Australian Superannuation - Articles & White Papers

The global top 300 pension funds is an annual study conducted by the Thinking Ahead Institute. AUM of the top 300 pension funds total US$20.6 trillion, having reduced by 12.9% in 2022, down from 8.9% growth the previous year. High inflation and higher interest rates disrupted equity and bond markets worldwide piling the…

Global Pension Finance Watch, published quarterly, reviews how capital market performance affects defined benefit pension plan financing in major retirement markets worldwide, with a focus on linked asset/liability results. We cover defined benefit pension plans in Brazil, Canada, the Eurozone, Japan, Switzerland, the U.K.…

This report from Market Forces illustrates how Australia’s largest super funds are using members' retirement savings to vote against climate action.

Despite the rapid and considerable growth of internal teams at some of the largest asset owner organisations, ‘external’ fund managers still play a major role in the investment of trillions of dollars of funds in the Australian market - $3.5 trillion in superannuation assets alone. While we believe asset allocation is the…

Australia currently has about four million retirees, with another 670,000 people intending to retire in the next five years. Retirement Matters, a Dialogue Paper written by actuaries Andrew Gale and Stephen Huppert, argues that the time for Australia to reimagine retirement is now.

The Responsible Investment Super Study series is the most comprehensive research conducted on the responsible investment and ESG practices of Australia’s superannuation sector. It is published every two years.

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has published new data on superannuation product performance, which sheds further light on the industry’s fees and performance metrics.

This paper discusses how retirement income strategies (RIS) offered by superannuation funds might be assessed. It further outlines how quantitative assessment may be undertaken, supported by illustrative examples to demonstrate the modelling and its use. We write primarily for trustees and management of superannuation funds…

Longevity risk and related capital market solutions have grown increasingly important in recent years, both in academic research and in the markets we refer to as the Life Market, i.e., the capital market that trades longevity-linked assets and liabilities. Mortality improvements around the world are putting more and more…

Super funds retreated in September as investment markets reacted nervously to the prospect of a sustained period of higher interest rates, with the median growth fund (61 to 80% in growth assets) falling 1.9% over the month. Despite this fall, the return over the first nine months of the 2023 calendar year sits at 5.2%.

Superannuation tax concessions have been the subject of considerable public debate in recent times. The debate is likely to be fuelled again by this week's release of draft legislation for a new tax on investment earnings for total superannuation balances above $3 million.

The Quarterly Superannuation Industry Publication contains data on superannuation products, investment options and member demographics.

The 2023 Global Survey of Accounting Assumptions for Defined Benefit Plans is the 34th annual WTW survey of assumptions selected by major corporations for their defined benefit (DB) plans around the world. This is an executive summary.

ASFA regularly publishes the amount needed at age 67 to support spending during retirement at the ASFA Comfortable Retirement Standard level. The amount is $595,000 for a single person and $690,000 for a couple. The estimate assumes access to a full or part Age Pension as the superannuation balance is drawn down. It is…

Total superannuation assets declined by 0.1 per cent over the quarter but remained above $3.5 trillion at the end of September 2023. Of this, nearly $2.5 trillion in assets are in APRA-regulated funds.

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s annual report and financial statements is for the year ended 30 June 2023.