Kickstart the new financial year with confidence

As the 2025-26 financial year kicks off, it's a great time to get on the front foot with your finances, so you can make the most of the opportunities ahead. 

Here’s what you need to know to close out 2024-25 on a high – and set yourself up for a successful new year. 

Understanding how hard your money is working for you is key to achieving your financial goals. 

Your annual statement offers detailed insights into your investments and returns, including how your money has performed over time. 

By reviewing your statement, you can identify opportunities to maximise the growth potential of your savings and investments. 

Four ways to track performance

• Track your performance on the go – get a quick overview of how your money’s performing via the new charts and graphs available in the CFS mobile app. Download it now.

• Watch for your annual statement - annual statements will be mailed in coming weeks. Check the mailing date for your account and visit our Statement hub for guidance on how to read your statement.

• Log into your account - you’ll receive your statement via FirstNet  if you’ve registered and opted in to receive statements electronically. Make sure your email address is up-to-date to ensure you're notified when your statement is ready.

• Request a statement now - Annual statements and a range of other reports are now also available on request in the FirstNet member portal:
  1. Visit cfs.com.au and log into your account
  2. Tap on 'Statements'
  3. Choose 'Create report'. You will receive a notification email once your custom report is ready in the document library. 

The start of a new financial year is a great time to review the things that affect how your money is performing, including:  

• Your financial goals. Make sure your investments align with your goals and risk appetite. For help setting a financial goal, calculate how much money you’ll need, or compare your balance with that of others your age to see how your retirement savings are tracking.  

• Your risk profile. Your risk profile reflects how comfortable you are with market ups and downs. Generally, investment types that may offer higher returns come with a higher risk. Try our risk profiler to understand your risk appetite.  

• Investment performance. When money goes into your super, pension or investment account, you're buying units in your chosen investment option. The unit price is the value of one unit, calculated daily, and this can go up and down over time, depending on how the option performed. Performance is measured in percentage growth over 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 20-year increments, as applicable.  

• Contributions, withdrawals and tax. What you put into, and take out of, your account, as well as the amount of tax you pay, will also affect performance. Learn more about super contributions and tax benefits; pensions, tax in retirement and withdrawal strategies; as well as investing.  

• Fees and costs. These may include administration fees, investment fees and costs, costs associated with changing investment options, and indirect costs paid to third-party providers, such as investment managers. Some members may also pay insurance and advice fees.  
   

For many members, bringing the 2024-25 financial year to a close may also involve lodging a tax return. 

We’ve designed tax statement guides to help investment and pension account holders understand tax obligations to make it easier to complete your tax return.

Tax matters can be complex. Learn more about capital gains tax here. If you need more help, it’s worth speaking to your accountant.  
 

July is also a great time to undertake some general housekeeping when it comes to your retirement savings.

• Super members may wish to review your insurance to ensure you have the right level of cover. 
• Pension and super members should ensure you have nominated a beneficiary so you know what will happen to your money if you pass away. 

Delays may occur to some services

Also this month, there may be delays to some services as we work to help members conclude the 2024-25 financial year. These include:

• staggered unit pricing, and delays to transactions and payments (such as additional super fund contributions), ranging from 5 – 7 business days. 
• term deposit processing. Term deposits maturing from 1 – 9 July will remain invested until 10 July, when any requests to change how those funds are invested will be actioned.

Rest assured, your funds will continue to earn interest, ensuring your investments remain productive. We appreciate your patience as we work to process all transactions as quickly as possible during this time. 

Starting the new financial year on the right foot is crucial, and we’re committed to helping you achieve your financial goals. 

It’s also a great time to seek advice to ensure you’re making the most of your financial resources. You may be able to pay for financial advice directly from your super or pension, and in some circumstances, financial advice fees may also be tax deductible to you. 

A great first step is to speak to our guidance team, who can also help find the right advice option for you.  Book a free consultation.