Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Register

21 November 2025

Home / Noticeboard 2025

Vanguard

  •   28 May 2025
  •      
  •   

New SMSF trustees propel uptake of financial advice, but $1 trillion sector still has significant advice gaps

  • SMSF numbers are on the rise, with adviser influence growing in new set-ups.
  • Some trustees have undertaken major portfolio recalibrations, shifting towards ETFs and stocks.
  • A growing number of retirees are pivoting from income generation to capital preservation.

 Melbourne, 28 May 2025: The 2025 Vanguard/Investment Trends Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) Report has found that trustees of newly established SMSFs have been behind a surge in the uptake of financial advice across the SMSF sector.

The 20th annual edition of the report, released today, shows adviser influence is growing in new SMSF set-ups, although the broader SMSF population still has significant advice needs.

The total number of SMSFs climbed from 612,000 at the end of 2023 to a record 638,000 by the end of 2024 following the creation of 25,969 new funds. The combined assets from the new funds, along with strong investment gains over the period, helped lift total SMSF assets to more than $1 trillion for the first time.

The Vanguard/Investment Trends research found that SMSF set-up interest is rebounding, with industry fund members showing slightly higher intent – driven more by perceptions around performance than their retail peers.

Of the total SMSF inflows in 2024, 57% reflected rollovers from industry super funds and a further 23% rollovers from retail funds.

The top motivations cited for setting up an SMSF were more control over investments (65%), achieving better returns (38%), and having greater transparency of investments (31%).

However, many of those who have set up an SMSF noted they still have a separate super account alongside their own fund, which is primarily to access cheaper insurance coverage, for diversification purposes, and in case they decide to switch back their super in the future.

See full media release

 

  •   28 May 2025
  •      
  •   
Firstlinks is sponsored by:
banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

The growing debt burden of retiring Australians

More Australians are retiring with larger mortgages and less super. This paper explores how unlocking housing wealth can help ease the nation’s growing retirement cashflow crunch.

Four best-ever charts for every adviser and investor

In any year since 1875, if you'd invested in the ASX, turned away and come back eight years later, your average return would be 120% with no negative periods. It's just one of the must-have stats that all investors should know.

LICs vs ETFs – which perform best?

With investor sentiment shifting and ETFs surging ahead, we pit Australia’s biggest LICs against their ETF rivals to see which delivers better returns over the short and long term. The results are revealing.

Family trusts: Are they still worth it?

Family trusts remain a core structure for wealth management, but rising ATO scrutiny and complex compliance raise questions about their ongoing value. Are the benefits still worth the administrative burden?

13 ways to save money on your tax - legally

Thoughtful tax planning is a cornerstone of successful investing. This highlights 13 legal ways that you can reduce tax, preserve capital, and enhance long-term wealth across super, property, and shares.

Warren Buffett's final lesson

I’ve long seen Buffett as a flawed genius: a great investor though a man with shortcomings. With his final letter to Berkshire shareholders, I reflect on how my views of Buffett have changed and the legacy he leaves.

Latest Updates

Retirement

Why it’s time to ditch the retirement journey

Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".

Financial planning

How much does it really cost to raise a child?

With fertility rates at a record low, many say young people aren’t having kids because they’re too expensive. Turns out, it’s not that simple and there are likely other factors at play.

Exchange traded products

Passive ETF investors may be in for a rude shock

Passive ETFs have become wildly popular just as markets, especially the US, reach extreme valuations. For long-term investors, these ETFs make sense, though if you're investing in them to chase performance, look out below.

Shares

Bank reporting season scorecard November 2025

The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective. 

Investment strategies

The real winners from the AI rush

AI is booming, but like the 19th-century gold rush, the real profits may go to those supplying the tools and energy, not the companies at the centre of the rush.

Economy

Why economic forecasts are rarely right (but we still need them)

Economic experts, including the RBA, get plenty of forecasts wrong, but that doesn't make such forecasts worthless. The key isn't to predict perfectly – it's to understand the range of possibilities and plan accordingly.

Strategy

13 reflections on wealth and philanthropy

Wealth keeps growing, yet few ask “how much is enough?” or what their kids truly need. After 23 years in philanthropy, I’ve seen how unexamined wealth can limit impact, and why Australia needs a stronger giving culture.

Sponsors

Alliances

Site Map

About Firstlinks

© 2025 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.