Following consultation with the financial community, Super Consumers Australia (SCA) has developed new retirement savings targets for households.
SCA’s consultation engaged consumers, academics, regulators, industry experts and superannuation funds across 30 organisations.
SCA director, Xavier O’Halloran, said: “Among the most important financial questions retirement-planning Australians face is how much they need to save and what income those savings will deliver in retirement. These new retirement targets are designed to help people answer these questions. They provide a solid ‘rule of thumb’ for what is needed to maintain your living standards when you’re retired
“These savings targets are based on what people spend in retirement with a buffer built in to provide confidence that people’s savings can weather the type of market volatility we’re currently experiencing. Having credible targets, based on actual spending, means people can confidently spend and get on with enjoying their retirement.
“These targets come at a time when the superannuation industry is grappling with the needs of consumers who are approaching retirement. As part of the Retirement Income Covenant, we would expect funds to be using these targets to help members make sense of their retirement income needs.”
The targets, supported by the philanthropic group Ecstra Foundataion, were provided below:
The two funds have announced the signing of a non-binding MOU to explore a potential merger.
The board must shift its focus from managing inflation to stimulating the economy with the trimmed mean inflation figure edging closer to the 2.5 per cent target, economists have said.
ASIC chair Joe Longo says superannuation trustees must do more to protect members from misconduct and high-risk schemes.
Super fund mergers are rising, but poor planning during successor fund transfers has left members and employers exposed to serious risks.