Debbie is 70 and has worked as a teacher and a principal for most of her life and has been getting super for a long time. On her 65th birthday she retired with $300,000 in her super.
In her 50s she separated from her husband, and they sold the family home. She now rents and has no debt.
Debbie’s always planned for her super to be her main source of income in retirement, so she met with her Industry SuperFund’s financial planner to discuss her options. The adviser suggested she convert her super into an income stream and start drawing down on it gradually. By doing that, she would also be eligible for a small amount of the Government Age Pension as a top-up. This strategy also allowed the balance in her Industry SuperFund to remain invested and continue to grow during the early years of retirement before she gradually draws down on all of it.
Here’s what that looked like:
- Her super balance was $300,000 when she retired, and she converted it into an income stream account with her Industry SuperFund.
- Over the past five years she withdrew on average around $15,982 a year from her income stream account.
- She topped that money up with an extra $25,860 a year that she received from her Age Pension.
- Today, her Industry SuperFund balance has grown to $324,966
- Debbie experienced an average five-year Industry SuperFund investment return of 6.78% (2017 - 2022).
Debbie’s Industry SuperFund continues to work hard for her in retirement, while at last she gets to put her feet up.
Debbie's numbers
| Closing Balance | $324,966 | |||
| Account balance invested after income taken |
Income stream payments | Age Pension payments | Total income | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | $300,000 | $15,000 | $24,219 | $39,219 |
| 2018/19 | $316,209 | $15,810 | $24,584 | $40,394 |
| 2019/20 | $324,453 | $16,223 | $25,562 | $41,784 |
| 2020/21 | $306,178 | $15,309 | $27,581 | $42,890 |
| 2021/22 | $351,385 | $17,569 | $27,354 | $44,923 |
Debbie is not an actual member. Her story has been created for illustrative purposes.
Modelled outcomes by SuperRatings show 5-year average net benefit results taking into account historical earnings, fees and drawdown amount of 5% p.a. of the main balanced investment options of 11 Industry SuperFunds’ retirement income products during the first 5 years of retirement. Example assumes the average 5 year Industry SuperFund investment return of 6.78% p.a., starting balance of $300,000, starting age of 65, home is rented, access to the part Age Pension, single, no other assets or income sources available. Modelling as at 30 June 2022. Performance (Net Benefit) modelling is based on actual reported returns over the stated period. Capital growth will not continue throughout retirement. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Returns may fluctuate over time and can vary significantly from year to year. Outcomes vary between individual funds. Consider a fund’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and your personal financial situation, needs or objectives, which are not accounted for in this information, before making an investment decision. For more details about the SuperRatings modelling see the Assumptions page.
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