Our Growth investment option is award-winning. Learn why.

First Super’s Growth investment option has been named Money magazine’s Best Balanced Super Product for 2024, winning the award due to consistency of performance over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years.

What is our Growth option?

Our Growth option does what it says on the tin – it’s made up of a higher percentage of ‘growth’ assets (80%), while 20% are ‘defensive’.

Growth assets include investments across property, shares and infrastructure. These assets can go up and down in performance year to year, therefore they can be a higher risk investment, but they also have the potential to grow over the long term.

The Growth option eases some of this risk by investing in defensive assets (known as ‘diversification’). These tend to produce lower long-term returns, but they are more stable, offering greater certainty. This option is invested in defensive assets of cash, Australian and international fixed income.

Because of its make-up, the Growth option is considered higher risk than our Balanced option, which is the default investment option if you do not make an investment choice. However, the Growth option has a greater likelihood of higher returns, only beaten by the Shares Plus option over the long-term.

Investment option	2022/23 Financial Year return	Past 3 years return	Past 5 years return	Past 10 years return
First Super Growth	11.49%	9.72%	6.84%	8.87%
Shares Plus	12.96%	11.16%	7.67%	10.04%
Balanced (default)	9.44%	8.24%	6.03%	7.83%
Conservative Balanced	6.76%	5.51%	4.35%	5.93%
Cash	2.74%	1.15%	1.37%	1.93%

 

Past investment returns are not an indicator of future returns.

You can read about all our investment options here.

What were the awards criteria?

For the 2024 Money magazine’s “Best of the Best awards”, Rainmaker (the publisher of Money magazine) has assessed First Super’s Growth option as falling within their awards’ balanced category, based on the mix of assets.

Products were judged across consistency of performance, fees, overall costs, and the Best Balanced Super Product candidates were ranked based on their weighted performance over the specified time period.¹

In the 10 years to 30 June 2023, the Growth option returned 8.87%.

How First Super managed the Growth option to outperform

First Super sets performance goals, known as ‘benchmarks’, for each investment option that aims to balance risk and reward, and outperform financial markets.

We work with a team of experts who actively manage your investments, which means they are looking for opportunities to beat these benchmarks. These managers will search for and buy investments that are performing or that they believe will perform. If they hold investments that may not perform to the benchmark, they will sell them.

A ‘passive investment’ is the exact opposite. An index fund tracking a stock market index is an example of a passive investment.

For our Growth option, our Australian and international equities (shares), and international infrastructure managers exceeded their benchmarks. In particular, international infrastructure significantly beat its benchmark.

Want help with your investments?

With your First Super membership, you can get help with your investment options at no extra cost with one of our Financial Planners.² It’s all part of our service to you. Call us today on 1300 360 988.

¹The products were required to have at least 3-year performance, be public offer and AAA rated by Rainmaker.
² First Super Financial Planners are authorised representatives of Industry Fund Services Limited (ABN 54 007 016 195, AFSL 232514). We charge a fee for advice outside of your First Super account (personal advice), but we’ll tell you upfront.

Disclaimer

Issued by First Super Pty Limited (ABN 42 053 498 472, AFSL 223988) as Trustee of First Super (ABN 56 286 625 181). Past returns are not an indicator of future returns. This article contains general advice which has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the advice is appropriate for you and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before making any investment decisions. To obtain a copy of the PDS or Target Market Determination, please contact First Super on 1300 360 988 or visit firstsuper.com.au/pds.

Performance figures are correct as of 30 June 2023.