Our Favourite KiwiSaver Funds
Wanting to know what our favourite KiwiSaver fund for a first-home, long-term growth, active management and/or a comfortable retirement is? Our editors list funds below which may suit your needs
Updated 10 January 2022
"What KiwiSaver fund should I be in?" is a question for the ages. In this guide, we help you answer it based on your needs.
Disclaimer: This list does not constitute financial advice, and the funds listed below are included based on their short-term performance, fees, structure and, where possible, their longer-term performance. We have assigned fund risk types (i.e. conservative, growth etc.) to life stages (home deposit, retirement etc.) subjectively using commonly accepted investing principles. Our guide is journalistic in nature and we stand by our shortlist. There is no "best" fund - this is simply an exercise to raise awareness on the different benefits KiwiSaver delivers. The "What makes the fund stand out?" section is informational only with the purpose of explaining the merits of the fund - we are not suggesting you invest in any fund.
Generally, we favour funds or schemes that are committed to low or transparent fees, have proven returns and put you first. The exclusion of any fund below does not mean it's not an attractive investment proposition. Our aim for this guide is to simplify KiwiSaver investing decisions by focusing MoneyHub readers on what the purpose of their investment is - it's not always to build a retirement nest egg.
Our guide also covers our favourite KiwiSaver funds for children and young adults.
Do you want to understand how to read fund reports? Our easy-to-follow video guides to Sorted's Smart Investor tool, Morningstar's Fund Screener tool and Morningstar's Quarterly KiwiSaver Reports have you covered.
Advertising Disclosure: We include the funds below based on merit, although we may have commercial arrangements with specific innovative and market-leading schemes for general promotion. Our Advertising Policy has more details. We rely on Morningstar data for all fund returns information.
Read this first: Our Retirement in a Nutshell guide explains why saving for your retirement is essential, not optional. It outlines everything you need to know to live comfortably when you're 65 or older.
Important: This excellent article from Newshub outlines the benefits of KiwiSaver for young New Zealanders. It provides powerful reinforcement about why being in a suitable KiwiSaver fund (and making contributions) is important.
Disclaimer: This list does not constitute financial advice, and the funds listed below are included based on their short-term performance, fees, structure and, where possible, their longer-term performance. We have assigned fund risk types (i.e. conservative, growth etc.) to life stages (home deposit, retirement etc.) subjectively using commonly accepted investing principles. Our guide is journalistic in nature and we stand by our shortlist. There is no "best" fund - this is simply an exercise to raise awareness on the different benefits KiwiSaver delivers. The "What makes the fund stand out?" section is informational only with the purpose of explaining the merits of the fund - we are not suggesting you invest in any fund.
Generally, we favour funds or schemes that are committed to low or transparent fees, have proven returns and put you first. The exclusion of any fund below does not mean it's not an attractive investment proposition. Our aim for this guide is to simplify KiwiSaver investing decisions by focusing MoneyHub readers on what the purpose of their investment is - it's not always to build a retirement nest egg.
Our guide also covers our favourite KiwiSaver funds for children and young adults.
Do you want to understand how to read fund reports? Our easy-to-follow video guides to Sorted's Smart Investor tool, Morningstar's Fund Screener tool and Morningstar's Quarterly KiwiSaver Reports have you covered.
Advertising Disclosure: We include the funds below based on merit, although we may have commercial arrangements with specific innovative and market-leading schemes for general promotion. Our Advertising Policy has more details. We rely on Morningstar data for all fund returns information.
Read this first: Our Retirement in a Nutshell guide explains why saving for your retirement is essential, not optional. It outlines everything you need to know to live comfortably when you're 65 or older.
Important: This excellent article from Newshub outlines the benefits of KiwiSaver for young New Zealanders. It provides powerful reinforcement about why being in a suitable KiwiSaver fund (and making contributions) is important.
Our favourite KiwiSaver funds for specific needs
Our favourite 100% equities fund with expert management and a history of strong performance
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Our favourite KiwiSaver fund for anyone looking for an aggressive fund with leading long-term returns
Looking for a socially responsible high-growth fund? The Booster SRI Growth Fund has reported solid results per Morningstar data with #2 and #1 for 1-year and 3-year returns to 30 September 2020. Unlike the Booster Geared Growth Fund, it doesn't borrow money to invest so has a lower management fee. Also, it is dedicated to investing in companies which meet and exceed ethical investing standards. |
Our favourite long-term growth KiwiSaver fund for low management and membership fees
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Our favourite KiwiSaver fund for sustainable investing
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Our favourite long-term growth KiwiSaver fund with active management and 10+ years of solid returns
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Our favourite KiwiSaver fund for helping you maximise your retirement
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Our favourite KiwiSaver fund for simple fees, active investing and management with a proven track record
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Our favourite KiwiSaver fund(s) for anyone looking to mix and match
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Our favourite KiwiSaver fund for when you're saving up to make a first home withdrawal (or approaching retirement)
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Our favourite KiwiSaver funds for kids, students and young adults
We appreciate that active investment management isn't for everyone (which JUNO offers), so we've included the passively managed (and low-fee scheme) Simplicity as our other favourite KiwiSaver funds for kids, students and young adults. In both cases we've highlighted their respective growth funds.
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Our favourite KiwiSaver Funds - Where to Go From Here?
- Joining or switching a KiwiSaver fund is very easy - all you need to do is talk to the KiwiSaver scheme you want to invest with. The best way is to call them or e-mail; they'll explain the process and take care of everything for you.
- Never rush a decision - while you can switch again, the best approach is to make a considered decision. Our KiwiSaver guides help, as does Sorted's FundFinder tool.
- If you're in a default scheme, now is the time to consider your options - many people stay in default funds which costs their retirement. If you're in one, ask yourself what you want from KiwiSaver, and look for a better fund.
- Pay attention to the investor reporting - every three months, your KiwiSaver scheme will send you an update as to how your investment is performing. The best thing you can do is read what they send you, and ask questions (or Google) if you don't understand something. It's not complicated and will build your investing confidence.
Performance Data sourced from Morningstar and CompareKiwiSaverFunds.co.nz
Disclaimer: This list does not constitute financial advice, and the funds listed below are included based on their short-term performance, fees, structure and, where possible, their longer-term performance. No KiwiSaver scheme has paid to be on the list, and our guide is journalistic in nature. There is no "best" fund - this is simply an exercise to raise awareness on the different benefits KiwiSaver delivers. The "What makes the fund stand out?" section is informational only with the purpose of explaining the merits of the fund - we are not suggesting you invest in any fund.
KiwiSaver scheme reviews:
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