Tasplan's sound investment performance and low fees consistently places us as a competitive force in Australia's Superannuation market.

You see, we're a non-profit fund. We don't have large advertising budgets and sales forces that many of our competitors have. We don't spend our members' money that way.

Comparing funds can be difficult because there are so many different types of funds offering various services. These are some of the terms used to refer to different super funds.

Industry funds

Tasplan is in this category. Industry funds were developed in the late 1980's as a vehicle to accept compulsory Superannuation Guarantee (SG) payments from employers. They usually cover one industry, however some funds, like Tasplan, were established to cover all industries.

Industry funds are non-profit and committed to a low cost structure. On average, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds Australia (ASFA) 2001 survey, industry funds charge one third of the fees that master trusts and retail funds charge.

Master trusts

Many corporate funds operate as master trusts. Master trusts are generally provided through large investment houses, financial services companies and banks. Master trusts can be expensive with high fees and commissions. Watch out for fees charged as a percentage of assets or contributions.

Retail funds

Retail funds are available to individuals. These accounts are sometimes called policies and are provided through investment houses, financial services companies and banks. Retail funds can also be expensive. There are often trail commissions paid to the advisor for many years of the policy, as well as various percentage-based fees.

Public sector or government funds

Public sector funds were established for government employees, although this area has now been deregulated so that government employees can, in some circumstances, choose a different fund.

Want to see how Tasplan measures up?

Click here to check out our fees.

If you have trouble comparing funds, or you'd like an expert to look it over, why not take advantage of Tasplan's free fee comparison offer?

Our Financial Planners will conduct a detailed fee comparison of your other fund with Tasplan.

To request a free fee comparison, call IFS on 1300 138 848.