Colonial First State: Investment, Superannuation and Retirement Products
Colonial First State is one of the largest managers of superannuation funds in Australia with close to 1 million members and 140 investment options available.
Colonial First State (CFS) is one of Australia's biggest financial services organisations. As one of the largest managers of superannuation funds they offer over 190 investment options across different asset classes.
{"userFilters":[{"componentType":"MULTI-SELECT CHECKBOX","options":{"comparator":"contains","includeAllSelection":false,"defaultMatcher":"ANY","values":["Industry","Retail"],"fields":[{"label":"Industry","value":"Industry","comparator":"contains"},{"label":"Retail","value":"Retail","comparator":"contains"}]},"dataSelector":{"recordType":"PRODUCT","fieldCode":"DETAILS.FUND_CATEGORY"},"dataType":"TEXT","label":"Type of fund","queryParameter":"fundtype","order":0},{"componentType":"RADIO","options":{"comparator":"contains","values":["Conservative"," Moderate"," Balanced"," High growth"]},"dataSelector":{"recordType":"PRODUCT","fieldCode":"INVESTMENTS.INVESTMENT_TYPE"},"dataType":"TEXT","label":"Risk Level","queryParameter":"risklevel","order":1},{"componentType":"PROVIDER","options":null,"dataSelector":{"recordType":"PROVIDER","fieldCode":"GENERAL.ID"},"dataType":"UUID","label":"Providers","queryParameter":null,"order":2},{"componentType":"FULL MARKET COMPARISON","options":null,"dataSelector":{"recordType":null,"fieldCode":null},"dataType":null,"label":"Finder Partners","queryParameter":null,"order":3}],"niche":{"currencySymbol":"$","decimalPoint":".","decimalPlaces":"2","thousandsSeparator":","},"prefilled":false,"experimental":false}
1 - 13 of 13
Compare alternatives
We currently don't have a partnership for that product, but we have other similar offers to choose from (how we picked these
):
The information in this table is based on data provided by SuperRatings Pty Limited ABN 95 100 192 283, a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR No.1309956) of Lonsec Research Pty Ltd ABN 11 151 658 561, Australian Financial Services Licence No. 421445. In limited instances, where data is not available from SuperRatings for a product, the data is provided directly by the superannuation fund.
*Past performance data and fee data is for the period ending October 2024
What do Australians think of Colonial First State Superannuation super fund?
3.98/5 overall for Customer Satisfaction — lower than the average of 4.06
4.52/5 for Trust — higher than the average of 4.45
4.15/5 for Customer Service — higher than the average of 4.07
Colonial First State has been offering retirement solutions for more than 30 years.
It has close to 1 million members and more than 190 different investment products to choose from.
Colonial First State won the Australian Wealth Management Best Superannuation Advice Product award in 2024
It was named winner of Chant West's Super Fund Award (FirstChoice Wholesale Super – Best Longevity Product 2021).
Winner of Finder's Super Fund Award (FirstChoice Wholesale – Best Rated Retail Super Fund 2021).
What you need to know about Colonial First State
Colonial First State was established in 1988 and has close to 1 million members. They provide superannuation, investment and retirement products to individual employees, as well as corporate based and superannuation investors.
You have access to over 140 different investment options, some of which are managed by Colonial First State, while others are overseen by expert investment managers. You manage your super funds growth as well, with constant online access to the account so that you can keep track of how well your superannuation funds are performing.
As of 31 May 2022, Avanteos Investments Limited (AIL) will be the trustee for all of the CFS super funds. Colonial First State Investments Limited (CFSIL) will manage non-super investments.
Is the online platform easy to use?
Colonial First State has developed FirstNet, an online platform which allows you personal access to your super fund account from any device connected to the web. Through FirstNet you are able to:
See your current balance
Check past transactions
Study investment details
Make changes to your investment options
Make contributions to your fund
A mobile friendly dashboard, FirstNet Investor, is also available. With this product you can quickly catch up with your investment funds even when you are on the go.
Let’s take a look at what Colonial First State have to offer
When comparing wealth managers across Australia, Colonial First State will give you a lot to think about with their wide range of products suitable for both individual and company superannuation funds:
FirstChoice Personal Super and Wholesale Personal Super. Overseen by a number of investment managers, the Wholesale Personal Super requires a minimum balance of $1,500. This gives you access to over 140 funds and options designed for superannuation growth.
FirstChoice Employer Super. This employer based fund provides access to a range of multi-manager portfolios and single manager investments.
FirstRate Saver. This is a low risk cash account which helps you to preserve your capital as it earns a competitive interest rate through conservative investments.
FirstWrap. This full service wrap platform gives you access to a diverse number of products including direct shares, managed funds, term deposits and unlisted
What pension accounts are offered by Colonial First State?
The FirstChoice Wholesale Pension is available to Australians who are ready to retire from the work force and have a minimum of $20,000 to investment into a pension account. You are permitted to allow your funds to continue to grow with access to over 140 different funds and options.
How to apply for a Colonial First State super fund
If the options given to you with Colonial First State meet your investment needs, you can apply for any one of their superannuation online through their website. Be sure that you first read through the product information before deciding on any one investment product. Once you have completed that step, the online application process will be broken down into five parts:
Your details. You will need to give your name, address and contact information along with your tax file number (TFN) and the type of product you will be investing in.
Account details. In this step you will be asked how you will be funding the investment. This could be with direct debit, direct credit, BPAY or a cheque. Your bank account details will be required as well as rollover or contribution information if you are opening a super of pension account.
Transaction details. The amount you are able to invest and the specific options will be chosen by you will be required in this step of the application.
Confirmation. Review the online application to ensure that all of the information is correct before submitting the application.
Your account. After submitting the application your account will be opened, but will not become active until after your initial deposit has cleared.
Alison Banney is the money editorial manager at Finder. She covers all areas of personal finance, and her areas of expertise are superannuation, banking and saving. She has written about finance for 10 years, having previously worked at Westpac and written for several other major banks and super funds. See full bio
Alison's expertise
Alison has written 625 Finder guides across topics including:
Compound growth allows your super returns to be reinvested and generate their own returns, helping your balance grow much faster over time. Here's how it works.
Superannuation is the main way of saving for your retirement in Australia. Your superannuation is one big investment portfolio in your name that's managed for you by your super fund.
Conservative super funds are designed to protect your superannuation savings. These funds have more money invested in low-risk, defensive assets like cash, fixed interest and bonds and less money invested in shares.
Trying to decide between AustralianSuper and QSuper? We've compared their fees, investment options, performance and extras side by side to help you choose.
Trying to decide between AustralianSuper and Sunsuper? We've compared their fees, investment options, performance and extras side by side to help you choose.
We've analysed Australian super funds to find the best-performing super funds, the best industry super funds and the best super fund for low fees. Find the right super fund for you.
Find out if you're eligible for the government's co-contribution scheme, potentially receiving up to $500 for making personal after-tax contributions.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.
Finder is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stand by our editorial principles.
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.