Members can switch between our investment options at any time. You can do this by logging in to your member portal and navigating to Investments in the menu.

• Login then go to ‘Investments’
• Find ‘Change investments’

Generally, investment switches processed on a Business Day will be processed using the next Business Day’s unit price.

We don’t charge a switching fee but you do need to consider the Buy-Sell spread which is applied to the unit price to calculate the Buy and Sell unit prices which are used in processing a switch. 

When processing a switch, the Sell unit price is used in selling units in one investment option and the Buy unit price is used in buying units in the new investment option.

The buy–sell spread is a fee to recover transaction costs incurred in relation to the purchase and sale of assets of the Fund and is used to adjust the unit price. It is an additional cost to you and is incurred when you contribute, transfer or redeem. We will use a buy–sell spread to recover transaction costs from you so that other investors are not paying for the cost of your transaction. It is not a fee paid to us.

An estimated buy-sell spread cost is $10 to $250 for balances between $20k to $100k. There is no additional switching fee.

More information on our Buy-Sell spreads is available on our fees page. 

1. Check our investment fees before you make any changes as the investment options have different fee amounts
2. Consider if you're comfortable with the amount of risk associated with your investment options.

A return is a loss or gain on your investment which is usually expressed as a percentage. Our investment option returns are visible through the daily unit prices and are reported on a monthly basis on our website. A dollar return for your account is also provided on your member portal in the Account summary section on the Dashboard. 

NOTE: Our reported performance does not include your account administration fee, or any insurance premiums paid through your account. 

Return of capital and the performance of your investment in the fund are not guaranteed. You should also remember that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Investments that generate higher returns also tend to have higher levels of risk (often referred to as volatility). 

Investments that carry less risk usually provide smaller, more stable returns but may not perform strong enough for you to save as much as you need for the future and typically doesn’t grow higher than the rate of inflation.

Different investments come with different levels of risk so it comes down to choosing the investments that align with your goals, stage of life and risk profile. 

We recommend speaking to a financial adviser to better understand which investment options are right for you at your different stages of life. 

More information about the risk and return characteristics of our investment options can be found in the Product Disclosure Statement and Additional Information Booklet. 

Yes. You can choose just one investment option or spread your super balance across a mix of our seven investment options.

If you’re a new member you’ll be asked to select whether you’d like to choose your investment option(s) or be placed in our default option which is the ‘Balanced (Accumulation)’ option in the join form.

Members can switch between our investment options at any time. You can do this by logging in to your member portal and navigating to Investments in the menu.

• Login then go to ‘Investments’
• Find ‘Change investments’

Generally, investment switches processed on a Business Day will be processed using the next Business Day’s unit price.

Please note when you change your investment option(s) you will incur a buy/sell spread fee.

An asset is something you invest in, such as property, shares, bonds or cash. A group of property investments form an asset class, and so do a group of shares. Assets usually fall into two main categories: defensive and growth.

Defensive assets are typically less risky and generally provide more stable returns over the short term but tend to produce lower returns over the long run. Cash and Fixed Interest are examples of defensive assets.

Growth assets are typically higher risk and provide more volatile returns in the short term but tend to produce higher returns over the long term. Shares and property are examples of growth assets.

We’re not able to provide you with personal financial advice but our team can provide you with general information on topics such as salary sacrificing, understanding our investment options, and the insurance options we offer.  

We recommend you speak with a licensed adviser before you make any financial decisions. 

If you are looking for an ethical adviser, you can find one in your area by using the Find an Adviser tool through the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA).

A unit price represents the value of each unit in an investment option. The unit price for each investment option is calculated by dividing the value of the assets in the option (after allowing for fees, costs and taxes) by the number of units on issue.

As the value of these assets and liabilities can go up or down and is dependent on market valuation, the unit prices for the different investment options also can go up or down.

Transactions occur using the ‘Buy’ and ‘Sell’ unit prices. These are calculated by applying the Buy-Sell spread to the unit price (Net Asset Value). 

Additional investments, including all forms of contributions are processed using the ‘Buy’ unit price. When exiting an investment option, or the fund, the ‘Sell’ unit price is applied to your transaction.

When you invest in any Australian Ethical Super investment option your money is placed in a pool of assets, along with every other member that has chosen that investment option.  When the investment options are valued, a price is determined for the interest (or units) in that option.

When you make a contribution, switch your investment option or change your mix of investment options, or roll out your funds, you are in effect buying and selling units.

Each investment option is divided into units and every unit you own in that investment pool represents your share of that investment option. 

The initial units allocated to you are determined by your account balance divided by the unit price for the investment option/s that you invest in. 

For example: If you invested $100,000 in the Balanced (accumulation) option on 31 December 2018, you would have been allocated with 100,000 units. 

This is based on a ‘Buy’ unit price of $1 per unit and calculated as $100,000 / $1.00 = 100,000 units.

Investment performance

Our investment option returns are reported on a monthly basis on our website. A dollar return for your account is also provided on your member portal in the Account summary section on the Dashboard. 

NOTE: Our reported performance does not include your account administration fee, or any insurance premiums paid through your account. 

