Bendigo Wealth announces release of Bendigo SmartStart Super

From

Bendigo Wealth has announced the release of Bendigo SmartStart Super™.

Bendigo Wealth, the wealth management division of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, is backed by the heritage and strength of over 150 years of banking, investment and lending expertise.

SmartStart Super features a full suite of low cost (0.39 to 0.99bp) index and actively managed funds – including brand new age-based default funds designed to meet a client’s life stage, investment preference, risk profile and preferred contribution methods.

Bendigo Wealth has partnered with TAL Life Ltd to provide a generous and highly competitive goup life insurance cover as part of the SmartStart Super offering.

Head of Sandhurst Trustees, Paul Rohan said,“Sandhurst Trustees, one of the oldest and most experienced parts of the Bendigo business has developed a new, affordable and easy to understand superannuation product flexible enough to suit most Australians.”

“We designed and built SmartStart Super as part of our ongoing commitment across the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank group to provide solutions, however our customers choose to engage with us.”

“Customers can expect our traditional hassle-free service, ease of understanding, fast turnaround times and the flexibility they need to help them achieve their retirement savings goals”. Mr Rohan concluded.

Alexandra Tullio, Head of Wealth markets said, “We understand that everyone is different and that super can be seen as complex and confronting, so Bendigo Wealth is offering a superannuation recipe for retirement that makes it easy for people to keep it low cost and simple.”

The SmartStart Super offering ranges from the plain and simple ‘set and forget’ default approach to a full suite of either actively managed or indexed diversified funds – or indeed a mix of both, meaning investors can take a core satellite approach.

The core satellite is effectively the ‘buffet’, where people who really want to take control of their retirement savings can determine how they choose, build and personalise their own super plan – according to their needs and investment convictions.

This flexibility includes brand new age-based default funds designed to meet a client’s life stage, risk profile and preferred contribution methods, along with a range of online services. The underlying managed funds in SmartStart Super offer low management fees ranging from just 0.39% to 0.99% p.a. What’s more, the administration fee for SmartStart Super is only $98 p.a.

“All the funds have specialist managers managing the investments and SmartStart offers generous and highly competitive group life insurance cover. We believe this is a particularly attractive feature, given that only around 5% of Australian families with dependent children have the recommended level of risk protection cover,” said Tullio.

“SmartStart Super is well suited to younger people starting out in their careers. The product is expected to be ideal for investors ranging from 20 to 50 years of age who are looking to consolidate funds and kickstart their retirement savings.”

“SmartStart Super is low cost but high customer support – and we’ll continue to make sure that fees and charges are kept to an absolute bare minimum”, concluded Ms Tullio.