AMP, Vanguard and CFS top super returns

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor and Publisher

7 July 2026

Three of Australia’s largest retail superannuation entities, AMP Limited, Vanguard and Colonial First State (CFS), have managed to top the list for financial year investment returns for both balanced and high growth options.

As superannuation funds work to retain members amid the environment created by superannuation stapling they have been fast to report their 2025/26 investment return outcomes with the majority solidly over 9% for their balanced MySuper options and over 10% for their high growth options.

The retail funds appear to have moved to the top of the performance tables on the back of their generally greater exposure to equities, and emerging market equities in particular.

However, AMP Limited surprised with a strong 11.3% for its AMP MySuper 1990s and 1970s options albeit that its AMP MySuper Capital Stable option delivered a more pedestrian 9.3%.

Its AMP Future Directions High Growth option delivered 12.1%.

At the same time, CFS delivered 10.81% for its FirstChoice MySuper Lifestage 1965-69 offering, while its high growth product returned 12.74% while Vanguard Super’s Lifecycle option delivered 12.29% for members aged 47 and under with its diversified options growth option delivered 9.82% and its balanced option delivered 7.55%.

By comparison, Australia’s largest industry fund, AustralianSuper returned 9.77% for its balanced MySuper offering, and 11.58% for its high growth option, while HESTA returned 9.46% for its MySuper Balanced Growth option, and 11.09% for its high growth option.

Insignia Financial’s MLC Super’s MySuper Growth option delivered 9.9% while its High Growth option delivered 10.2% while Mercer Super’s SmartPath delivered 10% and 10.6% for its high growth option.

This compares to construction industry fund Cbus which delivered 9.25% and 10.06% for its high growth option, and RESGT which delivered 9.81% ad 11,76% for its high growth option.

Research house, Rainmaker last week released its Rainmaker MySuper index which estimated a return of 9.3% for the past financial year and 9.7% per annum over the past three years, after fees and taxes.

Rainmaker said its MySuper index recorded only two months of negative returns over the financial year, with the highest monthly return occurring in April.

“Following a -3.4% decline in March after the outbreak of conflict in Iran, the Rainmaker MySuper Index rebounded by 2.7% in April and a further 2.3% in May, supporting a full recovery,” it said.