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Retirement

Use cash handouts before touching super, industry body warns

  • March 25 2020
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Retirement

Use cash handouts before touching super, industry body warns

By Grace Ormsby
March 25 2020

Australians are being urged to think twice before accessing their super early in the current economic climate, with analysis revealing the average person stands to lose up to $120,000 from their retirement nest egg. 

Use cash handouts before touching super, industry body warns

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  • March 25 2020
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Australians are being urged to think twice before accessing their super early in the current economic climate, with analysis revealing the average person stands to lose up to $120,000 from their retirement nest egg. 

Use cash handouts before touching super

Industry Super Australia (ISA) has indicated that while it will work to ensure members under severe financial stress due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus will have access to their super in line with the government’s recently announced early access scheme, it must be approached “with extreme caution”.

Acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic has created extraordinary times, ISA said it acknowledges the government’s need to take the extraordinary measure of loosening the restrictions on early access to superannuation as part of its financial support package.

“But accessing superannuation early should be approached with extreme caution and only as a last resort,” it flagged.

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It follows the comments of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees CEO Eva Scheerlinck yesterday, who also called for caution to be applied by financially stressed Australians considering accessing their super. 

Use cash handouts before touching super

ISA highlighted the significant program of wage stimulus measures, including an increase to welfare support payments, that it has asked members to consider exhausting before tapping into their super.

The super body said its own analysis showed that “a 20-year-old who accesses the full $20,000 available under the scheme could lose more than $120,000 from their retirement balance”.

Similarly, a 30-year-old who accesses $20,000 from super now could lose about $100,000 when they hit retirement and a 40-year-old could lose more than $63,000.

ISA chief executive Bernie Dean acknowledged that a number of super fund members have lost their jobs or had their hours dramatically reduced.

“Industry super funds will do all they can to help them.”

“But members should tread carefully and only think about cracking open their super after they’ve taken up the extra cash support on offer from the government – super should be the last resort given the impact it can have on your retirement nest egg,” he explained.

“Members need to know that taking your super now is like selling a house at the bottom of the market – you’ll lose money you would probably have clawed back overtime.”

Despite its misgivings, ISA said it will work with the government on the “all-important detail” of how the scheme can be rolled out to prevent unintended impacts on a member’s savings and their super fund.

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About the author

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Grace is a journalist on Momentum Media's nestegg. She enjoys being able to provide easy to digest information and practical tips for Australians with regard to their wealth, as well as having a platform on which to engage leading experts and commentators and leverage their insight.

About the author

author image
Grace Ormsby

Grace is a journalist on Momentum Media's nestegg. She enjoys being able to provide easy to digest information and practical tips for Australians with regard to their wealth, as well as having a platform on which to engage leading experts and commentators and leverage their insight.

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