Super Members Council

10/04/2026

A “free super review” isn’t a favour — it’s often the bait. Genuine super funds don’t offer a “free super review” to get you to switch your super. These are ads designed to pull you into a funnel: you click, you leave your details, and then the pressure starts — often with a cold call pushing you to switch. These calls are a big red flag. 🚩

08/04/2026

Australia’s super system was designed to be universal. Yet for many First Nations people, it has not delivered on its full promise.

While this diagnosis has been accepted for some time, the remedy hasn’t always been clear.

Our new report, A fair retirement: Removing barriers in super for First Nations peoples, launched recently, provides a roadmap for industry, regulators and government to help uplift service standards and experiences for First Nations people.

It makes clear that while progress has been made, structural barriers remain embedded across the system.

Thanks to Leah Bennett, CEO of First Nations Foundation, for sharing her valued perspectives during our recent webinar. https://smcaustralia.com/blogs/make-super-work-better-for-first-nations-people/

07/04/2026

When share markets and your super balance dips, you might want to do something to mitigate that. But think before you act, because you might just be locking in your losses. 🔒

Read more:

Aussies are being warned this superannuation move could leave them worse off.

01/04/2026

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rightly expect a super system grounded in cultural safety—one that actively respects, honours, and safeguards every person’s economic wellbeing. Yet the super system in Australia was not originally designed with the unique experiences and needs of many First Nations people front of mind.

This can make it harder for First Nations peoples to truly experience the full benefits of super in its life-changing purpose to deliver a transformative uplift in retirement incomes to millions of everyday Australians who would otherwise have to survive on modest income from the Age Pension alone.

In this webinar and our recent report, we explored these topics.

Thank you to Leah Bennett, CEO of First Nations Foundation for being part of the webinar and report. https://smcaustralia.com/reports/the-power-of-super-building-wealth-for-everyday-australians/

31/03/2026

If you see an ad offering a “free super review”, it’s not a favour - it’s a funnel.

These scammers might:
• Claim your fund is “underperforming”
• Suggest “new rules” require you to switch
• Push you toward high‑fee SMSFs
• Profit when you move your money

Unless the offer comes directly from your own fund, treat it with extreme caution. Your super is too important to hand over to unlicensed operators chasing commissions.

Keep your super safe - don’t click away your super 🖱️

25/03/2026

From July 1 this year, the new payday super laws will come into effect, requiring employers to pay super more frequently than ever before - at the same time as wages.

Data from Employment Hero shows that 80 per cent of employees have never heard of Payday Super, and six in 10 employers are similarly unaware of the incoming changes on July 1.

In an article for The Age, Employment Hero’s general manager of super Rob Dunn said "Payday Super is one of the most positive reforms for working Australians in decades. More frequent contributions mean better visibility, fewer lost accounts and ultimately, healthier retirement savings for millions of people.”

https://www.theage.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/your-super-is-about-to-grow-even-faster-and-you-don-t-have-to-do-a-thing-20260324-p5u08n.html

It’s been dubbed one of the most positive reforms for working Australians in decades, but 80 per cent of workers have no idea it’s happening.

24/03/2026

In 2025, almost 12,000 Australians lost access to their $1.2 billion in retirement savings after they were duped into joining high‑risk schemes. 🚩

Here’s what you need to know:

Avoid offers of free super reviews. Learn how to spot SMSF scams and illegal early access schemes. Keep your super safe from super scams.

24/03/2026

The real secret to strong super?

Time in the market, not timing the market.

Profit‑to‑member funds have delivered over 7% on average over 20 years, by staying invested through volatility, not by avoiding it.

24/03/2026

Our new report, released today has found that wealth levels for middle Australia have tripled in 20 years for recent retirees.

Superannuation is the key driver of that strong growth in prosperity. 🌷

The report is available on our website now: https://smcaustralia.com/reports/the-power-of-super-building-wealth-for-everyday-australians/

23/03/2026

Recently, a man named Lincoln wrote to the Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape, after he transferred $173,000 from his AustralianSuper fund into a self-managed super fund (SMSF) run by a friend he trusted.

But this friend lost it all. He traded with an unregulated company overseas.

Lincoln was also persuaded to invest an additional $50,000 of his savings... which took his total loss to $223,000.

While in this case it was Lincoln's friend urging him to move his super, typically, it’s scammers using the promise of 'free super reviews' urging you to move your super out of very safe high-performing profit-to-member super funds, into less-regulated, higher-risk areas, like SMSFs.

Your super is one of your biggest financial assets and should be treated with great care.

Keep your super safe. Think before you switch.

An Aussie man has revealed how he was left financially ruined.

20/03/2026

Australia’s super system was designed to be universal. Yet for many First Nations people, it has not delivered on its full promise.

While this diagnosis has been accepted for some time, the remedy hasn’t always been clear.

Our new report (produced in collaboration with First Nations Foundation) A fair retirement: Removing barriers in super for First Nations peoples, launched this week provides a roadmap for industry, regulators and government to help uplift service standards and experiences for First Nations people.

Read more:

Our new report, A fair retirement: Removing barriers in super for First Nations peoples, launched this week provides a roadmap for industry, regulators and government to help uplift service standards and experiences for First Nations people.It makes clear that while progress has been made, structura...

20/03/2026

When investment markets fall and your super balance drops, the impulse can be to do something.

But falls to your super balance are only on paper and only become real if you switch.

Switching to a more conservative investment like cash also means you can miss the market rebound, making you worse off long term.

Super is designed to cushion members from market falls through diversification: spreading your investments across stocks, industries, countries and asset types.

For example, listed share markets declined two to three times more than large profit-to-member super fund balanced options during the GFC and COVID-19.

For most people, super has plenty of time to recover and typically recovers faster than sharemarkets. 📈

Profit-to-member funds have returned strong long-term returns - well over 7% pa on average over 20 years plus – despite the downturns, by staying invested through volatility, not avoiding it.

With super, what matters most is “time in the market”, not trying to ‘time’ or guess the right moment to switch.

Stay calm, stay invested, trust diversification, and get advice before making changes during a downturn.

When investment markets fall and your super balance drops, the impulse to ‘do something’ can be overwhelming. You might feel...