Aware Super delivers third consecutive year of double-digit returns

Performance highlights: 

• Future Saver High Growth option delivers 11.88% return for FY2024-25¹ despite market volatility.
• Aware’s Retirement Income Conservative Balanced option returned 9.78%¹ for the financial year and helped retired members keep pace with inflation.  

Aware Super, winner of Pension Fund of the Year and Super Fund of the Year in 2025², has delivered another impressive annual performance for its members with its flagship investment option achieving double digit returns for the third year running. 

The Future Saver High Growth option, the default MySuper option for members 55 and under and where most members are invested, returned 11.88%¹ for the 2025 financial year.

Retirees invested in Aware’s Conservative Balanced option also enjoyed strong performance with the pension option achieving a 9.78%¹ return.   

Aware Super Chief Investment Officer Damian Graham said the performance was testament to the strength of the $195 billion fund’s diversified portfolio and actively managed investment strategy. 

Over the year global shares were a strong performing asset class for the fund, with private equity and infrastructure also delivering solid returns.   

Mr Graham said the fund’s globally diversified portfolio was pivotal in delivering consistently strong results for members, noting the High Growth option achieved a positive return for April despite big falls on share markets that month. 

“Our investments span a vast range of listed and unlisted assets, from technology companies and data centre operators to energy transition investments and build-to-rent housing projects across global markets,” Mr Graham said.  

 “We search the world for investments exposed to promising long-term growth trends, including the digital economy, technology innovation, the energy transition, and the ageing population and its need for retirement housing and health services. “ 

Aware Super’s default pathway for members is its MySuper LifeCycle Approach, which starts with the Future Saver High Growth investment option to maximise returns in their younger years. It then lowers investment risk as they approach and enter retirement to help preserve those gains. 

“Aware Super was one of the first funds to make High Growth the default option for younger members as part of our MySuper Lifecycle approach. Our younger members have had the benefit of being in the high-growth phase for longer, enhancing their retirement outcomes,” Mr Graham said.  

“The Conservative Balanced pension is our default and most popular option for retirees. It still invests in growth assets to help their savings keep up with the rising cost of living but balances this with more defensive assets.  

“The needs of retirees are different, so in the options they typically prefer, like Conservative Balanced, we invest differently. We build in more defensive shares and liquid alternative assets which are designed to rise when markets fall significantly.  

“Our aim is to cushion the impact markets can have on retirees’ balances. If they lose less when markets fall, their income won’t be as affected, so they can have more confidence that their money will last for longer in retirement.  

“Investment balances for retirees are also being strengthened by our decision in June to reduce administration fees on pension accounts by up to 25 per cent as we shared the benefits of our increasing scale.”³

Visit the Aware Super Newsroom for the latest news, announcements and insights from Aware Super.

¹ FutureSaver High Growth/Conservative Balanced returns. These results are based on transactional unit prices and are the returns experienced by members at 30 June 2025. The timing of some valuations may mean that there is some variation in the returns as reported to external research house agencies. Investment returns are calculated after allowing for tax on investment income, investment fees and costs, and transaction costs, but before the deduction of administration fees. Returns reported by Aware Super as at 30 June 2025, are available on our website. Past performance is not an indicator of future performance. 

² Chant West Pension Fund of the Year 2025, SuperRatings Super Fund of the Year 2025. Visit aware.com.au/awards for awards information. Awards are only one factor to be considered when choosing a super fund. 

³ Amount of fee reduction will vary based on account balance.