Why age matters for super investments

Your super is invested for the long term. But like any good plan, those investments need checking and adjusting to suit your age and account balance.

For many of us, superannuation is the key to our plans for life after work. But how you invest it can make a big impact on how much you have when you retire.

---

Your super strategy needs to grow with you

Your age plays a big part in how to invest your money. And knowing how that works could give you more confidence about your future.

Only 37% of Australians agree that they know how to manage their super investment options.¹

So, if you haven’t checked your investment mix, you’re not alone.

Let’s look at the basics of investing in super, the options available with QSuper, and why it’s worth checking in at any age.

---

What does investing in super mean?

Super isn’t the same as a bank account. We invest the money in your super in different types of assets (investment groups) to help it grow. These include:

• Equities (shares)
• Property
• Infrastructure
• Fixed interest (bonds)
• Cash
• Commodities
• Alternative assets

The goal is to grow your balance over the long term by earning money on these investments (returns).

Super is usually invested for around 40 years (but it could be more, or less). It's a long time to invest money. That’s why we focus on long-term growth, not short-term market changes.

---

What if I haven’t chosen any options?

If you haven’t made an investment choice with your QSuper account, we've got you covered. You’ll be in our default MySuper option – Lifetime.

What is MySuper?

Most super funds offer a simple, low-fee investment option called a MySuper product. It’s the option we use if you haven’t told us where you'd like to invest your super.

Each fund has different names for their product. We call our QSuper product Lifetime.

---

How does the QSuper Lifetime option work?

This option changes how your money’s invested as you get older to help you get the most out of your super.

It works like this:

• If you’re aged under 45: Your super’s mostly invested in higher-growth assets like shares. This gives your balance more chance to grow.
• As you get older and closer to retirement: Your investments shift towards more stable options. This aims to protect what you’ve saved.
• Your account balance also matters. If you have a low balance, your investments shift more slowly away from higher-risk strategies than someone with a higher balance.

This all happens automatically. So, even if you’ve never made a change, your super is still following a strategy that suits your stage of life.

Investing your super by age

Here’s how we factor in your age when investing your super:

• In your 20s: You have many years of investing ahead, so you’re able to take on extra risk.
• In your 30s: A higher risk strategy is still the focus to grow your balance and get the best returns possible.
• In your 40s: Growth is still important but if your balance is high, you may need a little less risk.
• In your 50s: It’s time to shift towards protecting your super by dialling down the risk.
• In your 60s: You’re closer to retiring so we move to lower-risk investments with lower expected returns.

---

What if you want to choose your own super investments?

If you want more control, you can choose from our other investment options.

• Diversified options – pick from our pre-mixed options and we’ll manage them for you.
• Asset class options – choose how much to invest in each single asset class and manage your own portfolio.

Before you make any changes, it’s worth asking yourself:

---

Invest some time in your super

Knowing where your super’s invested is the first step to having more confidence in your future.

And checking your account regularly in Member Online helps you see if you’re on track to reach your goals.

With the QSuper Lifetime option, we check your age and balance every 6 months and adjust your investments if needed.

But if you're ready to take more control, we’re here to help.

1. Survey of 1,000 Australians carried out by IPSOS on behalf of Australian Retirement Trust, September–November 2023.
2. Any advice given is by representatives of ART Financial Advice Pty Ltd (ABN 50 087 154 818, AFSL 227867), a separate legal entity wholly owned by the Trustee as an asset of Australian Retirement Trust. As representatives, they may recommend ART products from time to time. So read the relevant Financial Services Guide at art.com.au/fsg to tell you about that advice and how they’re paid.