The thing to remember about risk in investment, as in life, is that time often heals all wounds. If you have 20 or 30 years left to work and save, you may consider taking a little more risk than someone with less than 10 years till retirement. That’s because you have more time to recover from the swings and roundabouts of global investment markets.
Time can also eat away at your savings if you invest too conservatively. That’s because inflation reduces the buying power of money over time. So, those with at least 10 years to retirement may consider keeping a substantial portion of their retirement savings in a growth or balanced option.
The argument for reducing your investment risk grows stronger as you near retirement and have less time to recover from a market downturn. Even so, people entering retirement nowadays may still have up to 30 years to plan for. Depending on your appetite for risk, it may be appropriate to keep some money in growth assets to avoid depleting your capital too quickly.
Just because super is a long-term investment, it doesn’t mean it should be filed away in a drawer until you retire. Given that many of tomorrow’s retirees can look forward to living well into their 90s, the reward for taking an active interest in your super is that your savings are more likely to last the distance.
Thanks to Colonial First State Investments Limited