AMP Capital has added the core infrastructure fund to its self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) suite, after demand from trustees.
The fund offers retail investors access to direct infrastructure assets usually only available to large institutional investors.
The fund invests in a targeted 50/50 mix of direct infrastructure and listed infrastructure securities.
AMP Capital head of SMSF, Tim Keegan, said infrastructure was a growing investment trend for its SMSF customers, particularly for those who were looking for defensive assets.
"The suite is designed to provide trustees with the types of unique opportunities that are usually only the preserve of institutional investors," Keegan said.
The core infrastructure fund portfolio manager, John Julian, said "the need for infrastructure investment is a never-ending cycle. Investment in infrastructure helps stimulate sustainable, long-term economic growth, which then creates a further need for infrastructure".
"Our fund takes advantage of this need and aims to provide investors with both sustainable income and capital growth over the long term. It targets investments that can deliver predictable cash flows through economic cycles and this has resulted in consistent returns in good times and bad," he said.
The impact of identity theft and its threat to superannuation savings were highlighted in a case that went before the Federal Court at the end of 2023.
A recent NSW Supreme Court decision is an important reminder that while super funds may be subject to restrictive superannuation and tax laws, in essence they are still a trust and subject to equitable and common law claims, says a legal expert.
New research from the University of Adelaide has found SMSFs outperformed APRA funds by more than 4 per cent in 2021–22.
The SMSF Association has made a number of policy recommendations for the superannuation sector in its pre-budget submission to the government.