Study unearths Qld super fears
A RECENT study found the vast majority of Queenslanders didn't think their superannuation would be enough to retire on and Elimbah's Jennifer Bettridge counted herself among them.
According to the ING Direct study, only 15% of people felt they would have enough super come retirement time.
Jennifer has been working full-time since she was 17 but is still worried about her retirement future.
Like many people she has seen her super account balance go down rather than up recently and said she and her husband were looking to move their money into a self-managed super fund.
"We definitely feel that we are not going to have enough super if we continue to stick with just the employer contribution," she said. "Our initial thoughts are property (investment)."
She said it was frustrating to see her hard-earned super funds slipping away.
"My husband and I do have life insurance and income protection with our super so we do know that there are premiums coming out," she said.
"But still the investment of the shares are just not working in anyone's favour at the moment.
"It sort of does feel like wasted money and you've got no control over that."
According to the survey only 28% of Queenslanders properly understood the way their super funds were allocated. This was the highest in the nation.
Caboolture Accounting and Tax Services accountant Robert Pitt said understanding the allocation was vital when planning for the future.
"It's essential that people understand where their super is invested and the risk involved," he said. "(They need to be) making an informed decision about where they want to put those assets.
"I think a lot of people don't have the knowledge and aren't speaking to the right people to understand what their super is doing for them or potentially not doing for them."
CATS financial planner Dean Demarco said although things might look bad for some people, they were likely to pick up as investment cycles changed.
"The market's always going to be up and down," he said.
"They need to be making sure they're invested in a way that meets their needs and their goals and their time frames.
"Also be conscious of the fees that they're paying and make sure they're getting value for money from their funds."
Any advice given above is of a general nature. You should speak to a consultant before making any financial decisions.
