Super is a long-term investment. It's normal to see cycles of strong returns followed by periods of weaker returns and - sometimes even negative - returns. This is known as market volatility.

After delivering strong returns in the 2023 and 2024 calendar years, share markets have recently experienced volatility amid concerns about President Trump's tariff policy, which investors and business leaders fear could lead to lower US growth and higher inflation.  

It's not unusual for investment markets to experience periods of volatility, particularly after periods of strong investment performance, such as what we’ve seen over most of the last year.

In the calendar year to 31, December 2024, TelstraSuper's MySuper Growth Investment Option earned 12.67%, while members in our MySuper Balanced option earned 10.49% for the same period⁺. These returns were significantly above our long-term investment objectives.  

TelstraSuper MySuper Lifecycle strategy options: Investment returns* for period ending December 2024 

	Lifecycle Growth	Lifecycle Balanced	Lifecycle Moderate	Lifecycle Conservative
One year	12.67%	10.49%	8.67%	5.94%
10 years	8.14%	7.01%	6.41%	4.80%

* These investment returns are net of indirect investment costs and investment taxes but before the deduction of any applicable administration fee, indirect administration costs or rebate. The investment returns shown above for the Growth, Balanced, Moderate and Conservative options (which form stages of TelstraSuper's MySuper product) are different to those appearing in the MySuper Product Dashboard, which are displayed net of administration fees, indirect administration costs, indirect investment costs and investment taxes (refer to the MySuper Product Dashboard for more information). Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Our RetireAccess Lifestyle members also enjoyed positive returns. 

In the year to 31, December 2024, our Lifestyle Growth investment option returned 12.55%, while our Lifestyle Balanced investment option returned 11.04%, over the same period⁺.

^These investment returns are net of investment management fees, but before the deduction of any applicable percentage-based administration fee, member fee or rebate. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

**Before 31 December 2019, distributions to Lifestyle Moderate members were paid to their Cash option, via a reduction in the Lifestyle Moderate option’s unit price. Consequently, performance statistics before 2020 are calculated as if distributions were reinvested in the option's asset pool. Past distributions are not a reliable indication of future distributions.  

You can find more information on investment returns, including returns for all our other investment options here.

Super is a long term investment 

Our investment team prepare for market volatility and carefully monitor market movements, remaining alert to be both risks and opportunities.  
While your super may be affected by investment volatility in the short-term, it is important to keep in mind that the diversified nature of TelstraSuper’s investment portfolios helps us to ride out bumpy market conditions. 

With the exception of our single sector investment options, our investment options are diversified across many asset classes, which spreads the impact that a negatively performing asset class may have on the return of our investment options in the short term. 

Avoid making knee-jerk decisions  

You may – understandably – be tempted to switch investment options when you see the market drop, however you should consider your long-term investment objectives and avoid making panicked decisions. Switching at the wrong time could lock in your losses, meaning you miss out on gains if the market bounces back.

History has generally shown that when markets experience sharp downturns, they also recover over time. For example, although we saw large market falls during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, markets rapidly recovered thereafter and then went on to perform strongly in the following years.  

Members who panicked and switched to cash during the COVID-led drop were generally worse off than those who stood firm on their long-term strategy.

Members who didn't make changes generally saw their accounts recover after the falls because they left their investments to recover, rather than crystallised capital losses.  

It's normal for markets to have cycles of ups and downs so consider if you have time to ride out short term bumps and make the most of gains when the market bounces back. 

Are you in the right investment option? 

Market volatility is a reminder of the importance of being in the most appropriate investment option(s) for your needs. So, consider trying the Investment Choice selector, provided by TelstraSuper Financial Planning.  

This intuitive tool is designed to make investment recommendations based on your risk profile and needs. In just a few minutes you can find out your investment style, your appetite for investment risk, and which TelstraSuper diversified investment option best suits you. 

From there, you can choose to switch options or get phone or face-to-face advice to support any outputs generated by the tool.  

SEE WHAT TYPE OF INVESTOR YOU ARE

Help is here if you need it 

If you are considering making a change to your TelstraSuper investment options or have any concerns about how the recent share market volatility may impact your super, consider speaking with an Adviser from TelstraSuper Financial Planning. To speak to an Adviser, call 1300 033 166 or connect with us on live chat.

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⁺Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance