Australian Superannuation - Articles & White Papers

The challenges of investing in illiquid private assets while also facilitating member switching and early release schemes are addressed in a new PGIM IAS framework to help CIOs examine how to adjust asset allocations when faced with differing levels of early access permissioning.

Recently updated, this survey includes remuneration for non-profit licensed super funds as well as the country’s largest government funds and the Future Fund, but does not include bank-owned or other for-profit super funds. The survey is based on publicly available data for the financial year to the end of June 2021.  

The Survey analysis reveals that risk management is becoming a strategic and business priority across global pension and sovereign funds. The risk function should not be restricted to a simple 'middle or back office' role, and is progressively repositioned and empowered to make a difference and help the…

In the second episode of the podcast series 'Insight for outcomes', Michelle Teng, Vice President and Co-Head of the Private Assets Research Program in PGIM’s Institutional Advisory & Solutions (IAS) group, spoke with guest host Julia Newbould, Managing Editor at Investment Magazine, about how climate change…

Here’s what investors need to know about Australia’s Retirement System: It’s really big. It’s government mandated. It’s privately run. It’s really sophisticated. Still curious? Host Josh Cohen’s two guests have played meaningful roles in the system’s development from the highest levels of government and industry. The…

This report examines the policies of the largest Australian superannuation funds, highlighting their investments in companies involved in nuclear weapons development, production and maintenance (nuclear weapons companies).

To create this report Aon relied on the following information: a quantitative online survey with global institutional investors, including Aon clients, was conducted between April and June 2021. The survey captured sentiments of 271 investment professionals globally.

Niche super funds are slowly gaining popularity amongst everyday Australians as they better reflect their economical, social, environmental, and political values. Finding a niche in any finance sector can be a great advantage as you can generate meaningful leads by catering to specific problem areas in certain communities.…

As the Dutch pension system will be changed from a defined benefit (DB) system toward a defined contribution (DC) system in the upcoming years, there is much to learn from national and international pension institutions that offer DC products. This report describes the results from fifteen interviews with communication…

Luke Barrett, general counsel at Unisuper, and David Gallagher, a visiting fellow at the RoZetta Institute, discuss size, influence and concentration of the superannuation industry in private and capital markets. Moderated by Matthew Smith, managing editor, Investment Magazine.

The equity gap between Australia’s generations closed slightly after ‘a year like no other: 2020’. The Index, commissioned by the Actuaries Institute and launched in 2020, takes a broad view of 24 indicators across six domains to track how wealth and wellbeing for different generations change over time. Those domains are…

Policy proposals allow young people to access their super for a home bought from older people who put the money back into super. It helps some first buyers into a home earlier but it may push up prices.

With two months to go in the Australian current financial year, super funds are only just in the black. The median balanced super fund lost 1.1% in April, new estimates from SuperRatings have revealed, as funds faced significant pressure stemming from increased volatility.

Pensions may be missing out on a technological disruption that could represent the most profound new development in the digital economy since its start in the late 1990s. To date, they have lagged other institutional investors in the digital assets space. Barring a few well-publicised exceptions, investments by pensions into…

Overall, the superannuation industry continued to provide strong returns to members over the year despite the ongoing economic uncertainty associated with the pandemic. The primary driver of this performance was the continued buoyancy of the financial markets, resulting in double-digit investment returns.

As Australia’s population ages, there is a greater need for superannuation funds to address the needs of the retired and retiring population. According to APRA’s Annual Fund Bulletin, in June 2020, excluding SMSFs, 10% of account holders were aged 65 and over and approximately one-third of superannuation assets were in…

In 2021, superannuation funds faced a year of adjustment. Funds adjusted to a world of continued monetary and fiscal stimulus, which led to strong investment returns. Funds adjusted to the introduction of a raft of new regulation and the release of the first MySuper performance test results. Finally, funds adjusted to a new…

The Actuaries Institute has released its latest Research Paper, titled Uplifting Superannuation Risk-Based Capital Management. This Research Paper aims to assist superannuation trustees uplift their approach to risk-based capital management by providing a framework and practical examples. The time is right for an uplift…

Scenario analysis shows that an Australian private debt portfolio could have outperformed the YFYS fixed income benchmark by up to 4% p.a. over the past 19 years. This paper demonstrates that private debt may have benefits for fixed income portfolios under YFYS, most notably in its potential to outperform the respective YFYS…

The Australian compulsory superannuation system is still to fully deliver its benefits in the sense that many individuals have had superannuation coverage only since the beginning of industrial award based superannuation in the late 1980s and the introduction of the Superannuation Guarantee in 1992. Many Australians still…