A word from the CEO

Super News

T

he start of this decade saw bushfires burning across eastern Australia, as memories linger still of the terrible Black Saturday fires just over 10 years ago. Our thoughts go out to our emergency services and public sector members who play such vital roles in protecting and helping our communities recover, as well as to all those affected by these recent fires. We are here to help in whatever way we can. Our website has been updated and a priority phone line set up for any affected members.

Supporting you this decade

Ten years after we led the superannuation industry with the launch of tailored online services – allowing members to register their interest in seminars happening near them or to switch their investment options online – we continue our digital solution focus.

One of our proudest achievements in the digital world is AssistMe, an online tool which provides personalised retirement forecasts. AssistMe was uniquely created for Defined Benefit funds – and within a few short clicks, will provide a forecast of how much money you might have when you retire and how that might last. I encourage you to login to AssistMe to see if you’re on track, you might be surprised at what small changes now could mean in the future.

Our members are at the core of everything we do, and I’m proud to report in the past year we’ve taken over 83,000 phone calls, held 8,850 member education appointments, and over 700 financial planning appointments. If you haven’t already taken advantage of our award winning service*, make 2020 the year you check in with your super.

 

 

 

Investment update

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Over the quarter up to September 2019, our Accumulation Plan, Income Stream and Beneficiary Account generated positive returns across all Member Investment Choice (MIC) Options, despite heightened market volatility arising from ongoing trade tensions. We continue to maintain our downside protection focus to reduce the impact of falling markets on our members.

The long-term performance of our MIC Options remain above their respective objectives, which reflects our focus on long term returns, while providing downside protection to our members.

2019 Legislative changes

The Victorian Government recently passed legislative changes intended to ensure that ESSSuper Defined Benefit Scheme remain relevant in the contemporary workplace for emergency services employees. ESSSuper managed these changes by working with employers and supporting our members to ensure the benefits from these changes are understood and realised.

It’s particularly important to keep up to date with legislative changes that Government may announce in relation to super, as these could impact you in retirement.

ESSSuper strives to keep you, our members, informed of these changes and how they might affect you through our significant event notifications. It’s important you read this information, so you can make choices that are right for you.

Expanding our services

Our services are constantly expanding as we look towards our next 100 hundred years – and while ESSSuper isn’t a super fund that just anyone can join – we’re excited to offer our spouse account product to the eligible spouses of our members. We view spouse accounts as an opportunity for members to manage their super in a holistic way. As a family, there’s the simplicity of getting super reporting and updates from the same fund.

Do we ever truly retire?

Retirement is about having additional freedom. As you’ll see in this issue, it’s about shifting our focus to what matters most to us.

Our Working Income Stream is a product for members wanting to ease into retirement. Federal Government transition-to-retirement rules mean members that have reached preservation age can now choose to cut back to part-time work, while supplementing their salary with income stream payments. In retirement, members can choose our award-winning Income Stream products^, to suit their retirement income lifestyle needs.

I hope you enjoy our summer issue of Super News. Our aim is to keep you informed about the latest developments, as well as engaged in what superannuation means for you.

I wish you and your family all the very best for the year ahead.  

Regards,
Mark Puli
Chief Executive Officer

 


* Voted Best in Class Government Contact Centre (under 30 seats) Award at the 19th Annual Government Contact Centre Summit esssuper.com.au/awards

^ ESSSuper’s Accumulation Plan and Income Stream received a 10 year Platinum rating from SuperRatings, an independently owned superannuation research company. 


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2020 Seminar Program

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Thinking of retiring?

Book an appointment with one of our Member Education Consultants to find out if you’re doing everything you can with your super to ensure you'll have the lifestyle you want in retirement.

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Do something super for your spouse.

As an ESSSuper member, your spouse or de facto partner is eligible to open an ESSSuper Accumulation Plan account.

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