Most Australians feel a bit unsure about superannuation. They know it’s important… they know it’s “for retirement”… but the system feels complicated, full of jargon, and often overwhelming. The good news? It doesn’t have to be.
One of the simplest and most helpful ways to understand your super — especially the structure behind it — is to imagine it like a supermarket. This analogy helps you see how platforms, investment options and model portfolios actually work, without needing a finance degree.
Your Super Platform Is a Supermarket
Think of your super platform (the technology behind your super account) as a supermarket — like Coles, Woolworths or Aldi.
Its main job is to:
- stock a variety of investment “products”,
- ensure everything on the shelves meets safety and regulatory standards (similar to APRA’s rules for super products
- clearly show pricing and fees (something the ATO’s YourSuper tool helps with, and
- provide receipts and statements for everything you “buy”.
Different platforms feel like different supermarkets — same purpose, different layout.
Some platforms are large and comprehensive (like a full‑size Coles), offering every aisle imaginable. Others are more like an express store: smaller, simpler, with a tighter range. Both can get the job done. They just offer different levels of choice.
The Aisles: What You Can “Buy” Inside Your Super
To keep things simple, imagine three main aisles in this financial supermarket. You don’t need to understand the technical names — the analogy takes care of that.
Aisles 1-4: Individual Ingredients (Direct Investments)
These are items you pick one by one:
- Australian or international shares
- ETFs (which behave like a single item even though they contain many holdings)
- Listed investments
- Cash or term deposits
- Bonds and fixed interest
This is like selecting tomatoes, pasta, herbs or spices to make a meal from scratch. It offers the most control — but also requires the most involvement.
Aisle 5-8: Prepared Ingredient Mixes (Managed Funds)
These are like pre‑made cooking kits or blended mixes. Someone has already combined ingredients for you. Examples include:
- single‑sector managed funds,
- diversified multi‑sector funds, and
- specialist or ethical funds.
These are still individual products, but they’re built with more structure — helpful for people who don’t want to cook everything from scratch. And just like supermarkets arrange products by intensity (mild, medium, hot), these mixes are often arranged by risk level:
- High Growth
- Balanced
- Conservative
This helps you choose the “flavour” that suits you.
Click & Collect Service (Model Portfolios)
Here’s where the analogy becomes powerful. Rather than being a product on a shelf, a model portfolio is more like a Click & Collect trolley. You tell a professional:
- what you prefer,
- your goals,
- your time horizon,
- how much market volatility you’re comfortable with…
…and they walk the aisles and pick out a full, balanced trolley for you. This “professional shopper” might be an investment consultant, portfolio manager, or specialist team — the equivalent of having a nutritionist curate your weekly groceries.
Your Click & Collect trolley:
- uses items from all aisles,
- is blended deliberately,
- stays aligned to your preferences,
- and is refreshed as markets or “seasons” change — much like updating a meal plan.
You can change what’s in your trolley (or your professional shopper) — without changing supermarkets. The platform (supermarket) stays the same.
The curation changes.
So What’s the Point of This Analogy?
The supermarket analogy helps you understand:
- what a platform actually is
- how investment products are organised
- how a curated model portfolio works
- the difference between DIY, managed funds and professional curation
- and why platforms aren’t the whole story
But its most important lesson is this: The platform is just the place you shop. What matters next is what you put in your trolley. That’s the focus of the next article — and it’s the part most Australians misunderstand.
Coming Next: Why What’s in Your Trolley Matters More Than Where You Shop
In the next article, “What’s in Your Trolley Matters More Than Where You Shop“, I’ll explain:
- why “not making an investment choice” is actually a choice (and usually a bad one),
- why default investment options rarely match your personal goals, and
- how to make sure your trolley reflects the life you want — not someone else’s idea of “average”.
Let’s turn the supermarket map into meaningful financial outcomes.
Any advice on this site is general nature only and has not been tailored to your personal objectives, financial situation and needs. Please seek personal advice prior to acting on this information. Any advice on this website has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, before acting on the advice, you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives, financial situation or needs.
