urged to retract comments on performance of industry super funds

Gareth Hutchens A high-ranking executive from Australia's financial regulator gave a controversial speech last week in which she dismissed as a "fallacy" the view that industry super funds deliver superior returns.

ASSET CHECK

Borrowing for DIY super is a non-issue

Daryl Dixon Banning a self-managed super fund from taking a loan to fund investment would be solving a problem that doesn't exist.

Five ways to salvage sexist super

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon It's the new GFC or Girls' Financial Crisis. The superannuation system is accidentally sexist and needs reform.

THE MOTLEY FOOL

The BHP fallacy

Scott Phillips A balanced portfolio is not Noah's Ark with two of everything and the only reason to buy BHP Billiton is if you think it will deliver market-beating returns.

MONEY BRAIN

What a transport strike can teach you about money

Catherine Robson Transport strikes are frustrating but research suggests they can lead to productivity gains over time - and you can apply the same lessons to your personal finances.

Government to open super fund default provision to competition

John Collett The chairman of the financial system inquiry, David Murray, is "very pleased" with the government's decision to immediately start work on a plan to dismantle the Fair Work Commission's role in overseeing how employers and unions negotiate employees' default superannuation fund.