Signs It's Time to Move Beyond Basic Super Advice

For most Australians, superannuation starts as something simple. You get a job, your employer sets you up with a default fund, and 11.5% of your wages quietly disappear into an account you won't touch for decades. Maybe you log in once a year to check the balance. Perhaps you've even consolidated a few old accounts or switched to a lower-fee option. That's basic super management, and honestly, it works perfectly well for many people.

But there comes a point in your financial journey when basic super advice stops being enough. When the default settings that served you well in your twenties and thirties begin leaving significant money on the table. When the one-size-fits-all approach starts costing you opportunities that could mean tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars by retirement.

The challenge? Most people don't realise they've reached this point until years after they should have sought more sophisticated advice.

Your Income Has Significantly Increased

Here's a scenario I see constantly: someone who's been diligently contributing to super through their employer suddenly finds themselves earning $150,000, $200,000, or more. They're still operating with the same super strategy they had when they were earning $65,000.

The problem is that higher income brings both opportunities and complexities. You're now in higher tax brackets, which means concessional contributions become incredibly tax-effective. You might benefit from salary sacrificing strategies, but there are caps and thresholds to navigate. Your marginal tax rate might be 45%, while super contributions are taxed at just 15% – that's a 30% tax saving on every dollar you contribute strategically.

But it's more nuanced than just maximising contributions. Division 293 tax kicks in above $250,000, adding an extra 15% tax on concessional contributions. Are you tracking your income across multiple sources? Are you optimising your contribution timing? These aren't questions that basic super advice addresses.

You're Running Your Own Business

Business owners face an entirely different super landscape. Unlike employees who have contributions made automatically, you're responsible for your own super destiny. And let me tell you, "I'll sort it out later" is one of the most expensive phrases in the small business vocabulary.

Running a business means irregular income, variable tax situations, and the constant temptation to reinvest everything back into the business rather than into your retirement. You need strategies that account for good years and tough years. You need to understand how to structure super contributions to maximise both tax efficiency and asset protection.

There's also the question of whether your business itself should contribute to super on your behalf, how to handle profit distributions if you operate through a trust or company structure, and whether super is even the best wealth accumulation vehicle compared to holding investments in your business structure. These decisions can literally mean hundreds of thousands of dollars difference in retirement outcomes.

You're Approaching Preservation Age

Once you're within 10-15 years of accessing your super, the game changes entirely. You're shifting from accumulation mode to transition and drawdown planning. This is when sophisticated advice becomes crucial, not optional.

Should you be making non-concessional contributions while you still can? How do you rebalance your asset allocation as you approach retirement? What's your transition-to-retirement strategy? How will you manage the intersection of super, Age Pension eligibility, and your other investments?

And here's what many people miss: the decisions you make in the five years before retirement can have more impact on your retirement lifestyle than the previous twenty years of contributions. Getting this period wrong – or simply defaulting to basic settings – can cost you dearly.

Your Situation Is No Longer Straightforward

Perhaps you've received an inheritance. Maybe you're going through a divorce or have a blended family with children from previous relationships. You might have an aging parent who depends on you financially, or a child with special needs who will require long-term support.

Basic super advice assumes a standard life trajectory. But life isn't standard. The moment your situation involves estate planning complexity, family court orders, Centrelink implications, or multi-generational wealth transfer, you need advice that accounts for these layers.

I've seen well-intentioned people make super decisions that seemed sensible in isolation but created unintended consequences elsewhere – triggering tax they didn't expect, compromising Centrelink entitlements, or creating estate planning nightmares for their beneficiaries.

You Have Multiple Income Sources or Properties

If your wealth is spread across super, investment properties, share portfolios, and business interests, these pieces need to work together strategically. Basic super advice looks at super in isolation. Sophisticated advice looks at your entire financial ecosystem.

Should you be directing spare cash into super or reducing investment property debt? How does negative gearing interact with your super strategy? If you're selling an asset, how do you manage the capital gains tax implications alongside your contribution caps? What's the most tax-effective structure for holding different asset classes?

These aren't academic questions. The wrong structure can cost you thousands every year in unnecessary tax.

You've Never Really Understood Your Super

Finally, here's an honest one: if you've been nodding along to super statements for years without truly understanding your investment strategy, fees, insurance arrangements, or how it all fits together, you've probably outgrown basic advice.

You don't need to become a super expert. But you should understand why your money is invested the way it is, what you're paying for it, and how the decisions being made today affect your tomorrow. If your current level of engagement is "set and forget," there's a good chance you're forgetting to capture opportunities.

The Bottom Line

Basic super advice has its place. For young people starting their careers, or those with straightforward financial situations, it's often entirely adequate. But as your financial life becomes more complex, more lucrative, or more consequential, basic advice stops being enough.

The question isn't whether you can afford sophisticated super advice. It's whether you can afford not to have it. Because by the time you realise you needed it, you've often already missed opportunities that can never be recovered.

If you recognised yourself in any of these scenarios, it might be time for a conversation that goes beyond the basics. Your future self will thank you for it.

 This article provides general information only and does not consider your specific circumstances. Before making investment decisions, consider speaking with a licensed financial adviser.