market changes and your super
When markets move, it’s natural to feel concerned about your investments. Find out more about what market volatility is and what it means for your super.
We understand news about the conflict in Iran might feel concerning, and we’re monitoring the situation closely.
Our team has the skills and experience to navigate changing investment market conditions. We do this through diversification and by adjusting our portfolio to proactively manage risks and opportunities as markets change.
When the world’s markets move, it’s natural to feel concerned about your investments. Rest assured we’re always ready for change: it’s an expected part of investing.
But super isn’t just about us. It’s about you and the life you want to live in retirement. To build your confidence in making the right decision, it can be helpful to learn a bit more about what’s going on with the markets, what you can do, and what HESTA is doing to navigate you to a more secure retirement.
Summary
- Markets quickly rising and falling is known as volatility.
- We’re all biased to feel worse about short-term pain rather than good about long-term gain. This can lead to rash decisions about our investments, but given time, investments will generally bounce back.
- HESTA diversifies your investments, and our teams plan for market volatility.
- Set your investment goals and consider your full situation before making an investment decision quickly.
what's going on in the market?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of news about markets swinging up and down, both in Australia and globally. This is known in finance as market volatility.
Volatility is simply how often and how much investment prices change. Just like how a storm causes bigger waves in the ocean, asset prices go up and down when investors react to global events and trends. Bigger events cause bigger waves, and the peaks and troughs make the biggest headlines. The overall rise and fall generally occurs over an interval of time, which is called the investment cycle.
Watch the video: Managing market volatility
Super will have ups and downs. Remember that superannuation is a long-term strategy, and the long-term returns are strong for HESTA members.
what can you do?
So now that we understand volatility better, it may help to consider a few principles for long-term investing:
1. Evaluate and set your goals
Always consider your specific circumstances when planning your goals and strategy. It’s perfectly natural to question whether you’re invested optimally, but make sure you’re fully informed and have taken into account your entire situation in planning and sticking to your investment goals.
2. Keep diversified
After you’ve set your goals, keeping your investments spread across a range of assets is how investors decrease the risk from any one investment. HESTA’s Ready-Made options are designed to achieve broad diversification at defined risk levels, letting our members diversify on their terms but with our scale.
3. Average over time
Another thing many members in the super accumulation phase are already doing to manage volatility is called dollar-cost averaging. Since the Super Guarantee (employer contributions required by law) is fixed amounts paid periodically alongside your wages (12% from 1 July 20252), it is automatically invested for you over the long term. When your super is invested regularly, it begins to average out the cost of purchase so you’re not hit with buying at a high or low point. It’s also one reason HESTA has long been an advocate for payday super, which will require employers to pay your super more regularly, when it is earned.
4. Maximise your net benefit
Super returns are a long-term prospect, but your net benefit is returns minus fees and costs. SuperRatings has awarded HESTA with its Net Benefit award3 for five out of the last six years4, reflecting the continued value we strive to provide our members.
5. Stay disciplined
As we’ve shown, it’s natural to want to adjust our investments at the top and bottom of these waves. However, it’s nearly impossible to always accurately pick the highs and lows. The old investing adage, “time in the market beats timing the market” has been shown repeatedly by studies and our own experience. If your strategy is well-considered, take stock of whether or not short-term market volatility calls for re-evaluating your long-term situation. And remember, as a HESTA member advice about your super is a click or call away5.
market volatility for retirees: your questions answered
It’s natural to feel uneasy when markets fluctuate, especially when you're relying on your HESTA Income Stream to support your lifestyle in retirement.
To help you better understand market movements and their potential impact, we sat down with HESTA Advice Manager, Alan Sher, to answer some of the most common questions we've received from our income stream members.
Read market volatility for retirees
* Investment returns may go up and down. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
2 If over 18 years old, or under 18 years old and working over 30 hours a week. This increased to 12% on 1 July 2025.
3 This award recognises HESTA as the Australian super fund with the best net benefit outcomes (including returns and costs) delivered to members over the short and long term. Product ratings and awards are only one factor to be considered when making a decision.
4 The rating is issued by SuperRatings Pty Ltd (SuperRatings) ABN: 95 100 192 283 a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR No.1309956) of Lonsec Research Pty Ltd ABN 11 151 658 561, AFSL No. 421445 (Lonsec Research). Ratings are general advice only and have been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider your personal circumstances, read the product disclosure statement and seek independent financial advice before investing. The rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold any product. Past performance information is not indicative of future performance. Ratings are subject to change without notice and SuperRatings assumes no obligation to update. SuperRatings use proprietary criteria to determine awards and ratings and may receive a fee for the use of its ratings and awards. Visit superratings.com.au for ratings information. © 2026 SuperRatings. All rights reserved.
5 Fees for advice may apply.
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