There are many different ways to invest your money. Your investing approach depends on your goals and objectives, age, financial situation, and risk appetite. When it comes to super, there are three key considerations in choosing the suitable investment for you – how long you’re investing for, how hands-on you want to be when managing your super and how much investment risk you’re comfortable with.
1. How long do you want to invest for?
Your investment timeframe is how long you plan to invest your super savings before you retire and how long you want your savings to last once you’ve retired.
Even if you don’t know when you’ll retire, considering your investment timeframe can help you choose an option that matches your goals.
2. How hands-on do you want to be?
Choosing the right investment option that considers your goals, risk appetite, and timeframe can greatly impact how much your savings grow and how long they last.
Vision Super allows you to choose sector-specific investment options if you would like to be more ‘hands-on’ with your investments, such as Australian or International Shares or Cash. Vision Super also has a range of diversified pre-mixed options available to you. This means that the specialist Investment Team invest in a range of different assets and constantly makes changes in line with expected market movements.
Whichever way you choose to invest, there are options that can match your goals, risk appetite and investment timeframe. You’ll find the details of our range of investment options .
3. How much risk are you comfortable with?
Different investment timeframes and options come with different risk levels. An investment’s risk can vary depending on how long you invest in it.
- Short-term investing (five years or less) means more exposure to market fluctuations. For example, if you plan on retiring in four years and using a substantial amount of your super to repay debt, but are aggressively invested, a sharp drop in the share market to have an immediate impact on your retirement plans, and you may not have as much at retirement to pay off debt and retire as you had planned.
- Investing with a long-term time horizon means you will give your investments the ability to ride out the short-term ups and downs. Investing for the long term allows you to take advantage of compounding interest (Einstein called this the 8th wonder of the world). Compounding interest will enable you to make money on money. The risk here is that if you are not invested in line with your investment timeframe, you may miss out on the full benefits of the compounding interest.
With any investment option and asset class, there is risk involved and being able to juggle your individual circumstances, risk appetite, timeframes, and goals is imperative.
If you’re uncomfortable making choices about your money without some help and guidance, that’s ok – many of us struggle to understand the financial terms and accurately assess the risks.
We can help you find the right option for you – the Vision Super financial advisers can generally advise you on a single issue, like your investment options on your Vision Super account, without charging you a fee. You can book an appointment today by calling 1300 300 820 or filling out the quick contact form
Investment returns are not guaranteed. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
*This information is general advice which does not take into account your personal financial objectives, situation or needs. Before making a decision about Vision Super, you should think about your financial requirements and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination. Issued by Vision Super Pty Ltd ABN 50 082 924 561 AFSL 225054.
