Features &amp; Analysis

Time for the superannuation industry to unite

2020 has been challenging for the Australian superannuation industry and with 2021 promising even more challenges

KPMG’s Adam Gee looks at the new superannuation fund players to enter the market but questions whether their emergence represents the start of a new era.

13 November

Administrating through a pandemic

With just weeks given to superannuation funds to build processes for the early release of super scheme, much of

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia and the Actuaries Institute have urged comprehensive consumer testing of super choice product dashboards.

13 November

Super changes will undermine innovation, nation building and member returns

The Government’s proposed superannuation performance test could drive the market towards an oligopoly structure

2021-01-29 00:30:00

Knowledge Centre

Themes driving the need for a more sustainable approach to investing

Sustainable investing is on the rise, and COVID-19 has only sharpened the focus of policy makers and investors...

Ausbil

4 September

Good default funds have nothing to fear from Govt’s new choice regime

Default superannuation funds with good returns and high levels of service to their members have little to fear

4 September

Deferral of the next SG rise warranted by economic reality

A focus group of senior superannuation industry executives has agreed that a deferral of the next rise in the

4 September

Is superannuation too big to let politicians play with it?

Superannuation should be placed under an independent authority such as the Reserve Bank rather have it subjected

2020-11-24 22:30:00

Knowledge Centre

Beyond the digital frontier

Secure, real-time data, insights and transactions accessible from anywhere are closer than you think – explore a...

Northern Trust

4 September

Why compulsion is vital to superannuation

While some Government backbenchers might argue for the removal of compulsion for young and low-income earners,

4 September

SMSF audit checklist in the age of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to self-managed superannuation funds and this checklist is an

Retirees near thresholds with simple investments could be living off less than the full Age Pension as a result of pension cuts, according to ISA.

4 September

Planning for your clients in retirement

It is important for advisers to understand and educate their clients on how they can best put their self-managed

26 June

Make no mistake, super is under attack

There appears to be no longer any certainty that the Government will deliver on its superannuation guarantee

26 June

Hardship early release super – good policy or ticking time bomb?

While well-intentioned, the Government’s COVID-19 hardship early release superannuation scheme may prove to be a

26 June

Contribution strategies for the end of 2019/20

Self-managed superannuation funds expert, Meg Heffron argues that irrespective of the pandemic, trustees should

26 June

Opening up the super digital ecosystem

The tide is turning away from traditional closed-technology solutions as superannuation funds are taking charge of

17 April

Time for super industry to circle its wagons

There are those who are attacking the superannuation industry under the cover of COVID-19 and the sector needs to

A range of factors have given rise to a significant increase in the competitive tensions in the Australian custody industry and, as Mike Taylor reports, much of the competition is being generated by changing super fund requirements.

17 April

RBC’s exit causes ongoing ripples in the Australian custody market

The Australian custody market continues to be as competitive and dynamic as ever, with the announced exit of RBC

Advisers and super funds must strive to change members’ thinking about their super as a balance in an account to an income stream that would provide for their retirement.

17 April

Why you might care for income

A look at why a focus on income will make it easier for retirees and their advisers to buy and hold growth, assets

21 February

Can APRA get its heatmaps right?

The objectives of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s superannuation heatmaps are laudable but the

21 February

Roundtables

Do heatmaps work when one size does not fit all?

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority may not have taken enough account of the different member

1 November

What is the Govt’s real SG agenda?

The question has to be asked about whether the Government’s retirement income review is really just a stalking

1 November

Ethical and responsible funds fail to beat mainstream funds in the short term

Ethical and responsible super funds have only performed as well as mainstream super funds over 10 years, FE

1 November

Lessons but few precedents from APRA’s loss to IOOF

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has a number of lessons to learn from its failed Federal Court

1 November

Operational risk reserves – what the IOOF case taught us

A veteran financial services barrister analyses the outcome of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s

1 November

The wisdom of the ATO minimum drawdown table

Most retirees have an account-based pension and advisers need to take note of several investment issues.

