Introducing the Epic Retirement Tick
Only a handful of super funds are retirement-ready. Here’s how we shine a light on those who are, and motivate the others to improve.
In this edition
Feature: Introducing the Epic Retirement Tick
From Bec’s Desk: Will I see you in Geelong?
SMH/TheAge: Do you know whether your super fund is ready for your retirement?
Prime Time: How not to become a grumpy old bugger
Ad - Before we start — a big thanks to our newsletter sponsor this week, UniSuper
No full stop: How Aussies are finding purpose and connection in retirement
While retirement is often thought as the time for overseas adventures or endless rounds of golf, UniSuper’s new Retire with Purpose study shows that Australians are rethinking what it means to be retired.
The data reveals 61% of working Australians are worried about losing friendships forged in the workplace once they retire, and that 4 in 5 plan to keep working in retirement, be that through a new job, volunteering or flexible, hybrid work.
The study concludes that seeking professional financial advice is the key to retiring with confidence. So, book in that session with your financial adviser today!
Introducing the Epic Retirement Tick
For months I’ve been working quietly with the team at Chant West, one of Australia’s leading super fund ratings providers, on something I believe could change the way retirement is prioritised by funds. And now I finally get to share it with you.
It’s called the Epic Retirement Tick.
Here’s why it matters.
Most Australians spend 30 or 40 years building their super. And while funds have become pretty good — and pretty similar — at the accumulation phase, almost no one knows if their fund is actually ready to support them in retirement. Not just with returns, but with the things that really matter when the pay stops: learning how money works in retirement, setting up a pension account, deciding how much to draw down, weighing up whether you need an income-for-life product, and navigating all the little transitions along the way.
Even the basics count. Opening an account quickly, paying your pension on time, making sure it’s secure with multi-factor authentication — these are the things that should be standard, but too often aren’t.
The truth is, the system doesn’t make it easy for everyday people to know which funds are doing well at retirement, and which are not making it their highest priority. And I don’t want to share opinions here — I want to work in facts (you know that’s always my way). The fact is, the regulator has been pointing out for years that funds are too slow at the move to suitable products and services for the retirement phase. Just last week, APRA said again that some funds are doing better than others, but overall progress is patchy.
And here’s my view: many funds aren’t in a hurry to improve, because they don’t think consumers will notice. But they might hurry things up if you start looking and asking questions with clarity about what to look for.
I don’t want to wait anymore while pre-retirees and retirees miss out. I want to celebrate the funds working hardest for their retirees, and provide helpful criteria so the not-so-good can either get better, or you can understand their points of weakness.
So, I’ve partnered with Chant West to create a clear, independent set of 18 criteria that define what “retirement ready” really means. These criteria cover everything — investments, products, drawdown guidance, advice, calculators, education, engagement, and service. Chant West will do the assessment, and I’ll help you understand how to use it. If a fund meets at least 12 of the 18 criteria, they’ll be eligible for the Epic Retirement Tick. And I suspect only a handful of funds will meet the 12 criteria on the first go — but we’re going to encourage, support and show them the way to get there too (not name and shame those who don’t). And then we’ll empower you with choice and insight! And the only way we get there is by talking about the criteria consistently, and expecting action.
The Tick will only drive real change if people like you care about it. If you read the criteria, sign up for the report, and start asking your fund when/if they plan to step up. If you’re willing to look closely at whether your fund is truly prioritising people heading into retirement now and into the future.
That’s what will mobilise action. I’m sure of it. All of a sudden, funds will start pushing those projects forward — because they’ll know you’re watching, you understand your needs, and you know what good looks like now.
The first report will be released on 2 October 2025, but the criteria are public from this weekend — and you can see them on my website now. You can also sign up to get the report when it drops (free).
Let’s raise the bar on superannuation fund services together. This is the power of people — and together I suspect we can make change happen.
Check out my website and sign up for the free Epic Retirement Tick report that will drop in 6 short weeks. I’m excited - we’re working hard on this!
As you can see, this week I’m sharing a really important project. Yesterday my article launching the Epic Tick (below) went a little bit viral in Nine Newspapers all over the country in digital and today' it’s in print in all the papers. A great start. 6 weeks until the report drops. Watch this space.
It’s been a big week in other ways too. We’ve sent out around 300 welcome packs for the upcoming How to Have an Epic Retirement Flagship Course, kicking off on 28 August. There’s still time to join us — use coupon code EPICSPRING15 for 15% off. This will be our biggest course yet, which means more questions, more chatter, and more stories shared along the way.
The week ahead is just as full — I’ll be on the road in Sydney and Melbourne visiting bookstores, signing books, stopping in for another spot on Today Extra, filming with 60 Minutes (I know, right!) and recording some exciting new podcasts. I’m also the speaker for the professional development event for the Psychotherapy and Counsellors Federation of Australia (PACFA). They’re learning about the new life stage of Prime Time so they can better help pre-retirees through their real life changes.
