Your 30s and early 40s are a critical window for building momentum in your super. You may be earning more, but you could also be juggling big life expenses—like a mortgage or family, or both!
Despite juggling those big life expenses, keep in mind that small, consistent actions now can have a big impact on your future retirement balance. And while retirement may still feel far away, that’s actually good news. You still have decades to grow your wealth through compound returns.
Here are five smart moves to help you get organised, protect your wealth and make the most of this time
Get your investments right
Can you add a little extra?
Get your insurance right
Got more than one super fund?
Check in on your super
Why your investment option matters
Retirement may feel far away but that means the investment choices you make now have time to make a real impact on your future super balance.
That’s because your super isn’t sitting idle. It’s invested, often in assets like shares, so you have time on your side to help your super grow.
What might suit you?
While everyone’s situation is different, many people at this stage of life consider growth-focused investment options. That’s because they generally:
- Have a long investment horizon. With possible decades until retirement, there’s more time for investments to grow.
- Can ride out market ups and downs. Short-term volatility is a normal part of investing, and time can help smooth these fluctuations.
- May be comfortable with more risk. Higher growth options can come with more market movement in the short term but may offer higher returns over the long term.*
*Returns are not guaranteed and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Choosing what’s right for you
The right investment option depends on your personal circumstances, goals and comfort with investment risk. Before deciding, ask yourself:
- How comfortable am I with my balance going up and down?
- Am I focused on long-term growth?
- Do I want a simple approach, like picking just one investment option, or do I want to take on a more hands-on approach, where I change my mix of investments over time?
Our investment options
You can choose how your super is invested. Australian Food Super offers a range of options. You can select one option or spread your investment across several.
| Lower to medium risk options | Growth-focused options |
| Secure | Growth |
| Capital Stable | Australian Shares |
| Conservative Balanced | International Shares |
| MySuper | |
| Balanced |
If you don’t make a choice, your super will be invested in the MySuper option. Please refer to the Investment Guide for more details of these investment options.
Review your choice as life changes
Your investment choice isn’t locked in forever. As your life changes — career, family, financial goals — it’s worth checking your investment option still suits your goals.
Need help choosing?
You can learn more about our investment options here, or get support if you’re unsure what’s right for you:
- Call us on 1800 808 614
- Email service@ausfoodsuper.com.au
- Or access advice at no extra cost to help find an investment strategy that suits your needs.
We’re with you for life.
Could you add more to your super?
Mortgages, children and higher day-to-day expenses can make it hard to prioritise extra super contributions. But even small amounts, added consistently, can build into something meaningful over time – thanks to the power of compounding.
Think of it as giving your future self a head start, without needing to make big sacrifices today.
Compounding is what happens when the money you earn on your investments starts earning money of its own. At its simplest, compounding means:
- You invest money
- It earns returns (like interest or investment growth)
- Those returns stay invested
- Next time, you earn returns on a bigger amount
And this continues year after year.
With time on your side, you have the key ingredient that makes compounding work.
Depending on your situation, there are several ways you may be able to boost your super.
Government co-contributions
You may be eligible for a Government co-contribution when you make personal contributions from your after-tax income:
- If eligible, the Government could add extra money to your super
- This can be a simple way to boost your balance
Regular contributions
You can also grow your super gradually over time:
- Make personal (after-tax) contributions from your savings.
- Consider salary sacrifice if you’re still working, which allows you to contribute before tax.
Even small, regular contributions can add up over time.
Spouse contributions
Many women retire with less super, often due to time out of the workforce to care for family. If your spouse or partner earns a lower income, you may be able to:
- Make an after-tax contribution to their super
- Receive a tax offset of up to $540 if eligibility criteria are met
For example, if your spouse earns less than $37,000, you may receive the maximum offset. This reduces gradually and cuts out at $40,000.
This can be a practical way to support your household’s long-term financial position. You can read more here.
Things to keep in mind
Before making extra contributions, it’s worth considering:
- Contribution caps and limits
- Your cash flow and short-term needs
- Whether contributions are locked away until retirement
Read our Contributions fact sheet
It can help you understand the rules and make informed decisions.
