Australian Ethical has taken home the Finder Green Super Fund of the Year 2020-2023. Its Growth option is designed for members looking to invest ethically but want long term growth potential.
Certified by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia, this option from Aware Super excels in long-term returns with a target split of 75% growth assets and 25% defensive assets.
Australian Retirement Trust was named best super fund in Finder’s Customer Satisfaction Awards 2023, with 95% of the members we surveyed saying they'd recommend the fund to a friend.
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Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the table is based on data provided by SuperRatings Pty Limited ABN 95 100 192 283, a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR No.1309956) of Lonsec Research Pty Ltd ABN 11 151 658 561, Australian Financial Services Licence No. 421445.
*Past performance data and fee data is for the period ending Apr 2024
Figuring out the best super fund performance for 2024
It's impossible to measure future performance of any super fund. That's why we look at past performance. Which can only be an indication rather than a prediction of future returns.
Using data from the 2023 Finder Awards, we have the following winners based on different super fund categories:
Best Balanced Super Fund: Aware Super - Balanced Socially Conscious has an annual return of 8.4% over the past 10 years and 7.06% over the past 5 years.
Best Conservative Super Fund: HESTA Conservative offered a steady annual average return of 5.45% over the past 10 years and 4.28% over the past 5 years.
Best Conservative Balanced Super Fund: AustralianSuper Conservative Balanced had a return of 6.74% over the past 10 years and 5.04% over the past 5 years​​.
Best High Growth Super Fund: UniSuper Sustainable High Growth delivered an annual average of 10.35% over the past 10 years and 8.48% over the past 5 years​​.
Best Low Fee Super Fund: Hostplus Indexed Balanced had fees of $136 p.a on a $50,000 balance. The fund delivered 7.93% p.a over the past 10 years and 6.49% over the past 5 years.
Single Asset Classes Super Fund: Australian Retirement Trust - International Shares Index (unhedged) had an annual return of 12.26% over the past 10 years and 10.13% over the past 5 years​​.
We put every effort into ensuring information on Finder is accurate. This article was reviewed by Karen Eley from our Editorial Review Board as part of our fact checking process.
How do we pick the best super funds?
At Finder, we understand that there is no one-size-fits-all "best" super fund. The ideal fund for you depends on your life stage, risk tolerance and growth objectives. To guide you effectively, we've selected super funds catering to different life stages and financial goals.
Our methodology involves a comprehensive analysis of various factors including performance, fees and investment options. We scrutinise funds to ensure they meet diverse investor needs, from those just starting their careers to those nearing retirement.
What's the highest-performing Australian super fund in 2024?
In the current year we can look at 2023 returns to find the highest-performing funds. And the super funds with the highest returns last year are all single sector investment options that invest entirely in shares.
These investment options have returned over 20% for members over the 12 months to June 2023.
Mine Super's International Shares option was the top performer over the financial year with a return of 22.77%. Some other high-performing funds include Virgin Money Super Indexed Overseas Shares with a return of 21.49%, Aware Super International Shares with 20.72% and Australian Retirement Trust International Shares Index (unhedged) with 20.37%.
Although these funds have achieved outstanding high returns over the past year, they're all very high-risk investment options as they invest exclusively in international shares. The recent financial year was a good one for the share market, but it's important to remember that when there's a market fall, these options would be likely to instead make a negative return.
Kirby Rappell, executive director of SuperRatings, highlights this aspect in a July 2023 press release.
"Super funds have delivered competitive outcomes amid economic uncertainties, but high-return options are notably riskier, especially in volatile markets"​​
He also notes the importance of a long-term perspective, stating that "despite market fluctuations, superannuation's long-term performance remains strong, which is crucial for members not nearing retirement."
Over the long term (10 years), these funds have all achieved annual average returns of between 10% and 12% p.a.
Why it's important to make sure you're with a great super fund
Each year the regulator APRA analyses the market and identifies the worst super funds that are underperforming for members. APRA tested 58 MySuper products in 2023 which held $907 billion in assets, and the test showed an average performance of 0.41% above the benchmark.
APRA found that 80% of members' MySuper accounts perform above the benchmark, which is great if you are in that cohort. But for the remaining 20% the products underperformed by >0.50%. While only a small amount, you don't want your super to underperform.
You can use Finder's superannuation calculator to see an estimate of your retirement balance based on your current fund, versus if you switched to a different fund with better returns or lower fees.
How to pick the best super fund
Choosing the right super fund is crucial for your financial future. While the top-performing funds are a great start, they may not always align with your specific needs. If you're looking elsewhere, consider these key factors from our comparison table below:
High long-term returns. Look for funds with a consistent track record of strong returns over the long term (funds with 10-year returns above 7% p.a. are among the top performers).