Epic Retirement Event in Geelong… next weekend.
If you’re in Geelong next weekend, get out your diaries - I’d love to see you in person! I’ll be the guest speaker at a special event hosted by Lifestyle Communities, talking all things How to Have an Epic Retirement. I’ll walk you through the 6 pillars of an Epic Retirement (with a few juicy Prime Time lessons thrown in) at GMHBA Stadium next Saturday at 10am. If you’d like to come along, RSVP here. They’ve said “you’re very welcome to come” - but places are limited so please register.
PS - how good is the podcast below on ‘How not to become a Gumpy Old Bugger’ - Geoff is so funny - you have to listen!
Many thanks! Bec Wilson
Author, podcast host, columnist, retirement educator, and guest speaker
Do you know whether your super fund is ready for your retirement?
Extract of the national article kicking off The Epic Retirement Tick published in print and digital in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times, WA Today on Sunday 17th August 2025.
Most Australians have no idea whether their super fund is ready to help them with their retirement. Not ready in the sense of having made decent returns so far, but ready for the actual job it will need to do before, and after, the day your work income stops.
And why would you? The system doesn’t make it easy to find out. The government’s performance test will tell you if your default MySuper fund passed or failed on investment returns and fees, but it is a narrow, product-focused measure (that most people don’t understand anyway) and it ignores a fund’s broader services and capability. It is like judging a car by petrol consumption and top speed, with no idea whether the brakes work, the seatbelt will hold, or even where it plans to drive.
Last week, the Treasury Department finally released a consultation paper on a new retirement reporting framework for the super industry. It promises greater transparency on the products and services funds offer in retirement and how well they deliver — but the data won’t be public until 2028 (and we’ll likely still have to dig to find the detail). By then, the biggest wave of baby boomers will have already crossed into retirement.
At the same time, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority deputy chair Margaret Cole told the Conexus retirement industry conference that while super funds are making progress under the retirement income covenant – a three-year push to improve services for retirees – it’s patchy, and not a single one rated their own performance as “excellent” in the latest survey for APRA and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Some funds are acting on the call for change, others remain stuck in accumulation-phase thinking. The gap between where the industry is today and where it needs to be is still wide, and if we wait until 2028 to shine a light on it, millions of Australians could find out too late that their fund wasn’t ready when they needed it most.
That means there is still no clear measure of whether you can get the right advice when you need it, whether your investment options are designed for the pension phase, whether the planning tools are easy for you to use, or whether even the basics – such as your pension payments – will be done well and on time.
This gap matters. You can spend 40 years building your super balance, but if your fund is not ready for the retirement phase, you could end up facing complex decisions about income streams, drawdowns and the age pension with little tailored help and a lot of frustration.
That is why I have decided to do something about it, and it needs your help to work. I have been working with Chant West, one of the leading super fund research and ratings businesses, to create a set of criteria you can use to judge whether your fund is good enough for you as you approach retirement.
Read on — this article continues in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and WA Today. It is free to read.
How not to become a grumpy old bugger
In this episode of Prime Time, I’m joined by Geoff Hutchison, retired ABC broadcaster, former 7.30 reporter, and author of How Not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger - a very funny newly released and seriously valuable self help book for older men. We dive into why some men get grumpier as they get older, how that grumpiness affects their relationships, and what they can do to turn it around.
We dive into why some blokes slide into grumpiness as they age, how it chips away at relationships, and how to turn it around. We talk health, self-awareness, friendships, listening better, letting go of regret, embracing change, and even giving the future a go (yes, that includes new tech). It’s funny, it’s warm, and it’s full of practical takeaways — whether you’re worried about your partner, your dad, or yourself.
And it’s a perfect show for anyone who’s a grumpy old bugger in the making, married to one, or keen to avoid becoming one altogether.
Wonderful news Bec! If us prime timers, pre-retirees and retirees are making the effort to learn, understand and grow, our superfunds who are holding some of our biggest investments, should do the same. I can’t wait to read the report and learn how the funds are performing.
Thank you for guiding us and helping us in this prime and epic stage of our lives!!! You are truly epic in all the work you do!!
Hi Bec. This is a fantastic initiative and something that has been missing in the super industry. I spent 36 years working in the super industry and I can tell you the industry has been dragged to the retirement party being primarily focused on accumulation. I worked for a major industry fund and their core business is young people so while they will show that they are doing what they are “required” to for retirees, it’s not their focus. I’m a super pensioner so I’m keen to see your report and where my fund (former employer) sits. My biggest gripe is the lack of suitable investment options, ie more conservative and not share, growth or high growth index options. . Thanks for being our ambassador. Iain.