The KiwiSaver fund finder:
Fund data is sourced from the Companies Office Disclose Register. The key assumption made in this tool is that KiwiSaver providers have accurately disclosed data for each of their KiwiSaver funds, as well as for the services and communications that they offer.
The KiwiSaver fund finder assumes:
The KiwiSaver fund finder assumes:
Fund type |
28.0% tax rate |
17.5% |
10.5% |
Defensive |
1.5% |
1.6% |
1.9% |
Conservative |
2.5% |
2.7% |
3.0% |
Balanced |
3.5% |
3.8% |
4.1% |
Growth |
4.5% |
4.9% |
5.2% |
Aggressive |
5.5% |
6.0% |
6.3% |
The KiwiSaver fund finder assumes:
The KiwiSaver fund finder collects the following information from you:
If you indicated you are unsure of the type of fund you are looking for, it then gauges your:
Your answers are scored and you are directed towards one of the five types of funds.
This means that no one, even a risk lover, is directed to anything riskier than conservative for less than 3 years, or anything riskier than balanced for less than 10 years.
We’ve grouped KiwiSaver funds based on the proportion of growth assets (shares, commercial property and some derivatives, which tend to be riskier) that they held in the most recent quarter reported.
The fund finder uses the data collected to calculate your contributions. It then adds the assumed investment earnings based on the fund type (see table above for the assumptions used).
For each fund in the database, the calculator takes the contributions, adds the assumed investment earnings, adds future contributions and subtracts the expected fees that will be charged each period. The fees are totalled up and converted to the equivalent in today's dollar.
The fund finder also makes the above calculation for the average of each type of fund. You can easily compare each fund to the average of the same type to get an idea of the context, and whether a fund is more or less expensive than a typical fund.
The level of service a provider offers is an important factor when choosing a KiwiSaver fund. Sorted surveys KiwiSaver providers every six months to find out how many different ways they help their members with investment options, communicate with members, and the extra services they offer.
So our overall star ratings are more about the quantity rather than the quality of services they offer. You can also see specific ratings out of 5 for their communications and investment help.
The survey responses are collected and weighted, as some service features are more significant than others. For services that are particularly important or that most providers are not likely to do, such as proactively contacting members to remind them to get the government contribution, more points are awarded. Each provider is then scored accordingly.
If a particular service matters to you, check whether your provider offers it by reading their website, or phoning or emailing them.
KiwiSaver providers are required by law to disclose their results in prescribed ways, which typically happens each quarter ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. This data is collected on the Companies Office Disclose Register and then made available to the public.
We directly feed the data into the fund finder to report to you the average annual growth for each fund over the past five years. This data does not indicate what will happen in the future, but it’s useful to compare funds over similar timeframes and in similar market conditions.
The fund finder calculates an average five-year return for each type of fund so you can easily compare one fund’s results to others of the same type. If you see consistently poor returns while comparing KiwiSaver funds, it may be a sign of poor management.
The KiwiSaver fund finder is an online tool from Sorted to help you select a KiwiSaver fund according to key criteria. It lets you compare different funds’ fees and performance, as well as the services offered by providers. It also helps you decide whether you are in the best KiwiSaver fund for you.
The KiwiSaver fund finder displays data on hundreds of KiwiSaver funds in a simple and standardised format. It provides averages across similar types of funds to allow quick comparisons. The tool also includes a short questionnaire to help you work out how much risk to take.
The tool is for anyone currently in KiwiSaver or thinking about joining. It lets you compare KiwiSaver funds, check the fund you’re currently in, or pick funds for family members, for instance.
It is also essential for anyone wanting to learn about the key criteria for choosing a KiwiSaver fund: the right amount of risk, the fees involved and the services offered. Looking at past performance can be useful too, although it does not predict how a fund will do in the future.
The fund finder data is only from KiwiSaver funds and their providers.
Because it is limited to KiwiSaver, you’ll need to take into account any other significant investments you have outside of KiwiSaver. For example, if you have lots of low-risk bank term deposits, you may want a higher-risk KiwiSaver fund than the tool suggests. Or if you have shares, where the risk level can vary widely, you may want a higher- or lower-risk KiwiSaver fund. If you’re not sure, you might want to seek help from a financial adviser.
Providers of investment offers in New Zealand are required by law to communicate key facts so investors can make informed choices. The data and documents are collected on a central register called Disclose.
The KiwiSaver fund finder takes this information and displays it in a way that’s easy to find, compare and understand.
It also includes information about the services and communications that KiwiSaver providers offer you – based on their responses to our six-monthly provider survey.
Fees are the total cost you can expect to pay in a given fund by the time you retire. Estimates are based on current fee levels, your balance and how long until you retire.
The services percentage is based on weighted responses to the most recent six-monthly provider survey. It refers to how many important customer services a provider offers you.
The returns shown are how the fund performed (after fees and tax) for the five years up to the most recent quarter (31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December). In general, it’s good to look at the longest possible time period when assessing returns.
KiwiSaver providers are required by law to make data publicly available each quarter. The KiwiSaver fund finder will update weekly from the Disclose register, if new information becomes available.
The information on provider services is based on a six-monthly survey.
We’ve grouped KiwiSaver funds based on the proportion of growth assets (shares, commercial property and some derivatives, which tend to be riskier) that they held in the last reporting period.
Note that these ranges are quite wide for conservative, balanced and growth funds. This can make it tricky to compare funds within a category.
For example, Balanced Fund A might hold just 35% in growth assets, while Balanced Fund B holds 62%. In periods when growth assets perform well, returns for Fund B are likely to be higher just because it holds more growth assets. But if growth assets then perform badly, Fund B is likely to do worse than Fund A.
When comparing the returns of two funds within a fund type, take into account what each fund holds. If you look at the details and actual allocations for different funds in this category, you can find those with the proportion of growth assets you need.