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Conservative-Balanced

Offers a diversified portfolio with around 50% growth assets.

We launched a new investment option menu on 1 July 2024.  Please visit the info hub to learn how this affects Accumulation and Income accounts.

Summary

As at 31 March 2024

 

6.38% p.a.

Returns over the last 10 years1

5+ years

Suggested timeframe

0.67% p.a.

Fees2 + admin fees and costs

Who it suits

Suitable if you're an investor who:

  • wants a diversified portfolio with around 50% growth assets
  • wants to grow your super over the medium to long term
  • is prepared to accept that the option can have negative returns over the shorter term, but aims to have smaller ups and downs compared to a higher growth portfolio in a volatile market
  • is prepared to accept medium to high levels of volatility in returns from year to year.

Risk3

 
  • Very low
  • Low
  • Low to medium
  • Medium
  • Medium to high
  • High
  • Very high

Expected number of years of negative annual returns in any 20 years: 3 to less than 4. The risk is based on the standard risk measure (SRM).

Investment objective3

Accumulation and TTR Income accounts: CPI + 2.5% p.a.
Retirement Income accounts: CPI + 3.0% p.a.

Option size

Super assets: $4.0 billion
Pension assets: $5.0 billion

Conservative-Balanced performance

As at 31 March 20241

Australian Retirement Trust's Conservative-Balanced option produced a 3.5% return for the March quarter and an 8.7% return over the year to March 2024. The 10-year return of 6.4% p.a. remains above the option’s return objective of CPI plus 2.5% p.a.

World share markets performed strongly over the first quarter of 2024, supported by increased confidence in prospects for the global economy. Australian shares underperformed the major developed markets while nevertheless producing strong returns.

A fall in the Australian dollar against a range of developed and emerging market currencies added to the returns of unhedged international shares over the quarter and over the year to March 2024.

Australian fixed income returns were positive over the quarter despite a small rise in government bond yields. However, global fixed income returns were negative as yields rose substantially in the world’s major bond markets.

In the SuperRatings survey for March 2024, the performance of Australian Retirement Trust's Conservative-Balanced option was ahead of the median fund over 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years to the end of March 2024.

Accumulation accounts Retirement Income accounts4
10 years (p.a.) 6.38% 7.21%
7 years (p.a.) 6.31% 7.10%
5 years (p.a.) 6.08% 6.83%
3 years (p.a.) 6.22% 6.93%
1 year 8.69% 9.90%
3 months 3.49% 3.97%

Past performance isn't a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns shown are after investment fees and costs, transaction costs and investment taxes but before all other fees and costs.

Returns shown here for our Accumulation account are also the returns that apply for Transition to Retirement Income accounts. Tax generally doesn't apply to investment earnings in Retirement Income accounts.

Conservative-Balanced asset allocation

 

 Strategic asset allocation5
Australian shares
17.5%
International shares
18.0%
Unlisted assets and alternatives
25.0%
Fixed income
32.5%
Cash
7.0%
Total 100%

Learn more about what we invest in

Outlook and strategy

As at 31 March 2024

We do not design portfolios based on our own or anyone else’s short-term economic, market or geopolitical forecasts. However, our investment team and our external investment managers do seek to capitalise on opportunities that inevitably emerge during times of heightened market volatility.

Australian Retirement Trust continues to hold a substantial allocation to the key unlisted asset classes – real estate, infrastructure, private equity and private debt. As a large superannuation fund, we have well-diversified portfolios of these assets that we expect will deliver strong, long-term returns, while reducing our members’ exposure to share market volatility.

At the end of March 2024, our DAA strategy slightly favoured shares and bonds over cash. Within DAA’s shares allocation, we preferred Japanese, UK and European shares over shares in the US and Australia. In fixed income, we increased our overweight positions in UK and US while remaining underweight in European and Japanese bonds.

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  1. Past performance isn't a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns shown are after investment fees and costs, transaction costs and investment taxes (where relevant) but before all other fees and costs. Returns shown in the Summary table above are for Accumulation accounts. To show the performance of the Accumulation and Retirement Income accounts, we’ve used Sunsuper for life Retirement option returns up to 28 February 2022, then Super Savings Retirement option returns after that date.
  2. Fees refers to investment fees and costs and transaction costs.
  3. When reading the objectives and/or risks please also read the information in the PDS that applies to you.
  4. Tax generally doesn't apply to investment earnings in Retirement Income accounts.
  5. From 1 July 2024. For more information on these asset classes, strategic asset allocations, and allowable ranges, read the PDS that applies to you.