Low fees. Higher fees can significantly eat into your retirement savings. Opt for funds with lower fees without compromising on performance (aim for annual fees less than 1.5% of your super balance).
Investment strategy aligns with your age. Your age and retirement goals should dictate your investment strategy. Younger investors might prefer high-growth options, whereas those nearing retirement may prioritise stability and have a shorter investing time horizon for a portion of their balance. If needing access to funds in the next 3-5 years, it's important to be invested in a lower risk option. Access to insurance cover. Does the fund offers members cost-effective life, TPD and salary continuance policies?
Use these criteria as a guide to navigate through the comparison table and find the fund that best suits your financial situation and goals.
I only moved to Australia 6 years ago so I'm playing catch up with my super. For me, low fees are important and to know my money isn't being invested in something that's destroying the planet. I also cancelled the life insurance inside my super because the premiums increase every year.
Methodology: How we choose our best super fund picks
We regularly look at the super funds in our database to determine which are the best offers for a range of different purposes. Specifically, here's how we determine each of our top pick recommendations:
This award is part of our annual Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards. Consumers rated the super fund they used based on customer service, performance, fees and overall experience and were asked if they'd recommend the fund to a friend. The final score was calculated as an average of the 5 metrics scored.
Customer satisfaction score. An impressive 95% of the consumers that we surveyed said they'd recommend the fund to a friend. Its customer satisfaction rating was 4.19 out of 5.
Industry super fund. Australian Retirement Trust is an industry super fund and one of the biggest funds in Australia. It's open to all Australians to join.
Strong performance. Its default balanced product is one of the top 3 best-performing growth funds over the last decade (to June 2023).
This product is selected as part of Finder's annual Green Awards. This award looked at each super fund's current environmental performance, environmental targets and reporting and accreditation. It also analysed the fund's sustainable investment approach and the environmental performance of its portfolio.
What we like about Australian Ethical Super Balanced:
Certified sustainable. Australian Ethical is one of just a handful of super funds to be certified by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia for its commitment to responsible and sustainable investments.
Finder Green Awards winner. Australian Ethical Super was named a winner in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Finder Green Awards.
Investment transparency. Australian Ethical Super provides a readily available list of all the companies it invests in on its website, so you can see exactly where your money is going.
Climate change awareness. Australian Ethical Super excludes all fossil fuel investments and most mining companies, while actively investing in renewable energy.
This award focuses on super funds with a balanced investment strategy, typically involving 60–80% growth assets. It evaluates these funds based on their ability to blend risk and return effectively. The assessment includes a thorough analysis of performance, asset allocation and overall fund stability.
What we like about Aware Super - Balanced Socially Conscious:
Finder Awards winner. Aware Super - Balanced Socially Conscious was awarded as the Best Balanced Super Fund in 2023, Aware Super stands out for its optimal balance between risk and return.
Strong performance. With a remarkable 10-year return of 8.4%, it demonstrates consistent performance, appealing to investors seeking both stability and growth.
Affordable fees. The fund maintains competitive fees, charging just $327 annually for a $50,000 balance, making it a cost-effective choice for investors.
Balanced strategy. Aware Super's balanced approach expertly combines various asset classes, ensuring a diversified investment portfolio.
The Best Conservative Super Fund award is given to funds that prioritise low-risk investments like cash and bonds. It assesses the funds' performance, asset distribution and their ability to provide stable, long-term returns to more risk-averse investors.
What we like about HESTA Conservative:
Finder Awards winner. HESTA Conservative leads the category this year, recognised for its prudent investment strategy and stable returns.
Solid returns. Over a decade, the fund has delivered a steady 5.45% return, showcasing its effectiveness in conservative investment.
Reasonable fees. With an annual fee of $357 on a $50,000 balance, it offers affordability while maintaining high-quality investment choices.
Risk-averse focus. Ideal for cautious investors, it emphasises safety and reliability in its asset allocation.
This category awards super funds that strike a middle ground with 41–60% growth assets. The focus is on evaluating these funds for their balanced approach to risk and return, assessing their performance, fees and risk management strategies.
What we like about AustralianSuper Conservative Balanced:
Finder Awards winner.Dominating its category in 2023, AustralianSuper Conservative Balanced is known for its judicious mix of growth and security.
Consistent growth. Exhibiting a 10-year performance of 6.74%, it appeals to those seeking steady growth without excessive risk.
Competitive fees. The fund's $367 annual fee for a $50,000 balance represents a balanced approach to cost-effectiveness and value.
Stability and growth. Skillfully navigating between conservative and growth-oriented assets, it offers a harmonious investment solution.
The Best High Growth Super Fund award is for funds heavily invested in growth assets (81–95%). It recognises funds that excel in high-risk, high-reward strategies, evaluating their long-term performance and potential to deliver significant returns.
