Investing my money

Making sure you are in the right KiwiSaver Investment Fund for your needs is an important decision and should be revisited every few years or as there are significant changes in your finances. Use the information below and our fund selector tool to help make sure you stay in the right fund.

• Am I in the right Investment Fund?
• Risk and return
• Investment time frames
• What are income and growth assets?
• First home buyers
• Don't want to choose?

Am I in the right Investment Fund?

The ASB KiwiSaver Scheme offers five Investment Funds designed to suit different investor types. Because your investment needs change over time, it is important to regularly check that you are still in the right one for you. Once you have finished reading the information below, take our investor profile questionnaire to find out what type of investor you are. Then we will help you match your profile to one of our Investment Funds.

Risk and return

Everybody sees things a little differently when it comes to investments. If an investment going up and down in value is likely to keep you awake at night, it is unlikely to be the right one for you. So you need to decide how you feel about the balance between investment risk (how much an investment may move up and down in value) and the potential returns you might expect. In investing, risk refers to the extent to which returns will vary over time.

• Generally, if the short-term investment return is fairly predictable, the investment is said to be of lower risk. If the short-term return has a greater potential to move up and down, the investment is said to be of higher risk.
• Investors may choose higher risk investments because historically the long-term returns on higher risk managed fund investments have been greater than lower risk investments. What's important is that you find a level of risk that you're comfortable with so that your savings can grow without giving you any undue worry.

Investment time frames

When we refer to investment time frames, we mean:

• Short-term - periods of up to five years
• Medium-term - periods of five to ten years
• Long-term - periods of more than ten years

What are income and growth assets?

The proportion of your investment fund that is invested in income and growth assets determines the level of risk for each Investment Fund.

• Income assets - cash and fixed interest investments (such as bank deposits and government bonds) are lower risk investment types that primarily generate an income.
• Growth assets - shares and property investments are higher risk investment types that have the potential over time to increase in capital value and deliver higher returns to investors.

First home buyers

If you intend to use your KiwiSaver savings to help you buy your first home (or as a second-chance home buyer), you may wish to consider investing in the ASB KiwiSaver Scheme NZ Bank Deposit Fund (our most conservative Investment Fund). If you decide this is your Investment Strategy, there's no need for you to complete the questionnaire.

Don't want to choose?

If you have never selected an ASB KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Fund, your savings will be invested in the ASB KiwiSaver Scheme Conservative Fund. You can ask us to change your investment to one or more of our ASB KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Funds at any time.

Start investor profile questionnaire