Employers must contribute 9.5% of your salary (up to a maximum of $20,050 p.a.) into super. But should you make additional super contributions? This is a question I’m asked regularly.
Of course, like many financial planning matters, the answer does depend on your individual circumstances. However, there are some fundamental concepts that help us understand whether additional contributions are going to help you achieve your financial goals.
The power of starting early
Susie is a 30-year-old earning a salary of $100,000 a year. Therefore, she is already contributing $9,500 per annum into super (i.e. her employer’s contributions). If Susie contributed an extra 3.5% p.a. of her gross salary (i.e. $3,500 p.a. or $67 per week), by age 60, her super balance would be 32% higher ($965,000 versus $1.27 million). That is a big reward for a relatively small sacrifice.
Compare this to someone who starts a lot later in life. Matt is 50-years-old and his super balance is $400,000. Matt’s salary is $150,000 per annum so his employer is contributing $14,250 per annum into super. If Matt makes additional contributions so that his total contributions equal the concessional contribution cap (i.e. the maximum you can contribute – currently $25,000 per annum), by age 60, Matt’s super balance will only be 13% higher ($845,000 versus $955,000). I think you’ll agree that that’s a relatively small reward for a significant amount of additional contributions (approximately $100,000 in additional contributions over 10 years).The above two examples demonstrate that making additional contributions is a relatively ineffective investment strategy unless you begin making them when you’re in your 30’s. That is not to say that you shouldn’t make them as it is a good force-savings plan. However, it means that you probably need to think of other investment strategies that you can implement in addition to super contributions.
Worried about locking your money away inside super?
Some people choose not to make additional super contributions because they are worried that the government will change the rules on them and they won’t be able to access their savings to fund retirement. Whilst it is inevitable that the government will continue to tinker with the superannuation rules, it doesn’t mean that we should ignore super altogether. The superannuation environment provides some taxation benefits – so ignore them at your own peril. I believe that super should play a material role in most people’s r

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