The SuperLife KiwiSaver Scheme lets you choose how your money is invested.
When you choose My Mix, you can invest in one fund or build your own mix from over 40 SuperLife KiwiSaver funds:
Diversified funds - pre-made options for different risk profiles from High Growth to Conservative.
Sector funds - focused on a specific asset class or region.
Shape your KiwiSaver to best match your goals, your investment timeframe and how comfortable you are with market ups and downs. Whether you are saving for retirement or planning to buy your first home, My Mix puts you in control, without the complexity.
Designed for people who want flexibility and control - you can adjust your investment mix as your life changes - with no additional fees when you change your mix.
Choose from over 40 funds My Mix gives you options to choose from any number of these funds.
Flexibility to change Life changes - your investment strategy can change with you. With no additional fees to switch.
Build your own portfolio Pick the funds and proportions that suit your goals.
Why choose My Mix?
My Mix gives you access to a wide range of funds across different asset classes and regions, allowing you to create an investment strategy that reflects your goals and preferences - and change it as life evolves.
You choose the funds and proportions that work for you, all within one KiwiSaver account and you can update your investment strategy at any time, at no additional cost.
Choose your funds and set the percentage you want invested in each. You can update your investment mix whenever your goals or circumstances change, at no additional cost.
What other options do I have?
My Mix sits alongside our Diversified and Age Steps investment options.
SuperLife Diversified and Age Steps funds are great solutions for many members, providing ready-made portfolios managed by experts. My Mix is there for members who want a more hands-on approach and the flexibility to shape their own investment strategy.
Investing involves risk. We recommend you seek professional assistance from a licensed Financial Advice Provider before making any investment decision. The SuperLife KiwiSaver Scheme is issued by Smartshares Limited (Smart). The product disclosure statement is available at superlife.co.nz/legal.
We know the increasing importance our customers are placing on aligning their investments with their values. That’s why we approach responsible investing by considering both socially responsible investment (SRI) factors and environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
We offer a comprehensive range of funds that enables our customers to choose an investment approach that best matches their responsible investing needs.
Whether you want to avoid companies involved in controversial businesses such as weapons manufacturing or extraction of coal, or want to prioritise reducing the emissions profile of your investment, or simply want to track a market index - we have an investment option for you.
The following information provides an overview of our responsible investment process. You can find specific information about each fund in our Responsible Investment Policy.
So how do we assess investment opportunities?
We incorporate responsible investment into our funds management process in the following ways:
Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) exclusions
We approach responsible investment by first applying an ethical and moral lens to investment opportunities. If the company doesn’t meet our socially responsible investment standards, we will exclude them.
Our Ethical and Principle-Based Funds use a minimum set of SRI standards, to exclude companies which:
derive a material part of their revenue from the exploration or extraction of coal
are associated with tobacco
are associated with illegal weapons (such as cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines, and nuclear explosive devices)
Our Ethica Fund also incorporates further SRI exclusions, such as companies associated with alcohol, gambling, palm oil, adult entertainment, child labour or factory farming. You can find out more information about our SRI exclusions in our Responsible Investment Policy.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) screening
ESG factors are non-financial considerations we use to assess the sustainability of an investment. We focus on environmental criteria such as how well a company minimises their impact on the environment through reducing their greenhouse gas emissions compared to market benchmarks.
Environmental
Greenhouse gas emmisions
Water
Waste and pollution
Biodiversity
Social
Health and safety
Labour standards
Human rights
Animal welfare
Governance
Board structure, diversity and independence
Remuneration
Anti-bribery and corruption
External Investment Managers
Where we use external investment managers, we assess their approach to responsible investment prior to their appointment and at least annually after that. Our preferred external manager appointments are signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). Find out more about the UNPRI’s six principles on the Principles for Responsible Investment website.
Voting
Our aim is to support voting rights for shareholders and promote responsible corporate behaviour.
We engage proxy research and voting advisers when creating voting and engagement strategies, this includes deciding how to exercise specific voting rights, and in the actual execution of such voting rights.
Our responsible investment options
We offer three categories of investment options, from fully integrated responsible investment options to non-ESG options that do not actively take ESG factors into account.
Ethical
These funds have responsible investing at the core of their investment management by considering the following:
SRI exclusions
Systematic ESG screening
Reduces investment into companies that have negative ESG factors
Increases investment into companies with superior ESG factors
Sustainable proxy voting policies
Funds:
Ethica
Principle-based
These funds aim to provide a baseline of responsible investment by using our common SRI exclusions.