Unit prices

We calculate and issue unit prices every NSW business day. A national business day is any day that is not a weekend or NSW public holiday. You can view and download daily unit prices here.

Return of capital and the performance of your investment in the fund are not guaranteed. You should also remember that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

It takes up to two business days to calculate the unit price. During these two days, we calculate the value of all the assets we invest in and the number of units on issue, which is affected by contributions and withdrawals.

We need these valuations to accurately calculate the unit price for any of our investment options.

To find out more about how unit prices are calculated and used, please see our legal disclaimer.

The performance data is updated on a monthly basis.

Annualised investment returns in % are calculated:

• Using the exit price
• Net of administration and investment management fees, taxes and other costs (which means these have been deducted)
• The standard calculations are based on a member with an account balance of $50,000, which will not be relevant to all members
• The standard calculations do not allow, for example, for the effect of contributions to your account, insurance fees or various other matters
• Performance figures relating to unit prices between 1 July 2011 and 31 December 2016 have been restated following the remediation of a unit pricing error
• Figures showing a period of less than one year have not been adjusted to show an annual total return. Figures for periods of greater than one year are on a per annum compound basis.

Investment returns in $ are calculated:

• On a monthly basis
• Using the exit price
• Net of %-based administration and investment management fees and taxes (which means these have been deducted)
• Gross of $-based member fee (which means these have not been deducted)
• The standard calculations do not allow, for example, for the effect of contributions to your account, insurance fees or various other matters

Return of capital and the performance of your investment in the fund are not guaranteed. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

When we use the term “healthy” we are referring to the fact that our ethical approach applies to every investment we make and where the product or option has delivered after fee returns in the top 2 quartiles amongst its peer group over the relevant investment period.

When we use the term “strong” we are referring to the fact that our ethical approach applies to every investment we make and where the product or option has delivered after fee returns in the top quartile amongst its investment peer group over the relevant investment period.

Fees vary depending on things like your account balance and your chosen investment option/s.

To understand our fees better, visit our fee information page.

We don’t charge a switching fee but you do need to consider the Buy-Sell spread which is applied to the unit price to calculate the Buy and Sell unit prices which are used in processing a switch. 

When processing a switch, the Sell unit price is used in selling units in one investment option and the Buy unit price is used in buying units in the new investment option.

The buy–sell spread is a fee to recover transaction costs incurred in relation to the purchase and sale of assets of the Fund and is used to adjust the unit price. It is an additional cost to you and is incurred when you contribute, transfer or redeem. We will use a buy–sell spread to recover transaction costs from you so that other investors are not paying for the cost of your transaction. It is not a fee paid to us.

An estimated buy-sell spread cost is $10 to $250 for balances between $20k to $100k. There is no additional switching fee.

More information on our Buy-Sell spreads is available on our fees page. 

You can confirm that your large account fee discount has been applied in your member portal.

• Login and then go to ‘Transactions’
• Find a transaction labeled ‘admin fee rebate’, which shows the gross amount of the discount.

Calculating the right level of cover you need can be a challenge. Use our insurance needs calculator to help you work out how much cover you may need – the calculator takes into consideration your lifestyle, age, and financial position.

If you choose to cancel your cover within 60 days of the cover first commencing, the cover will cease from the date the cover started. The full insurance fee amount will be refunded back to your account. 

However, if you cancel your cover after 60 days of cover commencing, your cover will turn off on the date you notify us of your cancellation. Any owing insurance fee will be deducted from your super account at the end of the month. 

It’s important to note once you cancel your insurance you won’t be eligible to lodge a claim should you suffer and injury or illness after the cancellation date. Please consider how this may affect your dependants including your spouse, children or anyone who is financially dependent on you. 

We understand people’s circumstances change so if you require insurance in the future, you will need to apply for insurance. The acceptance of cover is subject to the insurer’s approval (special terms likes loadings or exclusions may apply). You can apply for insurance by online via the member portal or by competing the Insurance Application Form.

If you’d like to cancel your existing cover, you can do this via the member portal, by contacting us (by phone or email) or by completing the Insurance Variation Form.

Please note if your account is unfunded or you leave the fund, your cover will be cancelled. 

Depending on your cover and circumstances, you will be able to: 

• Apply for Insurance Cover  
• Increase or decrease Insurance Cover  
• Transfer Insurance Cover 
• Update Occupation Classification  
• Convert between Unitised and Fixed Cover  
• Cancel Insurance Cover 

To calculate your annual Insurance fee, you can multiple the monthly insurance fee that is shown in your insurance summary table by 12.

Example:

• Monthly premium = $33.71 x 12
• Annual premium = $33.71 x 12 = $404.52*

*Please note that this example does not take into account any changes that may influence the cost of your insurance cover. For example, if you have a birthday or your amount of cover changes.

You can see the actual insurance fee deducted from your account each month in the 'Transactions' section of your member portal at the top menu. The insurance fee deducted is based on the number of days in the month and days in the financial year (and is deducted in arrears).

