Our pension investment strategy has changed. Here’s what’s different – and why

At First Super, we offer members a choice of five investment options, so you can find an option (or a combination of options) that suits your personal goals – including how much risk you’re willing to take on to get the return you’re after.  

Recently, we made changes to three of these options. Here’s what’s different.  

We’ve increased allocations to growth assets for the Balanced and Growth options

Investment option	Prior to 1 December 2021	From 1 December 2021
Growth	75%	80%
Balanced (MySuper)	58.5%	66%

This change came into effect on 1 December 2021. 

Did you know? 

An ‘asset’ is a type of investment. For example, we invest in a range of assets including shares, property and cash. Different assets come with different levels of risk and are expected to deliver different returns over the short and long term. Allocating more assets to ‘growth’ assets means we’ve invested a greater proportion of money into certain types of investments over others.  

We’ve revised the risk and return objectives for the Conservative Balanced option

	Return objective		Risk objective (frequency of negative return)
Investment option	Prior to 2 December 2021	From 2 December 2021	Prior to 2 December 2021	From 2 December 2021
Conservative Balanced accumulation	CPI + 2.5%	CPI + 2.0%	1 in every 7 years	1 in every 5 years

This change came into effect on 2 December 2021

Why have we made these changes?  

Our investment options are not ‘set and forget’. We are constantly monitoring economic and investment conditions to ensure our options meet our investment objectives. That includes maximising potential returns for members, while still protecting your retirement savings. 

We believe that current and long-term conditions, including expectations for return and risk, have changed. By changing our allocations to risk, and our risk and return objectives, we are giving members a realistic and fully informed picture of the possibility of achieving their financial goals.  

Who is affected by these changes, and do you need to do anything?  

These changes have happened automatically – you don’t need to do anything. 

But if you are invested in any of the above options, or are considering switching your super into these options, we recommend checking you’re still comfortable with the level of risk associated with your investment and making sure it aligns with your savings goals. 

Members can easily switch their investments using the Investment Choice Form, though we do suggest speaking to us first to make sure you have all the information you need. 

If you’d like to discuss your investment options, you can contact us for general advice. This is a benefit of your membership and won’t cost you any extra fees. Call the Member Services Team on 1300 360 988 to find out more.  

Get to know more about your investments  

To see how all of First Super’s options are invested, visit our Investment options webpage. And for full details about your investment choices, read Investing Your Super. 

For more information about the specific changes covered in this article, read the Significant Event Notices posted on our website.