5 minutes with Josh

HESTA's Chief Engagement and Growth Officer, Josh Parisotto, is dedicated to helping members get the right help with their retirement savings. We asked him a few burning questions on your behalf…

Of all the questions members have asked you and your team over the years, what are the top three that come up?

Of course, working in superannuation, a lot of the focus of our members’ questions is on retirement. In particular, how much do I need to have in my account, how should I be investing my money and when will it run out? As each member’s circumstances are different, the best answer is to access some of the helpful advice resources at HESTA.

Markets are going through a tricky period. What would you say to a member who’s wondering how this might impact their money?

We try to refocus their attention back to the longer term and to ignore the short-term noise. While acknowledging volatility is quite unnerving, these periods in markets are normal, and HESTA is skilled and experienced in navigating these ‘tricky periods’ to achieve longer-term investment returns.

Many HESTA members want to keep working well past retirement. How can they sort through their options?

Retirement income can be sourced in a variety of ways, whether it’s HESTA Income Streams, Centrelink Age Pension, employment income, investment income or even foreign pensions. Your HESTA Advisers are experts in navigating the complexity of different retirement income sources and can explain how these can all work together.

People are pretty time poor these days. How is HESTA making it easier for members to get help whenever they need it?

HESTA recognises how busy our members are in their daily lives and we try to be as helpful as possible. Whether you call us, see us in your workplace, attend a seminar, schedule a personal advice appointment or use one of our digital offerings such as your online HESTA account, Future Planner, online webinars or on-demand videos: all these services are available to assist you when you’re ready.

What is the best piece advice (financial and personal) you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?

I read a book when I was young titled The Richest Man in Babylon and its fundamental message - of consistently saving one tenth of your hard-earned money, and the power of compound interest on your savings - really resonated with me. And this principle, funnily enough, is a key aspect of how super works today.