Your investment mix explained

The more you know about how your money is invested, the more you can make the most of opportunities to grow your super. Here’s a simple guide to understanding your investment mix.

Your super can be invested in a mix of investments

We invest in a range of what’s known as asset classes. These are:

• Cash
• Fixed Interest
• Shares
• Property
• Infrastructure
• Alternatives
• Private Equity

Within these classes are different types of investments, such as Australian or International Shares or listed and unlisted Property.

Different asset classes have different levels of risk

These different levels of risk can bring different returns:

• Growth is the term given to generally higher risk and higher return assets such as Shares and Property. These are higher risk assets because their value can move up and down in unexpected ways. Returns can even be negative, which means the investment loses value at times
• Defensive is the term given to lower risk and return assets such as Cash and Fixed Interest. These investments tend to result in lower long-term investment returns compared to Shares and Property, but are generally more stable

Some asset classes may be classified as part Growth and Defensive.

The nature of investing means that nobody can know exactly how an asset will perform. An asset that has performed well in the past might not always perform well in the future and vice versa.

If you’d like to learn more, see a detailed description of each asset class that we invest in.

You can choose a Readymade plan

Each of our Readymade plans has a different asset allocation. We have chosen these plans carefully to allow for the differing risk profiles of our members. From time to time, we adjust the proportions invested in each asset class to make sure the mix still works well with current market conditions.

Find out more about:

• GESB Super Readymade plans
• West State Super Readymade plans
• RI Allocated Pension Readymade plans
• Transition to Retirement Pension Readymade plans
• RI Term Allocated Pension Readymade plans

Please note: you can only select one Readymade plan. If you’d like to choose your own asset mix, see our Mix Your plan option below.

You can choose to Mix Your plan

If you’d like to take a hands-on approach to the way your super is invested, you can choose your own asset mix. Mix Your plan offers a choice of asset classes - you can choose any single asset class or a mixture of:

• Australian Shares
• International Shares
• Property
• Fixed Interest
• Cash

Find out more about:

• GESB Super Mix Your plan
• West State Super Mix Your plan
• RI Allocated Pension Mix Your plan
• Transition to Retirement Pension Mix Your plan
• RI Term Allocated Pension Mix Your plan

Find the right investment plan for you

To find out which investment plan you have now, simply check your member statement or login to Member Online. Once you know this, you can:

• Use our Retirement planning calculator to learn how much super you may need
• Try our Selecting your investment plan tool to learn more about what kind of investment plan could suit you
• Look at the past performance of the investment plans and keep in mind that nobody can know exactly how assets will perform in the future

You can change your investment plan through Member Online.

If you’d like to speak to someone about the kind of investment plan that might suit you, we recommend that you seek professional advice.