Geelong Advertiser

Check out your super balance

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WHEN you’re tubby, you can’t a hide it. Your muffin top is on display to the world.

When it comes to wealth … you can hide a lot of lard in a l leased Lamborghin­i.

Yet if you flashed your fin financials to the world, how wo would you measure up?

I was asked that by Le Leanne, a 36-year-old reader, so I thought I’d use it as an op opportunit­y for everybody to le let their super balance wobble about. This chart (right) from the Associatio­n of Superannua­tion Funds of Australia (ASFA) shows the average super balances for men and women based on age. How do you compare? LEANNE ASKS: I am single, earning $58,000, with no kids, and have only $56,000 in super. What can I do, apart from after-tax contributi­ons, to boost it? BAREFOOT: You’re about middle of the road for women your age. I’d suggest going to the superannua­tion calculator on government website moneysmart.gov.au.

You’re on track to retire with $247,623.

If you switched from your super fund’s default “balanced” option into a “high growth” option, the calculator suggests you’d boost your fund by about $20,000, to $267,941.

And if you switched to a low-cost fund, you’d increase your end balance by almost $50,000, to $297,609.

Yet the single best thing you could do is to work out a way to earn $5000 more a year. Being single gives you more flexibilit­y to try some of these options.

Tread your own path! 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69

 ??  ?? EARLY BIRD: The earlier you start investing, the better.
EARLY BIRD: The earlier you start investing, the better.
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