Avoid hasty decisions post US election

The self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) trustees have been advised to ignore market uncertainty caused by the US presidential election and to avoid making any hasty decisions as superannuation is for the long-term, and short-term decisions ‘can do more harm than good', according to the SMSF Association.

Chief executive officer and managing director, Andrea Slattery, stressed that when it came to superannuation, trustees should stay focused on their long-term investment strategy, as she described it as "your friend to guide your fund through uncertain times — such as the ones we could face post the US election".

Trustees were also advised to discuss their investment strategy with the SMSF professionals in the wake of the US election but should avoid any hasty decisions.

"In the short-term, the US election result, particularly if the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is elected, is likely to increase market uncertainty and that may have a negative impact on the value of trustees' SMSF portfolios," she said.

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"But over the longer-term, it will be much more difficult to predict how either a Trump or Hillary Clinton presidency will affect economies and shape financial markets around the globe, which is why it is critical trustees adhere to their long-term investment strategies and don't have a knee-jerk reaction to the election.

"Diversification of your retirement savings across different assets and regions is a key in protecting your fund from volatile financial markets over the long-term."

Slattery also pointed to the post-Brexit market volatility and said that although the decision had had a momentous impact on the financial markets across the globe, post Brexit markets finally settled down while economists began to see the positives in the decision.