Retail Super Funds in Australia

1 - 11 of 226

Name	Last 1 year performance (p.a.)	Last 3 year performance (p.a.)	Last 5 year performance (p.a.)	Last 10 year performance (p.a.)	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.)
Spaceship - GrowthX Higher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +29.35%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +7.11%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +11.39%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $482	Go to site More Info Compare
Virgin Money Super - LifeStage Tracker Lifestage	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +22.42%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.92%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +8.01%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $363	Go to site More Info Compare
Australian Ethical Super International Shares Green Company EthicalHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +26.03%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +8.32%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +10.61%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +10.53%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $648	Go to site More Info Compare
CFS FC MySuper - Lifestage 1985-89 LifestageHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +22.63%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +7.1%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.57%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.89%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $375	Go to site More Info Compare
Virgin Money Super Indexed Overseas Shares Indexed investmentHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +27.49%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +10.98%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +12.55%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $385	Go to site More Info Compare
Australian Ethical Super Growth Green Company EthicalHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +17.63%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +4.42%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +6.86%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.8%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $718	Go to site More Info Compare
Superhero Super - High Growth Higher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +25%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +7.53%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +8.63%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $397	Go to site More Info Compare
CFS FC MySuper - Lifestage 2005-09 Higher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +23.04%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $365	Go to site More Info Compare
CFS FC MySuper - Lifestage 1975-79 Lifestage	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +21.82%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.77%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.31%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.76%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $380	Go to site More Info Compare
CFS FC MySuper - Lifestage 1980-84 LifestageHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +22.51%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +7.05%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.52%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.87%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $380	Go to site More Info Compare
Australian Ethical Super Balanced Green Company Ethical	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +15.4%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +3.55%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +5.94%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.07%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $618	Go to site More Info Compare

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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

Providers

Australian Retirement Trust

More super funds in Australia

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 is a retail super fund?

A retail super fund is a superannuation fund that's owned and manged by a financial institution, such as a bank. Many retail funds are owned by the big 4 banks and other major investment or insurance companies which are often listed on a public stock exchange. They do make a profit from managing the fund's administration and investments, which is distributed among shareholders.

Retail super funds are often offered by a major bank in addition to a range of other financial products and services, including insurance products.

Most popular retail super funds

These are the 4 retail superannuation funds with the most members.

Retail super fund	Number of members
Mercer Super	895,460
MLC Super Fund	848,000
AMP Super	690,000
Colonial First State	640,000

Retail super funds versus industry super funds

The key difference between retail and industry super funds is how they're owned and managed, and what they do with their profits. While industry super funds are known as 'profit-for-members' funds, retail super fund profits are allocated to shareholders. Industry funds, in comparison, claim to put all profits back into the fund. This is distributed to members of the fund, as well as used for things like marketing the fund to attract new members.

Retail funds are typically owned by big banks and investment firms which offer a wide range of financial products and services. Industry funds, on the other hand, exist purely as a super fund. Industry funds were originally created and owned by Unions so often are aligned to a particular industry, however most are open to everyone now.

Are retail or industry super funds more popular?

Australia's biggest super funds in terms of number or members as well as value of assets are all industry super funds. The super funds with the most number of members are: AustralianSuper, Australian Retirement Trust, hostplus, HESTA and Aware Super.

In fact, AustralianSuper has 3.4 million members, which is more than the top 4 retail super funds combined.

Are retail funds more expensive?

Retail funds on average do charge higher fees than industry super funds. However, retail super funds have been reducing their fees in recent years.

When looking at MySuper products only, the fees are almost the same on average between both industry and retail funds.

Our expert says

"Retail super funds have been known to generally charge higher fees, however this isn't necessarily the case anymore.

In fact, some of the new retail super funds to launch over the last 5 years, including Virgin Money Super and Vanguard Super, have some of the lowest fees in the market as well as really strong returns. "

Alison Banney

Editor

Consider the following features when you're choosing a retail super fund.

The investment options

If you want to invest your super outside of the default MySuper option, check the fund offers an investment option to suit you (e.g. a high growth or indexed option).

Past performance

Look for a retail fund with high long-term returns (the 10+ year returns) for the most accurate picture of how the fund has performed on average.

The fees

Aim for total annual fees below 1% of your account balance. To get even lower fees, consider an indexed invvestment option which a lot of retail funds now offer.

Insurance options

Does the fund offer tailored insurance options? One benefit of a retail fund that also offers insurance products is you might find the insurance cover is cheaper or more comprehensive.

Investment strategy

Check the fund's investment strategy aligns with what you're looking for. For example does it invest ethically?

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How do I join a retail superannuation fund?

The process to join a retail super fund is the same as any other super fund. All you need to do is head to the fund's website and start the online application form. The application form should take you around 10-20 minutes to complete, and you'll need to provide the following bits of information:

Your full name, date of birth and contact information
Your Australian residential address
Your phone number and email address
Your tax file number (TFN)
Your chosen investment option (if you want to invest in something other than the default MySuper option) and insurance cover
Details of your existing super fund if you'd like to consolidate your super

Once your application has been completed successfully, you'll receive your membership details by email. You can then give these to your employer so they can start paying your superannuation guarantee payments into your new fund.

Before you join a retail super fund, compare all super funds to see if there's a better option for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Retail funds are designed for individual investors and typically involve diversified, low-to-moderate risk investments. Hedge funds, on the other hand, are generally reserved for sophisticated investors and employ higher-risk strategies to achieve potentially higher returns. Hedge funds are less regulated and require higher minimum investments.

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Alison Banney

Editor

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 626 Finder guides across topics including:

Superannuation
Savings accounts, bank accounts and term deposits
Budgeting and money-saving hacks
Managing the cost of living

More resources on Finder

TWUSUPER: Performance, investments and fees First Super: Investment performance and fees

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Retail super funds