A white paper on housing, super and retirement
From Balance to Balance Sheets
For many Australians, retirement adequacy looks more achievable when housing, super and public support are considered together.
Explore the key ideas, evidence and member situations behind From Balance to Balance Sheets.
The household view
Same super balance. Different retirement position.
Start with what the fund sees, then reveal the wider household position and its effect on retirement cash flow.
What the fund sees
- Home$620k
- Mortgage$0
- Net housing equity$620k
Monthly cash flow
- Home$620k
- Mortgage~$130k
- Net housing equity~$490k
Monthly cash flow
Around one-quarter of Household B's retirement income is already committed to the mortgage.
The super account balances are the same. The household positions are very different.
ⓘ How this illustration is calculated
Illustrative household. Both households are couples aged 70 with approximately $380k in super and a $620k home. Household B has approximately $130k of mortgage debt. Retirement income combines a simplified Age Pension estimate and minimum account-based pension drawdown. The mortgage assumes a 6.15% p.a. rate with 10 years remaining, producing repayments of approximately $1,440 per month. This illustration is not personal financial advice or a representation of an average household.
Illustrative comparison using rounded cohort figures and modelling assumptions from the white paper. Cash-flow figures are illustrative, not population averages.
Housing as layered capital
The home is already doing retirement work.
It provides housing security, may preserve flexibility for future needs, and often carries family and legacy significance. Mortgage debt cuts across all three.
The wider picture in three numbers
Member situations
Four situations where housing can materially change the retirement picture.
The member's question may start with income, a mortgage, an unexpected cost or whether they can stay safely at home. In each case, housing can change the position underneath that question.
A member can have substantial wealth and still feel income-constrained
A valuable home can sit alongside retirement income that does not support the lifestyle or confidence the member expects.
Retirement starts, but the mortgage does not
A mortgage can affect retirement cash flow, liquid capital, housing security and the choices available later.
Regular income is not the same as resilience
A retirement income can look adequate while leaving little capacity for a major repair, health cost, care need or other shock.
The home can support independence or become part of a transition
The home may need to support ageing in place, care or a later move, bringing housing, super and other household decisions together.
Voices and evidence
From research to real-world experience.
A digital companion can bring member perspectives, industry voices and practical examples alongside the research.
AMP interview and other industry perspectives can be added here.
“I’m going to use the roof of my house and leave the walls to my kids.”
Lynn · household perspective
Approved examples can be added here.
Fund, institutional and case-study perspectives can build on the research.
For super funds
A fund does not need every answer to help members ask the right question.
It can make the wider position visible, explain what broad responses may change, and help the member find the right source for the next answer.
Bring the household position into view
Explain what broad responses may change
Make the appropriate next source clear
The test is greater confidence, clearer choice and appropriate protection.
Where this could go
The companion can evolve as the conversation grows.
Explore more situations
Add deeper interactive examples and, where useful, carefully bounded calculators.
Bring in new voices and evidence
Add member stories, expert perspectives, case studies and approved industry examples as they emerge.
Build practical resources around the research
Add interactive charts, fund playbooks, conference material or audience-specific tools.
The companion can continue to grow after publication.