Most of us do the same thing every year. We open the super statement, we squint at the fine print, and we scroll straight to the one line we actually understand:
“10-year average return around 7 to 8 percent.”
And we sigh a bit of relief. “Oh good. I’m fine. I can sleep tonight.”
But here’s the kicker: that line is the biggest sugar coating in the entire super industry. It smooths out all the bad stuff. It hides the years your money went backwards. It ignores the fees nibbling away like mice in the pantry. And it pretends inflation is just a polite suggestion.
This blog lifts the lid on that shiny number and shows you why “averages” are the most misleading comfort blanket in the super world. And honestly, why owning something real, like a property inside your super, feels a whole lot safer than trusting a number that’s been ironed flat for marketing.
1. The 10-Year Average Your Fund Wants You To See
Most funds proudly show off their long-term average: seven percent. Eight percent. Whatever looks pretty.
Industry data backs it up: many balanced or growth-style funds have averaged around 7-8% over the long haul. Recent regulatory tools like the Australian Taxation Office “YourSuper” comparison tool let you sort funds by their past 3, 5 and 10 year returns. APRA+3Australian Taxation Office+3APRA+3
The message is always basically: “Relax. The long term is fine.”
But here’s the truth: averages are a story someone chooses to tell you. They’re not the full story.
2. What The Average Is Hiding
a) The roller-coaster your money actually went on
That 7.5% average might make you feel comfy. It does not mean you earned 7.5% every year.
Some years you might have zoomed past +14%. Others you might have dropped back -6%.
And for someone who’s 65 and drawing off the money, one bad year can punch a hole in your savings that never heals.
The 10-year average hides the sequence of returns. And sequence matters — especially when you’re about to retire.
b) Fees. Fees everywhere.
The next thing hidden inside that average? Fees.
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) has been blunt about this: paying 2 % instead of 1 % in fees can leave you with 20% less in retirement. Even small fee differences add up, big time. Treasury+2ASIC Download+2
When your fund says “10-year return net of fees”, that means they’ve already taken their slice every single year. But those fees still drag behind the scenes.
c) The dud investments tucked into your fund
Your super “balanced” or “growth” option is really a cocktail of different assets: Aussie shares, global shares, property, infrastructure, bonds, cash. Some fly. Some flop.
Your average number doesn’t show how much of your money sat in the flops. Or how long.
It just gives you a smooth result and says “see? All good.”
d) Timing mistakes that real humans make
The average assumes you stayed in the same product the whole decade. Real humans don’t. We switch when we’re scared. We jump when we’re excited.
Those “moving in and out” actions attract fees, spreads, and usually happen at the wrong time.
So your statement’s number might look pretty—even though you didn’t live that number.
e) The quiet killer: inflation
Your fund might say you earned 7.5%. But if inflation was 3.5% that year, your real growth was only about 4%.
Which means your groceries, your power bills, your rates—they’re still creeping up while your “growth” isn’t doing as much heavy lifting as you thought.
3. The Regulatory Safety Net – But It’s Not Enough
Every year the APRA test (by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) checks if super products are underperforming. APRA+1
In 2025, all 52 MySuper products passed. But when it comes to “choice” platform products — the ones you pick and choose — a meaningful number still fail. For example, about 5% of those choice products in 2025 failed the test. SuperGuide
So yes, the “pass” gives you comfort. But it doesn’t mean your fund is awesome. It just means “we didn’t underperform by more than a small margin”.
You still might not be getting what you need.
4. Why Owning Something Real Feels Different
This is where people start waking up.
A 10-year average on a statement is abstract. That neat line might make you feel safe—but it’s got lots of smoothing, lots of assumptions.
A real asset—like a property held inside super—is different because you can actually see how it performs: rent, maintenance, loan cost, net income, capital growth.
You can say: “Hey, in this month I earned $XXX after costs.”
You’re less at the mercy of opaque fee layers, hidden switching costs and magical averages.
For many people, that clarity is the real value. Knowing how your money works—not just seeing a pretty number.
5. How to Stress-Test Your Super (Yes, we’re serious)
Here are five questions you should ask yourself (preferably with a coffee in hand):
What were my actual returns each year, not just the average?
What are all my fees? Not just the investment fee. All of them.
What is my return after inflation? Because that’s the one that matters.
Has my fund ever failed or nearly failed the regulator’s test?
Do I understand what I own in my super? If it’s mostly a smooth line, could I own something I actually see?
If you can’t answer those easily—then that 7.8% average might just be a bedtime story.
6. Where Super Equity Link Fits In
Here’s the heart of it. At Super Equity Link we help people move from “I hope my 10-year average stays good” to “I actually know what I own and how it performs.”
We’re not promising magic returns. Property has risk like anything else. But the numbers are real. You can see them. You can track them. You can understand them.
If you’re reading this and thinking: “This looks fine…but I honestly have no idea if it’s enough” — then great. You’re in exactly the right place.
Ready to dig deeper?
Let’s walk through your super numbers together. Line by line. And map out what it could look like to own a real property inside your super—not just trusting an average.
References
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. (2025, August 29). APRA releases 2025 superannuation performance test results and product. Retrieved from https://www.apra.gov.au/news-and-publications/apra-releases-2025-superannuation-performance-test-results-and-product APRA+1
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. (2024, August 30). APRA releases 2024 superannuation performance test results. Retrieved from https://www.apra.gov.au/news-and-publications/apra-releases-2024-superannuation-performance-test-results APRA+1
Australian Securities & Investments Commission. (2024, May 9). ASIC calls on super trustees to improve gatekeeping of member savings. Retrieved from https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/2024-releases/24-094mr-asic-calls-on-superannuation-trustees-to-improve-gatekeeping-of-member-savings/ ASIC
Australian Securities & Investments Commission. (2019, April). Questions and answers: Fees and costs disclosure (RG 97 Q&A). Retrieved from https://download.asic.gov.au/media/ze0pgjlb/rg-97-transitional-version-q-and-a.pdf ASIC Download
Australian Securities & Investments Commission. (2024, May). Review of superannuation trustee practices: Protecting members from harmful advice charges (REP 781). Retrieved from https://download.asic.gov.au/media/5grl32bb/rep781-published-9-may-2024.pdf ASIC Download
MoneySmart. (n.d.). Choosing a super fund. Retrieved from https://moneysmart.gov.au/how-super-works/choosing-a-super-fund