This sobering report reveals the current retirement income system is unlikely to deliver a comfortable standard of living for the majority of Australian retirees. The paper identifies, for the first time, a ‘low cost budget’ for retirees. While the ‘low cost’ budget is just consistent with the avoidance of outright poverty, it falls short of what most individuals who are not yet retired would regard as adequate.
Written by Rice Warner Friday, 19 December 2008 11:09
Rice Warner's biennial report on superannuation fees reveals further downward pressure on fees, with overall fees for the industry averaging 1.21 per cent in the year to June 2008, down from 1.26 per cent in the year to June 2006. It also provides estimates of the cost of advice for the corporate, industry and public sector segments.
Written by Watson Wyatt Tuesday, 18 November 2008 14:59
Watson Wyatt examines the importance of the age pension as a vital part of post-retirement income for most Australians and how its characteristics need to be considered when planning how to invest other retirement savings, such as account-based pensions. This View examines questions such as:
* How valuable in the age pension?
* Is the age pension too significant to ignore in planning for
retirement?
* How does the age pension help to address longevity and
investment risks in retirement?
* What combined income (age pension plus account-based pension)
can be expected?
This is particularly topical with the Harmer review of the age pension currently in progress.
![Zurich cover [3].jpg](/images/stories/Zurich%20cover%20%5B3%5D.jpg)
Zurich questions some of the remaining complexity of Australia's superannuation rules following last year's Better Super reforms, and says much of the complexity is not only causing difficulties in retirement and estate planning but also unfairness in the treatment of different types of people. 
A comparison of large corporate, industry, public sector and retail superannuation funds from July 1 2001 to 30 June 2006 reveals that net retail underperformance is due to embedded fees, rather than poor investment manager skill.
