Superannuation funds should be required by law to inform members if they are being subjected to the payment of trailing commissions to financial advisers, according to the nation’s largest industry superannuation fund, AustralianSuper.
The big fund also wants grandfathered commissions to be banned.
The fund has used a submission to the Productivity Commission to back the proposition that the “the Australian Government should require superannuation funds to clearly inform, on an annual basis, all members who are subject to trailing financial adviser commissions”.
At the same time as the future of grandfathered commissions come under scrutiny as a result of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, AustralianSuper said it “supports any proposal that seeks to make it clear to members that they are paying trailing commissions to a financial adviser”.
“AustralianSuper suggests that this may not be sufficient to protect members, particularly those in cognitive decline who continue to pay a trailing commission,” the submission said. “Also, this does not address the issue of what action a member may initiate if they do not want to pay trail commissions anymore.”
“AustralianSuper supports appropriate legislative measures that would ban grandfathered trailing commissions.”
Senator Jane Hume will join the speaker lineup at the inaugural Australian Wealth Management Summit.
New research from ART has found less than a third of women feel their superannuation is in a good position, reiterating the importance of opening up the advice arena to super funds.
The peak body for the superannuation industry says that intra-fund advice should be widened to cover the transition to retirement.
The industry super fund has announced a change to the way it delivers education services and support to members and employers.
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