The innovative investment decisions of super funds have a flow-on effect on social and environmental outcomes that ultimately benefits wider society, an Australian community leader has said.

A proposal considered in a Treasury consultation paper to allow victims of violent crime access to the super of perpetrators, in limited circumstances, had the potential to be strongly positive, according to IOOF.

Only 11.3 per cent of females purchase their superannuation through a professional adviser, which is a concern given women’s significantly lower super balances, according to new research.

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has called out the latest paper from the Grattan Institute as “replete with Victorian-era proposals to fix the gender gap in Australian retirement incomes”.

New data from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has shown reforms to super and the retirement savings system are working, but need to be bedded down, while stability still needs to be achieved in order to sustain confidence.

The SMSF Association has commended the ATO for deferring the lodgement date of SMSF annual returns for the 2017 financial year, allowing advisers extra time to make crucial decisions with their clients.

With one of the most enviable pension systems in the world, an increasing number of Australian investors are taking the hunt for retirement income into their own hands through the establishment of an SMSF.