Industry superannuation fund Sunsuper will offer its members free financial advice ranging from account administration to investment choices and insurance needs.
A financial plan based on these needs will be developed for members free of charge from Sunsuper's Member Advice Centre. The centre includes 15 financial planners.
The pilot phase of the program was introduced in August 2006 with 200 members a week accessing the service.
During this period, 30 per cent of calls were about investment choices, 25 per cent about making contributions, 20 per cent about retirement, 10 per cent about consolidated accounts and 9 per cent on insurance.
"With the Government's changes to super due to come into effect in a few months, the current climate has a lot of people looking at their super and wanting to know more about getting the most out of it," Sunsuper member advice manager Steven Travis said.
"These types of questions require a response from a licensed advisor so the introduction of the service ensures our team can provide the answers at the time of the call."
Members who have more complex questions can receive a full financial plan developed face-to-face on a fee for service basis, Travis said.
These financial planners can recommend other industry funds on Sunsuper's approved list as well as non-Sunsuper investment products.
"Our financial planners are not tied to our fund. They don't have any key performance indicators and can therefore recommend other funds and products to our members," Travis said.
In January, industry fund Hesta offered superannuation advice to its members free of charge.
