How to start investing your super

Updated on 1 July 2025 | 4 minute read

How you choose to invest your super can have a big impact on the amount you have to spend in retirement.

Your super fund invests your super to help it grow. But how do you choose an investment option to suit your needs and set yourself up for the lifestyle you want in retirement?

What to think about when making an investment choice

Each person's retirement goals and financial needs are different.

To get you started on which super investments are right for you, have a think about these 3 factors:

Your investment timeframe

This is how long you're investing for. One way to figure this number out is by subtracting your current age from your life expectancy.

The level of returns you want

This is how much you want your money to grow, and whether short-term or medium-term losses might affect your goals. Depending on your goals and timeframe, you may want to grow your balance or conserve it.

Your risk tolerance

What level of risk you can, or could take, to reach your goals. Your risk tolerance might change over time. To work out your risk tolerance, think about how you might feel about your returns going up and down.

What type of investor are you?

Test your risk profile with our quick quiz. See what type of super investments may suit you best.

Take the quiz

Get advice about your investments

You can get advice over the phone about your super investments with us at any time – it's included as part of your membership1.

Book now

Common investment terms and phrases

While you're getting familiar with the investing basics, let's break down some common words and phrases you might see around our website while diving deeper into your super investments.

Investment options

Investment options are the different investment choices your super fund offers you within your account.

  • Actively managed
    Active management means a team of experts manages your investments. Active investing aims to pick higher-performing assets to beat the broad market.
  • Passively managed
    A type of investment strategy where investments are chosen with the aim of closely matching the performance of a broad market index.
  • Default investment option
    The option you're invested in if you want to let us invest for you. Most of our members invest in the default option. In the accumulation phase, this option is also called the 'MySuper' option.
  • Sustainable investing

    Investing for the long term includes managing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks, like climate change, today. We believe integrating ESG factors into our investment processes alongside other traditional financial considerations helps us make better long-term decisions for our members' retirement outcomes. Check out more on our approach to sustainable investing.

  • Option size
    The total amount of money invested in an investment option.
  • Diversification

    Spreading your money out across different types of assets. It helps minimise the impact of poor returns from a single asset. In the options we've designed, we've mixed (diversified) the assets.

Assets

When you invest, you invest in assets. These are the building blocks of your investment option and can be grouped into asset classes (e.g. Australian shares, international shares, cash).

  • Cash
    An investment in cash assets (e.g. term deposits, bank bills).
  • Fixed income
    These are like loans to a government or company and have a set interest rate.
  • Shares
    Investing in shares means owning part of a company.
  • Unlisted assets
    Investments like infrastructure, property, or private equity.
  • Growth assets
    Designed to give you stronger returns over the medium to long term, but they have a higher risk of short-term losses (e.g. shares).
  • Defensive assets

    Investments that generally have a lower chance of making losses. They generally deliver lower returns, sometimes not even enough to keep up with inflation (e.g. cash).

Risk

  • Standard Risk Measure (SRM)
    Standardised labelling of investment risk is used throughout the superannuation industry. You can use the SRM to compare risk levels for investment options that we offer and those that other super funds offer.
  • Risks of investing

    All investments carry risk. There are 3 key risks you should know about when investing in super:

    • The value of your investments will go up and down over time
    • Your investment returns will vary, and future returns may be different from past returns
    • There's no guarantee of returns on your investments.

    We have more info about these risks in the Super Savings Investment Guide if you'd like to know more.

Performance

This is how well your investment performed over a period of time. When comparing super funds or your investments within your fund, you might like to look at past performance over different periods (e.g. one, 5, 7, or 10 years). But keep in mind past performance isn't a reliable indicator of future performance. Check out our performance.

  • Returns
    An investment option's return is how much it goes up or down in value.
  • Compounding

    In simple terms, compounding means you could earn returns on your returns when the market is going up, which helps your super savings grow faster over time. Of course, your returns go up and down over time - so if the market downturns, your returns won't compound.


Investing in your super

At ART, we help your super grow by investing it. You can leave it to us to invest it for you, or you can choose where it gets invested.

If you choose, you'll pick from our investment options. These are professionally managed investment portfolios we offer as part of your membership (take a look at all of them).

If you're ready to invest, make sure you consider:

  • your retirement goals
  • your investment timeframe
  • the level of returns you want
  • your risk tolerance
  • how much control you want to take over your investments.

For most people, your super is a long-term investment, so it's important to check in and review your strategy from time to time. Also, please keep in mind this is general information only, and you should consider your own circumstances, needs and goals before taking any action.

two people upper body icon
Already a member?

Choose where to invest your super using our investment options, or leave it to us to invest for you. You can update or change your investments any time in Member Online.


World-class investments to fund your future

Our scale and size mean we can invest in a broad range of local, national and global investment opportunities to help us grow your super savings and maximise your retirement income.2

Join us today
Related
woman-contemplating-at-desk
Are you with a top performing super fund?

You build your retirement savings over a lifetime. So, it's important to look at the long-term performance of your fund to help grow your super even more.

3 min read

5 reasons to make non-concessional contributions

Let's look at the difference between concessional and non-concessional contributions.

3 min read

Salary packaging your super

If you’re a middle-to-high income earner, salary packaging could be a way to pay less tax and have more money to play with.

3 min read

Why choose usStrong performanceCommitted to lower feesChanging jobsJoin online
ART awards
Call 13 11 84

8:00am–7:30pm AEST Monday to Friday

More contact options

Fund name: Australian Retirement Trust 
Account type: Super Savings 
ABN: 60 905 115 063 
USI: 60 905 115 063 003

Changing jobs information
ART awards
More about our app

Disclaimer and disclosuresPrivacy policyMember outcomes assessmentTMDsMySuper product dashboardSitemap

© Australian Retirement Trust. All rights reserved.

Acknowledgement of Country
We want to respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of these lands, seas, and waters throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders both past and present. We acknowledge the history, the resilience and the continual contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of their Country.

The information on this website contains general information only. It doesn’t consider your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before making any decisions about ART, you should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determinations (TMD) to consider whether the product is right for you.