Aware Super’s digital retirement tool drives confidence uplift

Yasmine Raso

Senior Journalist, Financial Newswire

26 February 2026

Retirees can feel significantly more confident and in control of their income options beyond the Age Pension with the support of digital retirement planning and management tools, according to the results of Aware Super’s ‘Retirement Manager’ pilot conducted this month.

The digital platform, trialled with over 5,000 fund members aged 60 and over, helped a further 78 per cent of members to choose more than the minimum pension when building their retirement plan.

While 54 per cent of Aware Super’s retiring member base typically choose to draw down more than the minimum pension, this number rose to 98 per cent when using Retirement Manager.

Aware Super’s Group Executive for Member Growth, Steven Travis, said Retirement Manager had achieved its mission to address concerns over the money needed to retire and how long it will last, after research conducted by the super fund confirmed 90 per cent of Australians surveyed were worried about running out of money and members were leaving up to 25 per cent of their super unspent.

“This is a major breakthrough in retirement planning,” he said.

“Retirement Manager is giving members the control and confidence to draw a greater income and enjoy their retirement to the fullest.

“When members can build a plan in their own time, optimise it for different scenarios and get immediate feedback on the strength of their plan, it gives them greater confidence to draw down on their savings.”

Building on the successful predecessing program for members in the accumulation phase, My Retirement Planner, Retirement Manager helps older members set up a plan online that includes choosing an investment option, modelling different income and spending decisions, setting up an income stream and estimating government Age Pension eligibility.

It also provides users with an Income Confidence Score to determine how likely their plan is to support their desired income and helps make adjustments to improve their score if necessary.

“Retirement Manager is not just for implementing a retirement plan, it’s like your always-on adviser throughout your retirement, helping you maximise your income and giving you peace of mind that you’re on the right track,” Travis said.

“We believe it will help our members manage their money more effectively throughout their retirement.”

Travis also noted that while the program is digital-driven, it has also integrated a human element by giving users the ability to engage with advisers within the platform to discuss their plan.