SUPERANNUATION – AUSTRALIA

Government pushes for progress on group life insurance code

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Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 4-Jul-17

The Australian life insurance sector’s new code of conduct took effect in the week ending 30 June 2017. The code will be enforced by an independent committee, but it does not come under a legal or regulatory body. As yet, the code does not cover life insurance within superannuation, something that Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer wants addressed sooner than later. O’Dwyer notes that a working group had been looking at the issue for six months, but with seemingly little progress.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AIA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, FINANCIAL SERVICES OMBUDSMAN LIMITED

Super funds to return bumper 10.5pc

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Original article by Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 30-Jun-17

Chant West expects Australian superannuation funds to achieve an average return of 10.5 per cent for the 2016-17 financial year. Chant West director Warren Chant notes that major super funds have performed well for eight years, despite sustained economic and political uncertainty. Meanwhile, returns from industry super funds are forecast to exceed those of retail funds by about 0.7 per cent in 2016-17.

CORPORATES
CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Super funds slow to shake off ‘home bias’

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 : 28-Jun-17

A report by Vanguard shows that Australian superannuation funds continue to favour local shares over international equities. This is particularly so in the case of self-managed super funds. Australia’s dividend imputation tax system is a major contributor to this "home bias". However, Vanguard notes that the domestic sharemarket is much more heavily weighted toward banks and mining stocks, and investors can reduce portfolio volatility by increasing their exposure to international equities.

CORPORATES
VANGUARD INVESTMENTS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, PROVIDENCE FUNDS MANAGEMENT, STATE STREET GLOBAL ADVISORS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BLACKROCK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD

Super bodies want wider ban on commissions

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Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 27-Jun-17

The Department of the Treasury is conducting a review of Australia’s Future of Financial Advice regime. The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and Industry Super Australia have used a joint submission to call for the ban on up-front and trailing commissions for life insurance sold within superannuation to be extended to all life insurance sales. They contend that commission-based remuneration structures serve to put the interests of financial planners ahead of their clients.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SUPERANNUATION TRUSTEES, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Advice not so super for retirees

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 21 : 6-Jun-17

A new online comparison tool is intended to make it easier for superannuation fund members to assess performance data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. The tool will be launched by professional services firm KPMG on 6 June 2017. Meanwhile, a new report from KPMG has found that industry funds’ share of the super industry has risen to about 33 per cent since 2004, while the market share of retail funds has fallen from 43 per cent to 29 per cent.

CORPORATES
KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD, SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Satisfaction with retail superannuation funds now higher than industry funds

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-May-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source has found that Australians’ satisfaction with retail superannuation funds was 60.0% in the six months to March 2017, compared with 57.3% for industry funds. This is the second consecutive month that retail fund satisfaction has been higher than industry funds, which had held the lead for more than a decade. Retail funds lead industry funds in overall customer satisfaction, but more importantly, they only hold the lead for balances under $100,000. Over the last 12 months, nearly all of their gain in satisfaction has come from these lower-value members. In the all-important high value market with balances over $700,000, industry funds lead with 85.3% satisfaction, compared to 76.1% for retail funds. This is the segment where competition is greatest from self-managed super funds, which have shown a decline in satisfaction of 2.5% points over the last year (to 75.9%).

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Turnbull to face clash on housing

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Original article by Simon Benson, David Uren, Rachel Baxendale, David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Apr-17

A number of federal cabinet ministers and backbenchers support a proposal to allow first-home buyers to access their superannuation. They will lobby Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to consider adopting the initiative as part of the May 2017 Budget’s policy on housing affordability. However, Turnbull has reiterated his view that super should be solely used to provide an income stream in retirement. Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics has expressed a similar opinion.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

AustralianSuper, Hostplus blast rivals’ premium hikes

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 18 : 23-Dec-16

Premiums for insurance policies arranged through superanuation funds are rising too fast. Rice Warner reports that the cost of death and total and permanent disability cover has risen 215 per cent on average since the beginning of 2013. IOOF wealth management manager Renato Mota says the rises were necessary because the rates were "unsustainably low".

CORPORATES
RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COMMINSURE, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Satisfaction with financial performance of superannuation steady in November but down over the year

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Dec-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 58.4% of Australians aged 14+ who have superannuation were satisfied with their fund’s financial performance in the six months to November 2016. This was unchanged from October but down by 0.9% points over the year. The survey also shows that industry funds have retained the lead in satisfaction (59.2%) over retail funds (56.7%), but both have declined over the last 12 months, with industry funds down 1.2% points and retail funds down 1.4% points. Both score poorly in terms of the critically important "very satisfied" rating, at 17.7% for industry funds and 16% for retail funds. Self-managed funds have the highest satisfaction with 74.3% (down 1.7% points over the last year), followed by public-sector funds with 69.8% (up 1.8% points). Meanwhile, CARE Super had the highest satisfaction rating among the 18 largest super funds, at 75% (up 10.2% points year-on-year).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, CARE SUPER PTY LTD, STATEPLUS, QSUPER LIMITED, MERCER SUPER PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, ONEPATH AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Volatility hits fund earnings

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 17-Nov-16

Data from Mercer shows that Australia’s median shares fund manager achieved a return of negative 3.1 per cent between August and October 2016. SuperRatings’ figures show that the median superannuation fund boasted a return of minus 0.7 per cent for the period, including a one per cent loss in October. Factors such as the outlook of inflation and uncertainty over the timing of a rate rise in the US weighed on financial markets in October.

CORPORATES
MERCER INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD