Young Aussies upping super engagement
Australians under the age of 30 have trumped their older counterparts as the demographic most likely to look to increase their superannuation in the short term.
The MLC Quarterly Australian Wealth Sentiment Survey, which interviewed 2,000 Australians in the fourth quarter of last year, found the under 30s category had the largest proportion of respondents looking to increase their super within a three-month period.
The over-50 age bracket on the other hand had a larger proportion of respondents looking to increase their cash or term deposit holdings rather than make contributions to superannuation.
All age groups were, however, more focused on paying down debt over the three-month period.
Inadequate funds for retirement and regulatory concerns were the two greatest concerns in the December 2014 quarter.
In terms of financial sufficiency at retirement, only six per cent of respondents stated they had more than enough to retire; 28 per cent stated they had enough to retire; while more than one in two respondents, or 54 per cent, said they did not have enough or had far from enough to retire.
Low-income earners, unsurprisingly, worried the most about not having sufficient funds for their retirement.
“They were most concerned about have their savings eroded by inflation, losing money and regulation; however, they were by far the least worried group about missing investment opportunities,” the survey report said.
The report also indicated women were more concerned about their super and investments than men, across all areas except missing investment opportunities.
“Women were particularly more worried about losing money and not having enough for retirement,” said the report.
MLC's general manager of client management, Lara Bourguignon, said Australians need to start saving for their retirement now in order to achieve their goals in the future.
“It is encouraging to see Australians of all ages are actively thinking about ways they can achieve their retirement goals,” said Ms Bourguignon.
Miranda Brownlee
Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.
Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates.
Miranda also has broad business and financial services reporting experience, having written for titles including Investor Daily, ifa and Accountants Daily.
