Australian pension funds are going against the grain of pension funds in other countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by holding a higher percentage of equities with low exposure to bonds.
The OECD’s Pension Markets in Focus report found that Australia (like the United States, Chile and Finland) has between 40 and 50 per cent of its pension fund assets in equities, while the majority of other OECD countries appear to favour bonds.
The report also showed pension funds posting a positive net return on investment of 2.7 in 2010, as they slowly climbed back to pre-global financial crisis levels.
While Australia performed above average, it did not make the cut of the top pension fund performers, with New Zealand (10.3 per cent), Chile (10 per cent), Finland (8.9 per cent) and Canada (8.5 per cent) taking the top spots.
Introducing reforms for strengthening simpler and faster claims handling and better servicing for First Nations members are critical priorities, according to the Super Members Council.
The Commonwealth Bank has warned that uncapped superannuation concessions may be “unsustainable” and has called for the introduction of a superannuation cap.
Superannuation funds have posted another year of strong returns, but this time, the gains weren’t powered solely by Silicon Valley.
Australia’s $4.1 trillion superannuation system is doing more than funding retirements – it’s quietly fuelling the nation’s productivity, lifting GDP, and adding thousands to workers’ pay packets, according to new analysis from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).