The latest APRA data has confirmed that disability products are continue to challenge Australia’s insurers.

1 November

ASIC TPD report – holes in the safety net

While ASIC’s TPD report is an important step to restoring consumer confidence there is still work to be done.

SuperEd has announced its intention to raise funds to help being higher levels of advice to the super sector.

1 November

Member advice gets ‘appy’

Superannuation funds should use technology to do the heavy lifting when it comes to member engagement, IRESS’ Jeff

30 August

18 months of data reveals what Best in Show looks like

Super Review has utilised FE/Fundinfo’s quantitative data to reveal just how problematic the Productivity

30 August

Funds fail on advice outcomes

The financial advice industry is at an inflection point with adviser numbers set to plummet but demand for advice

Funds can increase their realised returns and lower their overall volatility through a diversified growth strategy, according to Investec Asset Management.

30 August

Why you should diversify interest rate risk

JANA, the inaugural winner of Super Review’s Investment Consultancy of the Year Award, has pointed to the manner

30 August

Technology fund leads returns

FE/Fundinfo data has revealed that the top performing super fund over the last three years has been a technology

30 August

Did super fund member communications pass the PYS stress test

Superannuation funds and insurers have faced one of their greatest ever tests because of the Government’s

30 August

Superannuation has not dodged the regulatory bullet

Some people in the superannuation sector may believe it largely dodged the Royal Commission bullet, but the it is

12 July

Leading innovation in the insurance industry

TAL is cementing its position as a giant in the group insurance space. Super Review sat down with the fund to

12 July

Solving the member engagement puzzle

Superannuation fund members are amongst the most disengaged investors in the world. Yet for the health of both the

11 July

Rating the superannuation consultants

Superannuation funds turn to consultants for everything from asset allocation to tender advice. Which firms

11 July

Post protecting your super

Will the Protecting Your Super package deliver on its goal of creating a more efficient, level playing field that

11 July

PYS reforms show the need for better member comms

The difficulty super funds faced when trying to inform members of inactive accounts that their group insurance

8 July

Post-retirement income policy ripe for change

In the aftermath of the Federal Election, with the Productivity Commission final report still very much on the

8 July

The right way to approach customer data

Customer data has a chequered history of misuse, inaccuracies and poor oversight, but in a post-Hayne world,

Colonial First State is maintaining its argument that all APRA-approved MySuper products should be capable of selection as default funds.

30 May

Return of the Coalition spells return of the default debate

The re-election of the Morrison Coalition Government will bring with it a resumption of pressure for changes to

30 May

Standing guard

As the superannuation industry undergoes a period of technological and regulatory change, custodians are looking

30 May

Dividend imputation credits may prove too costly to keep, regardless of who is Prime Minister

Scott Morrison’s election victory may have offered super funds temporary relief where franking credit reforms are

30 May

Improving member experiences

How to maximise member interactions with an often-disengaged client base is the question every super fund wants an

30 May

Using alternatives to offset market risk

In a market environment where risk minimisation is currently a focus, institutional investors could benefit from

30 May

The importance of improving funds’ social condition

As the superannuation industry comes out of a year that saw financial services in general plummet in the public’s

30 May

Stable income and the impact of the Age Pension

Should superannuation funds include the Age Pension when they estimate a member’s income in retirement? This

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has warned superannuation funds that they may have risked compromising sensitive member data by outsourcing bulk emails and texts to third

30 May

Other People’s Data: Finance’s other big responsibility

If financial institutions hope to maintain the public trust they are seeking to rebuild in the wake of the Banking

11 March

Mid-size funds come out on top

Hannah Wootton explains the methodology behind the Super Fund Crown Ratings, finding that it’s unsurprising it’s

11 March

Has group insurance dodged a legislative bullet?

Mike Taylor asks whether the rapid approach of the Federal Election has ensured that the superannuation and

11 March

When the virtues of capital preservation win the crown

Super Review and its parent company, FE have broken new ground by identifying which superannuation funds have made

11 March