Award winning agent Braden Walters has a very simple message for anyone in real estate thinking about going into self-managed super – you wouldn’t advise anyone to sell their own property, so why run your own super?
And Braden knows from personal experience just why that is good advice.
When he started out as a junior working for McGrath Real Estate, he was with a retail super fund – a fund connected to a major financial institution.
It never felt right
And when he went into business with his family, a financial planner talked them into combining all their super accounts in an SMSF in order to make bigger investments. It was a move that never felt right to Braden. “I was always questionable about locking up my money and leaving it exposed to different things,” Braden said.
“Just like there are doctors or surgeons who specialise in what they do, there are specialists in super funds who handle investments.”
Leave it up to the professionals
Challenging the idea that an SMSF gives you more control over your finances, Braden sees being a member of a regular super fund as having more power over your money. “I would rather leave my funds in control of someone who knows what they are doing.
“And the older you get, you start to realise exactly how important that money is.” Braden thinks advisers can push people into SMSFs without fully realising the costs involved.
Look at the costs
“The financial planners try to make out as though it’s easy, but there’s a lot more cost involved in an SMSF. I don’t think people realise how much is involved. There are people out there making great money organising people’s SMSF.”
Sometimes, going against what is popular or fashionable is your best bet. And this is how Braden sees being in an industry super fund, such as REI Super.
“I might not be doing the coolest thing by leaving an SMSF, but I’m just not a massive risk taker. With all the red tape and the personal liability involved, it can just seem too scary.”
“Just leave it up to a professional who knows more about where to invest their money than a real estate agent.”