Enter to search / ESC to close
Join Now
Super Managed Funds Pensions

Understanding super

Your retirement might feel like it’s a long way off or maybe it’s just around the corner. Whatever the case is for you, it’s important to keep on top of your super – it’s the biggest favour you can do for your future self. By understanding and investing your super with us, you have the power to significantly reduce your carbon emissions. 

Read more about transformative changes you can do as an individual to live a 1.5 degree life and measure your changes through our carbon footprint calculator.

If you have some tips and tricks about living a carbon neutral life that you’d like to share with our social community, let us know through Facebook or Instagram – just use the hashtags #1point5life #australianethical

whitsundays2.jpg

What is super and how does it work?

Superannuation is a savings system introduced by the government to make sure you have enough money set aside for the lifestyle you want after finishing paid work. Your employer is legally required to make superannuation guarantee (SG) contributions (payments) of 9.5% of your before-tax pay if you’re 18 years or older and earning at least $450 a month before tax.

Your super is an automatic savings plan that comes with the following benefits:

  • your money is invested over your working years, giving your money the best opportunity to grow
  • as an incentive to help you save, your super is taken out of your before-tax pay (known as SG contributions), rather than after 
  • you can grow your super faster by making extra payments (known as contributions; personal or spouse, salary sacrifice and voluntary contributions)
  • investment options to suit your lifestage

Why invest with Australian Ethical

We seek investments which:

green-clean-energy.png

Build a clean energy future

green-sustainable.png

Create more sustainable products

green-Medical-solutions.png

Research medical solutions

green-healthcare.png

Support universal healthcare

green-Innovative.png

Innovate and create new technologies

We avoid investments in order to:

red-coal.png

Send a message to big coal

red-coal-seam-gas.png

Avoid coal seam gas expansion

red-Oil.png

Send a message to oil firms

red-forrest.png

Halt forest logging

red-weapons.png

Prevent weapon manufacture

Related articles

The future of investing is ethical

UTS-Frank-building-1567871552602-1567871625957-1567872339895-1567872392716-1567967175755.jpg UTS-Frank-building-1567871552602-1567871625957-1567872339895-1567872392716-1567967175755.jpg

10 August 2018
5 min read

How do you really know if your money is invested in weapons, fossil fuels or slavery? The ethical investing scene can be a bit confusing to the uninitiated, so here’s a basic rundown of the different options that are available.

Our ethical criteria when investing in food production

crops-food-production-1567870948769-1567870956419-1567871308801-1567967176333.jpg crops-food-production-1567870948769-1567870956419-1567871308801-1567967176333.jpg

29 April 2019
5 min read

Food is vital for human life which makes it a key contributor to overall happiness. But commercial food production often involves exploitation of workers, cruelty to animals and widespread land-clearing. We explain how we make ethical decisions about food production.

Why do we invest in banks?

banks-why-do-we-invest.jpg banks-why-do-we-invest.jpg

07 January 2020
5 min read

Australia needs a responsible and well-regulated banking sector to fund large-scale renewable infrastructure projects. That said, we don’t excuse the failings of any bank – and that includes Westpac’s latest AUSTRAC reporting breaches as well as scrutiny of NAB at the recent Royal Commission. On balance, we believe Westpac and NAB are having a positive impact on society and we currently remain invested in both companies.

What our members are saying...

ingrid-neilson-communicator-environmentalist.jpg ingrid-neilson-communicator-environmentalist.jpg
I’ve always held my superannuation with Australian Ethical. I love that my own financial future is invested in a clean, clever and humane tomorrow. It’s an easy way of being green, and the returns aren’t bad either!

Ingrid Neilson Communicator, Environmentalist

Eli-Buxeda.jpg Eli-Buxeda.jpg
Given the options of the different super funds I had, Australian Ethical Super was the only one that, according to my principles, gave me the assurance that my money was in safe hands.

Eli Buxeda Photographer, Graphic Designer

ForRichardMann4-e1477527103344.jpg ForRichardMann4-e1477527103344.jpg
l have been waiting for this opportunity. For me, it is not just the money l place in the hands of those who care about the planet. It is a vote against those who make money from misery and destruction. I may be a humble crane driver but this is our world and we need compassion not misery.

Richard Mann former Greenpeace employee (1989)