All assets held in the Self Invest option are held by the Trustee (Australian Retirement Trust Pty Ltd) as trustee for Australian Retirement Trust, and registered in the name of Northern Trust, as custodian for the Trustee.
The custodian is also appointed to exercise any voting rights attached to shares and ETF units. The Trustee has complete discretion over how it votes on any matter.
To be eligible to invest in Self Invest you must hold the minimum balance of $20,000 in a QSuper Accumulation or Retirement Income account at the time of the initial transfer. Self Invest is not available for members holding a Transition to Retirement Income account.
To transfer to and from Self Invest, visit Member Online and click on Change investment mix. Any money added to your QSuper accounts cannot be invested directly into Self Invest. They first need to be credited to another QSuper investment option within your Accumulation account and then transferred to Self Invest via Member Online.
After an initial transfer of $5,000, you need to keep a minimum balance of $500 in your Self Invest transaction account at all times. If your account does fall below $500, we will contact you through your nominated email address. If no action is taken after 30 days – and you do not hold any shares, ETFs, or term deposits – we may remove your access to or close your Self Invest account and return any remaining balance to your other QSuper investment options. You can always choose to re-open your Self Invest account at a later stage.
If no action is taken after 30 days and you do hold shares, ETFs, or term deposits, we will, on your behalf, bring the transaction account to the minimum balance of $500.
The interest earned on the balance in your transaction account is subject to change. View the current interest rate.
Liquidation of investment assets
The circumstances when we may liquidate your holdings in Self Invest include:
- Total and permanent disability
- Terminal medical condition
- Death
- Divorce or separation1
- Severe financial hardship2
- Compassionate grounds3
- To restore your transaction account to above the required balance limit
- A corporate action event which results in the issue of foreign shares
- To maintain the Self Invest product rules (e.g. ongoing balance requirements and assets available) of your Accumulation and/or Retirement Income account which is required while you are invested in Self Invest.
In the event that liquidation of your holdings is required, we may remove your access to Self Invest, and/or transfer the amount we determine at our sole discretion to meet any balance shortfall or payment in the following order:
- Available funds in your transaction account, then
- From QSuper investment options, in proportion with your current holdings, then
- From shares/ETFs held in your Self Invest account starting with the highest value share, then
- Through the redemption of any term deposits.
The timing of any liquidation of assets within your Self Invest option will be completed at our sole discretion with any applicable fees and tax deducted from your account.