Monthly insurance fee deducted = annual insurance fee / days in financial year x days in month 
Example: October 2024 Insurance fee = $404.52/365 x 31 = $34.36 

Default Death and TPD cover is Unitised Cover, which means it is provided in accordance with an age-based unitised cover scale. The scale details the value of cover per 1 unit for each insurable age. Eligible members will receive 4 units of Default cover. 

The cost of Default Cover is calculated as an annual insurance fee using the annual insurance fee rate and occupation loadings. Insurance fees are deducted from your super account monthly and will vary based on the amount of cover you have under the Default Cover scale, your age, sex at birth, and occupation category. Please refer to our insurance fee rate table in the Insurance Guide. 

We offer Default Cover, which consists of a set level of Death & TPD cover depending on your age. As you get older the amount of Death & TPD cover provided to you will change, so will the insurance fee you pay. Insurance fees are paid from your super account monthly and the amount you pay depends on your age, occupation and sex at birth. 

4 units of Default Cover are automatically provided when you are age 25 or older (but under 67) and have had an account balance of $6,000. If you want cover before these conditions are met, you can opt in to commence cover at any time (up to age 65) via the member portal or by completing an Insurance Opt-in Form.  

Please consider the impact insurance has on your retirement savings.

For further details on terms and conditions, please read our Insurance Guide. 

If you don’t want Default Cover to commence automatically when you reach the eligibility conditions, you can opt-out of Default Cover when you join the fund. If you’ve already joined the fund and have not met the eligibility criteria, you have the option to opt-out Default Cover before it commences by completing the Insurance Variation Form or you can call us.

It’s important to note once you opt-out of Default Cover, you won’t receive Default Cover in the future. This means you won’t hold insurance cover and won’t be eligible to lodge an insurance claim should you suffer an injury or illness. Please consider how this may affect your dependants including your spouse, children or anyone who is financially dependent on you.

We understand people’s circumstances change so if you require insurance in the future, you will need to apply for insurance. The acceptance of cover is subject to the insurer’s approval (special terms likes loadings or exclusions may apply). You can apply for insurance by online via the member portal or by competing the Insurance Application Form.

Yes – the Default Cover you receive is restricted by new events cover limitations for the first 30 days. New events cover limitations are removed after the first 30 days as long as you meet all of the conditions outlined as outlined in the Insurance Guide, under the heading ‘Are there any restrictions that apply to Default Cover?’

If you want a type or level of cover outside Default Cover rules, or you are not eligible for Default cover, you may apply for Voluntary Cover. Voluntary Cover can either be taken as unitised cover and based on the same age-based unitised cover scale as Default Cover, or as a Fixed Cover value. 

You can apply for IP anytime by completing the paper Insurance Application form or by logging into the member portal and applying online.

If you would like to change your 4 units of Default Cover, you can nominate an amount of units for Death & TPD cover you would like to receive. Your level of cover will change over time in line with the age-based scale. Generally, insurance fees increase as you get older. 

If you would like to increase the amount of units, you will be subject to medical checks and your cover may be subject to exclusions and loadings. You can apply anytime by completing the paper Insurance Application Form or by logging into the member portal and applying online. 

With our  insurance needs & cost calculator, you can see what you'll pay when you increase or decrease your cover. 

If you would like to fix your Default Cover or nominate a dollar amount of Death & TPD cover you would like to receive without it changing over time*, you can apply for Fixed Cover. Generally, premiums increase as you get older.

If you would like to fix your Default Cover, you can do this by completing the Insurance Variation Form.

If you would like to nominate a dollar amount, you will be subject to medical checks and your cover may be subject to exclusions and loadings. You can apply anytime by completing the paper Insurance Application Form or by logging into the member portal and applying online.

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^*The level of cover provided under Fixed Cover will remain the same regardless of your age until you reach 61 (subject to maximum insurable age restrictions). From age 61, the level of TPD cover will reduce each year until it reduces to zero at 70.

With our insurance needs & cost calculator, you can see what you'll pay when you increase or decrease your cover. 

Visit the Making an insurance claim page for step-by-step process on how to make an insurance claim with us.

We understand this may be a difficult time for you and your family and we are happy to help you through this process.

If you’re a member of Australian Ethical Super, you can have more than one super account, however you cannot hold more than one insurance policy with us. 

If you hold multiple super accounts with other funds, there may be limitations which precludes you from claiming under multiple policies. Please be aware of the terms and conditions of all your insurance policies so you avoid paying insurance fees that you may not be able to claim on. Consider the impact of having multiple policies on your retirement savings. 

If you’ve transferred your insurance cover from a complying super fund, and your transfer of cover has been accepted but you continue to hold cover in the previous fund, then any benefit paid to you under insurances held through Australian Ethical Super will be reduced by the amount of insurance cover that you continue to hold elsewhere. 

Inactive accounts and Insurance – We’re not able to provide insurance cover through your super when your account has been inactive (regardless of your account balance) unless you let us know you’d like to continue to receive insurance.

An account is considered inactive when contributions or rollovers have not been made into your account for a continuous period of 16 months.   

You can choose to make a Valid Election to keep your insurance via the member portal or by completing the Insurance Opt-In Form. You still need to make sure you have enough money in your super to pay for Insurance fees  on a monthly basis.