Your super is on the default option. It probably shouldn't be.
When you join CBUS you're put into the default option. For most tradies, a higher-growth, shares-focused option or a tailored portfolio will make a massive difference at retirement. Stay with CBUS — we just help you pick the right option.
- Stay in CBUS — no fund switching required
- Capped, fixed-fee advice — no commissions
- Advice fees can be paid directly from your super
Example: 35 yr old earning $95k
Projected balance at 67
Illustrative only. Returns based on Cbus published long-term performance. See General Advice Warning on the calculator page.
Six things every tradie should sort
Once you sign in, your dashboard tracks each area with a simple red / amber / green status.
Super Sorted
Right investment option, fees, contributions and tax strategy.
Debt-onate Debt
Smash bad debt — credit cards, personal loans, then the mortgage.
Plan B — Emergency Fund
3–6 months of expenses tucked away so a quiet month isn't a crisis.
Plan B — Insurance
Right level of Life, TPD, Income Protection — often best held in super.
Plan B — Estate Plan
Will, super beneficiaries and Power of Attorney sorted.
Save for Something Big
House deposit, ute upgrade, the renovation, the holiday.
Time is your biggest advantage — use it
A simple way to think about your money is in buckets — short term, medium term and long term. Super is the ultimate long-term bucket: for most tradies you can't touch it until your 60s. That long runway changes which investments make sense.
Short-term bucket
Bills, emergencies, the next 1–2 years. Cash and conservative options — stability matters more than return.
Medium-term bucket
House deposit, ute, renovation — 3–7 years out. A balanced mix smooths the ride without sacrificing all the upside.
Long-term bucket — your super
10, 20, 30+ years until you touch it. A higher-growth, shares-focused mix has historically delivered the biggest end balance.
Your time horizon does the heavy lifting
Higher returns come with higher short-term swings — that's the trade-off. But time is the great smoother: the longer you're invested, the more those ups and downs average out. Markets have fallen sharply many times — the GFC, COVID, every correction in between — and every time, over long enough periods, they've recovered and pushed to new highs.
If you're decades from retirement, a dip isn't a disaster — it's a sale. You keep buying with every pay cycle while prices are lower.
It lifts the odds of hitting your goal
Sitting in the default option feels "safe", but for a long-term bucket it often quietly lowers your probability of getting to the retirement number you actually need. Matching the option to the time horizon — not to short-term nerves — gives you the best shot of finishing where you want to be.
That's the whole point of comparing your options: same fund, same fees structure, very different outcome at 67.
General information only — not personal advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Higher-growth options can fall in value, sometimes sharply, over short periods.
Ready to see what your super could really do?
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