More than 4 million retail super fund members were each paying hundreds of dollars for financial advice they don't use due to a lack of awareness or inertia, according to new research from the Industry Super Network (ISN).
The Supernomics report released by the ISN yesterday also found more than $120 billion could be lost from retail superannuation fund members' accounts over the next decade due to commissions.
According to ISN chief executive David Whiteley, 60 per cent of retail fund members said they have no financial adviser despite payment for advice being built into almost all retail fund products.
"Retail funds, owned by banks and insurance companies, are profiting from member inertia and disengagement by siphoning commissions from member accounts," Whiteley said.
As a result ISN is calling for a super safety net that would prohibit commissions, require financial advisers to act in a client's best interests and improve access to simple advice through super funds.
"There is a moral obligation for the government and industry to act - individuals' retirement nest eggs and Australia's pool of national savings are at stake," Whiteley said.
The report said industry super funds had outperformed retail super funds in nine of the last 10 years.
On average, for each additional 1.0 per cent paid in fees, members of the largest public offer super funds lost almost 1.5 per cent in returns.
"The data strongly suggests a negative relationship between price and returns, which is the opposite of what would be expected in an efficient market," the report said.