Funds:
SuperLife Default Fund (SuperLife KiwiSaver Scheme only)
SuperLife Overseas Bonds Fund
Non-ESG
These funds are not designed to incorporate responsible investment.
Funds:
All funds not included in the Ethical or Principle-based categories.
SuperLife offers a range of investment vehicles (referred to as “schemes”) so that you can tailor an investment solution to suit your needs.
SuperLife KiwiSaver scheme - KiwiSaver is a government savings initiative to help you save for retirement. To join, you must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident under the age of 65.
SuperLife Invest - our most flexible savings and investments scheme. With SuperLife Invest, you choose how much you wish to invest and when.
SuperLife workplace savings scheme - an employer-sponsored savings scheme. SuperLife has been helping employers set up employee benefit arrangements for over 15 years. If you are a member of a SuperLife workplace savings scheme and would like to learn more about the benefits available to you, please contact us.
SuperLife Superannuation Master Trust scheme – an employer-sponsored workplace savings scheme. SuperLife became the manager of the SuperLife Superannuation Master Trust in February 2022. The scheme provides flexible and cost-effective retirement solutions to members in participating workplace savings plans. If you are a member of the SuperLife Superannuation Master Trust scheme and would like to learn more about the benefits available to you, please contact us.
For some investors, a SuperLife solution might include a combination of schemes to manage their KiwiSaver and workplace savings, as well as personal investments. Regardless of how you choose to join SuperLife, you will have access to a broad range of investment options, and fees that are among the lowest in the market.
If you’re not sure which scheme is right for you, we’re here to help. Click here to contact us.
Investing on behalf of a child?
SuperLife’s myFutureFund is a way to help save for a child’s future. This enables a nominated guardian to make all the decisions about withdrawing investments and switching between investment options until the child reaches a chosen age (between ages 18 and 25). To sign up a child to SuperLife Invest and nominate a myFutureFund guardian, click hereto download the product disclosure statement and application form. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Your investment strategy
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Here are some tips to get you started
When you invest for any purpose, such as for your retirement or saving for a first home, you must decide on an investment “strategy”. Your investment strategy is the mix of the different types of assets (i.e. cash, bonds, property and shares) in which your savings are invested. You should also decide how it should be changed over time. Your investment strategy is a major contributor to the returns you will receive from your investments and should therefore be designed to meet your financial goals.
To determine your investment strategy, you should identify the returns you want over the short, medium and long term, and the risks you are prepared to accept. Investment “risk” often refers to the volatility of returns over the short-term and in particular, the chance or likelihood of a negative return.
The general principle is that investments that expose investors to higher risk (i.e. the possibility of a negative return in the short-term) will normally compensate investors, over the long-term, with a higher average return. However, this is only on “average” and the return in any particular year may be very high or very low (or negative). Higher risk options are not guaranteed to provide higher returns over the long-term.
When setting an investment strategy, we recommend considering these five factors:
Timing: When will you spend the money?
Importance: How important is the expenditure?
Diversification: Do you have other sources of income?
Patience: How long can you wait if something goes wrong?
Risk preference: What type of investor are you?
To view our articles and guides on investing, which cover a range of topics, click here. The information we provide about investments is of a general nature only. This means it does not take into account your specific circumstances. If you require personalised financial advice, you should seek advice from an appropriately experienced Authorised Financial Adviser.
Your investment options
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SuperLife offers a broad range of investment options
SuperLife's investment options can be combined in any way you choose, and changed at any time free of charge. There is no minimum amount you must invest in a fund.
SuperLife Age Steps: Sets investment strategy for you based on your age and may be suitable if you are saving for retirement.
Ethica: A balanced fund which invests based on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and excludes investments which do not meet our socially responsible investment (SRI) standards.
Managed funds: Five funds that allow you to choose a fund based on your risk-return profile.
Sector and ETF funds: 35 funds that allow you to take control and create your own investment strategy.
SuperLife offers the flexibility to choose one set of investment options for your existing savings or initial investment, and another set of investment options for your future contributions. All you have to do is let us know when you apply to join a scheme, or contact us to let us know.
Planning on making regular withdrawals? We have tools to help.
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Reinvest income into the NZ Cash Fund
Each fund receives income (for example, interest and dividends) as part of its overall investment return. Our standard practice is to automatically reinvest the income into the fund it came from. However, another option is to invest the income into the NZ Cash Fund – this may be a better option if you are making regular withdrawals from SuperLife.