What we like about UniSuper Sustainable High Growth:
Top in high growth. UniSuper Sustainable High Growth leads 2023's High Growth category, showcasing its proficiency in aggressive growth strategies.
Affordable fees. With a competitive annual fee of $296 on a $50,000 balance, it offers high value for its performance level.
Impressive returns. The fund has been exceptional, delivering an average 10.36% return over 10 years and 8.48% over 5 years, marking it as a stand-out choice for growth-focused investors.
Risk-adjusted strategy. The fund's focus on high-growth assets is balanced with a risk-adjusted approach, aiming to maximise returns while managing volatility, appealing to investors with a longer-term perspective.
This award identifies the top-performing single asset class funds, focusing on specific investment goals. It evaluates these funds based on their specialisation, performance in their respective asset class and their ability to meet targeted investment strategies.
What we like about Australian Retirement Trust:
Leading in a single asset class. The Australian Retirement Trust shines in 2023 as the foremost single asset class fund, specialising in international equities.
Cost-effective fees. Charging a modest annual fee of $192.40 for a $50,000 balance, it stands out for both affordability and performance.
Strong global performance. Its international shares index has yielded a remarkable 12.26% annual return over 10 years and 10.13% over 5 years, demonstrating its effectiveness in global equity investment.
Focused investment. The fund's specialisation in international shares exemplifies its targeted investment approach, offering investors an opportunity to capitalise on the growth potential of global markets.
For this category, we only considered super funds that offered a life-stage investment option as its default option. Of the funds compared, we looked at the annual fees charged on a $5,000, $50,000 and $100,000 balance as well as the past 1-, 3- and 5-year performance returns.
We also looked at the number of different life stages the product offered. Funds that offered more life stages were ranked stronger than those with fewer life stages.
What we like about Virgin Money Super LifeStage Tracker:
Age-based investment product. Virgin Money Super includes 15 different life stage investment allocations within 1 product, so your investment allocation is readjusted every 5 years in line with your age.
Low fees. Virgin Money Super LifeStage Tracker also charges some of the lowest fees in the market with impressive past performance returns.
Earn Velocity Points. You can earn Velocity Frequent Flyer Points on contributions to your fund.
Opt for a build-your-own investment option. If you don't want to go with the LifeStage Tracker, you can build your own investment portfolio from a range of asset-based investment portfolios.
FAQs about picking the best super funds in Australia
Australian Ethical Super was named the best ethical super fund in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Finder Green Awards. If you're considering an ethical super fund, it's still important to make sure the fund has strong long-term performance and competitive fees, otherwise your retirement balance will suffer.
Some of the best-performing industry super funds include Hostplus, AustralianSuper, Australian Retirement Trust, UniSuper and Cbus.
If you're starting work and looking for a super fund, look for a fund with low fees and high long-term returns. Your balance will start off small, so you don't want this already small amount of money eaten away by excessive fees.
There are 2 main types of super funds: industry super funds and retail super funds. Both funds invest your money in similar ways, but they are different in the way they're owned and managed. Industry super funds are independently run and owned by members, while retail funds are owned by major banks, insurance companies or other financial organisations. Industry super funds typically have lower fees.
SMSFs are generally only recommended if you've got a large super balance to invest, usually $200,000 or more. This is because SMSFs can be quite expensive to run and maintain, especially compared to a typical super fund. If you've got a large balance to invest, investment expertise and experience and an understanding of the legal framework, it could be something worth looking into. But keep in mind there are a lot of legal requirements you need to keep up with, as well as annual fees and charges.
Once you've found the new fund you want to join, complete the online application form to become a member. Throughout this process you can elect to have your previous super fund transfer your balance over into your new fund. Most of the work is done for you by your new fund. For a more detailed guide on how to do this, take a look at our article on how to change super funds in 4 steps.
Yes, you can have multiple super funds, but it's not a good idea to do so. If you had more than one fund, you'd be paying multiple sets of fees which would eat into your retirement balance. If you've got more than one fund open in your name it's a good idea to consolidate them.
Why you can trust Finder's super fund experts
You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees. Guaranteed.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching super funds so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You compare more. Our comparison tools bring you more super funds from across the market.
Karen Eley is the founder of Women Talking Finance, which provides money coaching and financial literacy and education services. An experienced and former financial adviser who has worked in financial services industry for 22 years, Karen is a Certified Money Coach (CMC), holds a Bachelor of Accounting and an Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning and CFP.
Alison Banney is the money editorial manager at Finder. She covers all areas of personal finance, and her areas of expertise are superannuation, banking and saving. She has written about finance for 10 years, having previously worked at Westpac and written for several other major banks and super funds. See full bio
Alison's expertise
Alison has written 652 Finder guides across topics including:
As a self employed, am I by law required to have a super fund? At 50, contemplating on starting a superannuation fund, plus paying for a 30 year mortgage, is there a table showing approximately returns on what amount is put in… Are there previous charts on what is put in and what is the outcome after 10/ 20 years?
