Queensland super fund QSuper has launched new workshops to offer women of any age tips on boosting their retirement income.
QSuper CEO Rosemary Vilgan launched the ‘Women Taking Control' seminar series in Brisbane, the first of 11 around Queensland.
"We know Australian women are retiring with around 40 per cent less super than men — an astonishing gap that is seeing too many women living a less than comfortable retirement at best, and poverty at worst," she said.
"But we also know that a few simple steps can make a significant difference to a woman's nest egg at retirement, and the workshop series will arm our members with the knowledge they need to act," she said.
The launch comes as the Australian Taxation Office assistant commissioner Megan Yong recently urged women to think about their super to prevent a retirement savings shortfall.
She said women were currently retiring with a super account balance of $112,600 which was insufficient even if a woman needed a $40,000 a year retirement income.
The workshop will include discussions on the challenges women face and facts and figures around wealth creation, options for generating wealth within superannuation, and real-life stories on how taking action can impact members' outcomes.
A report, ‘What's Choice Got To Do With It?' showed last year the gender pay gap is the main reason for women falling short on their retirement income, not career breaks.
Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Coalition, which has pledged to reverse any changes if it wins next year’s election.
In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges.
Chant West analysis suggests super could be well placed to deliver a double-digit result by the end of the calendar year.
Specific valuation decisions made by the $88 billion fund at the beginning of the pandemic were “not adequate for the deteriorating market conditions”, according to the prudential regulator.