Regular withdrawal rebalancing
Over time, market movements will change the proportions of your investments so that they differ from the proportions you set in your investment strategy. Regular withdrawal rebalancing is designed for investors that want to:
reduce the risk of withdrawing money from funds that invest in shares and property at a time when the value of those funds has fallen; and/or
maintain a minimum level of cash and/or fixed interest.
If you choose this option, we will regularly rebalance your investments (normally each month) to maintain the proportions set in your investment strategy; however, we will only rebalance by moving money from higher volatility funds (for example, funds that invest in shares and property) to lower volatility funds (for example, funds that invest in fixed interest and cash), and will not move money the other way.
You can also choose for SuperLife to regularly maintain the proportions you set in your investment strategy (standard rebalancing) or choose not to have your investments rebalanced (no rebalancing).
Managed income
If you are thinking about retirement, SuperLife’s managed income solution pays you a regular tax-free monthly income from your savings, at a level that you choose (e.g. $2,000 a month). As long as you are eligible to make withdrawals, the income can be taken from your SuperLife account and credited to your bank account. The balance of your savings can continue to be invested with SuperLife.
Your managed income can be changed at any time (up or down, or stopped). You also have the flexibility to take out a lump sum at any time and for any reason, for example to buy a new car. This way you can spend your savings when you need to.
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more about our managed income solution, or call 0800 27 87 37 to speak to one of our friendly customer service members.
Learn more
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SuperLife resources
To help you make an informed investment decision, we have a range of online resources for you to draw from. Visit our Resources section to view articles and guides, frequently asked questions about investing, recent newsletters as well as information about upcoming investment seminars across New Zealand.
KiwiSaver is designed to help you build long-term savings for your future. Your choice of fund, or funds, can have a big impact on your retirement or first home savings. So, it’s important to consider your options.
There is no single “right” option - it's about what best fits your situation and how comfortable you are with market ups and downs. Your investment strategy can be changed at any time, with no switching fees.
1. What are you saving for?
This helps set the foundation for your investment strategy.
Saving for retirement KiwiSaver is designed to help fund your retirement. Generally, the longer the time you have until you reach retirement, the more investment risk you can take.
This is because your money has more time to recover from potential market downturns.
Saving for your first home You may be able to take out most of your savings to buy your first home if you’ve been a member of KiwiSaver or a complying superannuation scheme for 3 or more years.
If you plan to buy a house soon, you may want a lower-risk fund to reduce the impact of potential market swings.
Your timeframe helps guide how much risk you might take.
Shorter timeframe If your timeframe is short, you might want to consider lower risk funds which are less impacted by large ups and downs when markets are volatile. This lowers your risk of loss but means lower returns over the long-term.
Longer timeframe You'll be better able to ride out market ups and downs. By staying invested for a longer period, your KiwiSaver investments have the opportunity to recover from potential downturns and benefit from long-term growth.
3. Understanding your comfort with risk
Your investments are constantly on the move, both up and down. This is normal. Staying invested over a longer period can give your investment time to recover through potential downturns and result in long-term growth.
A good question to ask yourself is: How do you feel about potential short-term losses to maximise long-term growth?
Small ups and downs Lower risk, with steadier (but usually lower) long-term growth potential.
Medium ups and downs A balance of risk and growth potential.
Large ups and downs Higher risk, with higher long-term growth potential - but bigger rises and falls along the way.
Past returns are not a reliable indicator of future returns, and all investing involves risk. Our Diversified fund options are designed to suit different risk profiles, so you can choose a ready-made investment mix that matches your comfort with risk.
4. How do you want to manage your investment mix?
Option 1: Choose from one or more funds
Choose from our Diversified funds, which are pre-made portfolios designed to match different risk levels - from lower-risk options through to higher-growth funds.
If you’d like more control, My Mix lets you build your own investment portfolio from over 40 diversified and sector funds. You can adjust the mix of funds any time with no switching fees.
Option 2: Let your KiwiSaver adjust automatically with SuperLife Age Steps
SuperLife Age Steps automatically adjusts your mix of growth and income assets as you get older. This is designed to gradually reduce your exposure to higher-risk assets as you move closer to retirement age - without you needing to make changes yourself.
The information on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. If you need personalised financial advice, please speak with a licensed financial adviser. The SuperLife KiwiSaver Scheme is issued by Smartshares Limited (Smart). The product disclosure statement is available at superlife.co.nz/legal.