Finder
SarahJuly 13, 2023Finder
Hi there,
When you are self-employed there is no legal requirement to pay yourself superannuation. However, there may be some tax advantages of doing so, not to mention the benefit of investment returns.
We’re not licenced to offer personal advice, but this calculator can help you understand how much you might be able to generate through super (in the employer contributions section, enter the percentage that you are considering paying): https://www.finder.com.au/super-funds/superannuation-calculator
i have a 15 year old who is working. what is the best super fund for teenagers?
Finder
RajJune 27, 2023Finder
Hi Rachel,
We won’t be able to recommend any specific super fund products for your son. However we have written what to look for when selecting a suitable fund here
Thanks
Raj
NavidJune 2, 2023
Hi, I am looking for the best returning super fund taking into account as is stated on your website the fees, how the fund invests your money and if it aligns with your risk appetite which is high growth. The difficulty I am having is comparing high growth as the definition/asset class and the weightings between different super funds can vary so we are not comparing apples to apples. Currently I am with an industry fund and find since they run a lot of ads, fund profits/fees are eaten by the ads so I am looking for other type of funds that are also transparent. Thank you
Finder
AlisonJune 22, 2023Finder
Hi Navid, Finder is a comparison site and we aren’t licensed to give you any personal advice or product recommendations. You can use our comparison table to compare high growth options, by using the filters on the side: https://www.finder.com.au/super-funds
Hope this helps. Thanks,
Alison
MariaMay 20, 2023
Hi, I’m an international student (my plan is to get a PR eventually), and I am about to start 2 casual jobs; I do not know how to choose which is better for my situation. Could you please assist me with that?
Thank you.
Finder
AlisonMay 22, 2023Finder
Hi Maria, we aren’t licensed to offer you any personal financial advice or product recommendations. In general when choosing a super fund it’s best to look for a fund that has a combination of low annual fees and a history of high long-term returns. If you’d like some personal recommendations it’d be best to speak to a financial adviser who can give you recommendations for your situation. Thanks, Alison.
BarbMay 15, 2023
If the fees charged by on a Pension account are a percentage of your balance, how do you lose money by having more than one account?
Finder
AlisonMay 16, 2023Finder
Hi Barb, usually super funds charge a dollar based fee as well as a percentage based fee.
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We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees. Guaranteed.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching super funds so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You compare more. Our comparison tools bring you more super funds from across the market.
As a self employed, am I by law required to have a super fund? At 50, contemplating on starting a superannuation fund, plus paying for a 30 year mortgage, is there a table showing approximately returns on what amount is put in… Are there previous charts on what is put in and what is the outcome after 10/ 20 years?
Hi there,
When you are self-employed there is no legal requirement to pay yourself superannuation. However, there may be some tax advantages of doing so, not to mention the benefit of investment returns.
We’re not licenced to offer personal advice, but this calculator can help you understand how much you might be able to generate through super (in the employer contributions section, enter the percentage that you are considering paying):
https://www.finder.com.au/super-funds/superannuation-calculator
Also, here is some more information about superannuation for self-employed Australians:
https://www.finder.com.au/super-funds/superannuation-for-sole-traders
Hope this helps!
i have a 15 year old who is working. what is the best super fund for teenagers?
Hi Rachel,
We won’t be able to recommend any specific super fund products for your son. However we have written what to look for when selecting a suitable fund here
Thanks
Raj
Hi, I am looking for the best returning super fund taking into account as is stated on your website the fees, how the fund invests your money and if it aligns with your risk appetite which is high growth. The difficulty I am having is comparing high growth as the definition/asset class and the weightings between different super funds can vary so we are not comparing apples to apples. Currently I am with an industry fund and find since they run a lot of ads, fund profits/fees are eaten by the ads so I am looking for other type of funds that are also transparent. Thank you
Hi Navid, Finder is a comparison site and we aren’t licensed to give you any personal advice or product recommendations. You can use our comparison table to compare high growth options, by using the filters on the side: https://www.finder.com.au/super-funds
Hope this helps. Thanks,
Alison
Hi, I’m an international student (my plan is to get a PR eventually), and I am about to start 2 casual jobs; I do not know how to choose which is better for my situation. Could you please assist me with that?
Thank you.
Hi Maria, we aren’t licensed to offer you any personal financial advice or product recommendations. In general when choosing a super fund it’s best to look for a fund that has a combination of low annual fees and a history of high long-term returns. If you’d like some personal recommendations it’d be best to speak to a financial adviser who can give you recommendations for your situation. Thanks, Alison.
If the fees charged by on a Pension account are a percentage of your balance, how do you lose money by having more than one account?
Hi Barb, usually super funds charge a dollar based fee as well as a percentage based fee.