POWERED BY MOMENTUM MEDIA
(November-2003) Saviour of the mums and dads
Paul Clitheroe was doing his best to stir the superannuation pot again in 2003 with the primary objective of making superannuation more simple.
Clitheroe says he’s not in the business of looking at superannuation through the eyes of those sitting in boardrooms. Instead, he tries to look at it through the eyes of every day people who are working hard to make a living and pay their bills.
“The biggest problem is that we haven’t simplified superannuation,” he says. “Its just too damned hard and that is one of the big issues confronting the industry.”
Clitheroe believes the complex nature of superannuation has led many people to distrust the system. “I keep getting letters and e-mails from people telling me that they understand that superannuation represents an excellent and tax-effective investment, but they simply don’t trust governments not to tinker with the system and alter the outcome,” he says.
It is Clitheroe’s man-in-the-street approach to superannuation commentary and his influence at member level which persuaded our panel to once again include him in our most influential listing.
“Every presentation you go to, members bring him up,” said one panellist.
Those that nominated him said he succeeded in getting people to look up and listen. “Whether he’s arguing for choice-of-fund or bashing retail funds over their high fees, this journalist for the ‘mums and dads out there’ has undeniably had an impact on the super industry,” said a nominator.
Clitheroe says he’ll be continuing his push to make the superannuation more simple and understandable because he believes this is necessary if people are to have confidence in the system.
“What our politicians and administrators need to understand is that this is not the system’s money. This is people’s money,” he says.
AUTHOR
Mike Taylor
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