A new report, commissioned by the SMSF Association and prepared by Investment Trends and Morningstar, found that whilst investors are focused on the maximisation of income, growth is becoming a foremost priority.
The SMSF Investor Product Needs Report – which surveyed 2,681 SMSF investors over a six-year period from 2009 to 2014 – found that in 2014, 23 per cent of individuals stated that capital growth was their main investment goal.
This is a significant shift, as growth priority previously dipped to 14 per cent in 2011.
SMSF Association managing director and CEO Andrea Slattery said: “This important piece of research helps put to bed the myths that SMSF investors don’t like making decisions, are apathetic, and basically sit on large cash reserves.
“SMSF investors tend to lead the general investor population in investing behaviour and, as such, it’s critical to watch what they are doing.
“Trustees are now increasingly prioritising growth, a trend that is spreading to the broader investing population.
“There is no better example of this than the growing intention by SMSF trustees to invest in overseas markets, indicating their investment horizons are extending beyond Australian blue-chip equities and cash,” Ms Slattery said.