See the difference it could make
Want to understand the impact of contributing more?
- Try our Small Change, Big Savings tool, our super calculator that estimates how extra contributions could grow your balance over time
Small Change, Big Savings
Super calculator
How to make a contribution
Making a personal contribution is simple:
- Ask your employer to contribute from your before-tax pay. Please note that some employers do not allow salary sacrifice payments so you will need to check with your payroll.
- Make a contribution directly from your bank account by BPAY or Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Complete a Contribution Form
Or, call us on 1800 808 614 and we can help you get started.
We’re here to help
- Call us on 1800 808 614
- Email service@ausfoodsuper.com.au
- Or access no-cost advice to help find an investment strategy that suits your needs.
We’re with you for life.
Why should you think about insurance?
It’s important that your insurance is appropriate at this age, especially if you’ve started a family and have a mortgage. The right level of insurance cover can help you and your loved ones with unexpected costs during difficult times.
It is important to consider what types and level of insurance cover would be appropriate to help you and your family financially if illness or injury was to prevent you from working, or you were to pass away.
Take the time to understand your insurance cover options and decide what’s best for you. It’s worth understanding what you’re paying for and checking if it suits your needs – you might be paying for cover you don’t need or you might not have enough for your situation.
If you need help understanding your options, visit our Insurance page for more information or call the Member Hotline on 1800 808 614.
Got more than one super fund?
If you’ve changed jobs over the years, there’s a good chance you’ve ended up with multiple super accounts. Bringing them together could make managing your money simpler – and may help reduce the fees you pay.
Every super account charges its own fees, and you might also be paying for duplicate insurance cover without realising it. Over time, these extra costs can eat into your balance and reduce the benefits of compounding.
Take action
Check online in MemberAccess, our online account portal:
- Log in to your account
- Go to ‘Consolidate your super’
- Select ‘SuperMatch2 – Search for your super’
If you’ve provided your Tax File Number and consent to a search, the system will use the ATO website to look for any other super accounts in your name. If any are found, they’ll be displayed and you can choose to roll them into your Australian Food Super account online.
Or let us help. Call us on 1800 808 614 and we can do the search for you and help you combine your accounts.
Before you consolidate: Make sure you check whether you’ll lose any insurance cover when closing an account and consider whether rolling your super into one account is right for you.
Log in to your account and take control of your super today!
Don’t have access to your online account?
If you haven’t registered for MemberAccess or downloaded the member app, read our guide:
Check in on your super
You don’t need to check your super every week or even every month. But logging in to your super account occasionally can help you stay on track.
- Make sure your email address is kept up to date. You can update it in the app or send an email to service@ausfoodsuper.com.au
- Check your employer is paying your super into your account.
- Have you nominated who your super, and any insurance, would go to if you were to pass away? Update your beneficiaries in the app or complete the Beneficiary Nomination form. You also have the option of making a binding death benefit nomination by completing this form.
- Are you planning on moving jobs? Remember you are allowed to choose the superannuation fund you want to belong to and your employer, generally, must make Superannuation Guarantee contributions to the fund you have selected. Take your super with you.
- Make sure you check and understand your Annual Statement. A quick annual check-in can make sure your investment option, contributions and details still match your goals.
- You should also review the projected retirement income estimate included with your Annual Statement. This gives you a snapshot of what your super could provide in retirement, along with any estimated Age Pension entitlement, helping you build a clearer picture of your future income. You’ll find your Statement in the tab: Statements/Messages in MemberAccess.
Don’t have access to your online account?
If you haven’t registered for MemberAccess or downloaded the member app, read our guide:
How to get started with managing your super online and on your phone.
Learn with Retire-Smart
Learn more about building good money habits now and in retirement – take a look at our education modules on the Retire-Smart hub, a powerful online resource.
Need advice?
- It’s a good idea to build on your own financial education. Read Take control of your retirement in 8 simple steps for guidance.
- For complex situations, we can connect you with financial advice*. When decisions matter, remember you can always talk to a real person. Our team is ready to help you.