The good news when you’re 35 is that, no matter the size of your superannuation balance, there’s plenty of time to do something about it.

That also means that even small adjustments made now can compound into large benefits by the time you can get access to your superannuation at age 60.

So, how much superannuation does the average Australian have at this age?

Figures compiled by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) indicate that men aged 35 to 39 have on average $96,122 in superannuation, while women have $76,020.

Interestingly though, if you put age 35 into ASFA’s Super Detective calculator, which tells you how much you need at that age to be on track for a comfortable retirement, it comes up with a figure of $118,000.

This indicates that most people are likely to come up short when it comes to being able to afford a comfortable retirement.

And ASFA’s figures are calculated based on the assumption a retiree owns their own home and will draw a part pension from the age of 67.

The magic of compound interest

So, what difference can making some extra contributions to your superannuation balance make by the time you retire?

A good way to figure this out is by using the Federal Government’s Moneysmart superannuation calculator.

Using this tool, we can show that by contributing just $20 per week extra to your superannuation from the age of 35, you would end up with $30,558 extra by the time you hit 60.

If you increased the contribution to $100 per week, you would end up with an extra $152,790.

Extra contributions can be tax effective

So, what are the best ways to increase your superannuation contributions?

The easiest way, if you are a salaried worker, is to salary sacrifice part of your pre-tax pay into superannuation.

This salary sacrificed amount is taxed at 15%, rather than your usual tax rate, so this is a tax effective way to contribute.

You can also make a lump sum concessional contribution, which will also be taxed at 15% once it is in your superannuation.

A notice of intent to claim must be lodged with your super fund for concessional contributions so they know to deduct the 15% tax from the amount.

It’s important to keep in mind that the concessional contributions cap is $32,500, with this amount including your employer’s contributions, salary sacrifice, and concessional contributions.

If funds permit and your superannuation balance was less than $500,000 in the last financial year, you can also carry forward any unused concessional contribution cap amounts from the previous five financial years, with this amount able to be found in your myGov account.

It is also possible to make non-concessional contributions up to $130,000 and to contribute more than this amount using the bring-forward rule.  

The post The average superannuation balance for 35-year-olds in Australia in FY26. How does yours compare? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured a horror Thursday, with the Australian markets selling off heavily. We have seen pessimism on the ASX for most of this week, and that accelerated today, with the ASX 200 falling sharply at the open and reaching a 1.5% loss at one point.

Thankfully, sentiment improved slightly in the afternoon. But even so, the index ended up closing with a 1.03% loss at 8,819.4 points.

This depressing Thursday for the ASX followed a similarly bearish night over on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was again in a foul mood, dropping another 0.77%

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn’t much better, losing 0.64%.

But let’s grit our teeth and return to the local markets now for a post-mortem of how the different ASX sectors went this session.

Winners and losers

It was a sea of red on the ASX boards today, with not one corner of the market escaping unscathed.

The least-worst place to be was in communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) got out relatively intact, only slipping 0.13% lower.

We can say something similar for utilities stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) sliding 0.33%.

Gold shares held up relatively well too. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) took a 0.48% dip.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) fared a little worse though, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)’s 0.6% retreat.

Consumer discretionary stocks were in a similar boat. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) drifted down 0.63% today.

Energy shares came next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) receding 0.67%.

Healthcare stocks weren’t exempt. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) shrank 0.71%.

Consumer staples shares were no safe haven either, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)’s 0.75% reduction.

Financial stocks were hit hard. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) took a 0.9% dive this Thursday.

Industrial shares had a shocker, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) cratering by 1.04%.

Mining stocks were smashed too. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) tanked 1.62% today.

Finally, tech shares were the worst place to be, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)’s 1.74% plunge.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Gold stock Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) came out on top of a fairly anaemic pile of winners this session. Ora Banda shares climbed 4.93% today, finishing the session at $1.60 each. That was despite no news or announcements from the company this Thursday.

Here’s how the other winners tied up at the dock:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM)	$1.60	4.93%
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$18.41	4.25%
Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE)	$20.32	3.09%
West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF)	$3.89	2.91%
Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH)	$0.945	2.72%
Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM)	$25.34	2.30%
Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR)	$1.83	2.23%
Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)	$9.94	1.95%
Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH)	$137.58	1.68%
Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG)	$1.42	1.43%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Cochlear and Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Challenger, Cochlear, and Eagers Automotive Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) healthcare shares have soared 39% since the sector pivoted just three months ago.

The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) slumped to a 9-year low on 3 June after a terrible 12 months.

The index fell 39% due to many headwinds, including higher costs of living prompting consumers to delay healthcare expenditure.

Eventually, ASX 200 healthcare shares became too cheap to ignore, and value investors swooped in to capitalise.

They targeted fallen blue-chip stocks at first.

Sector giant CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) saw its share price skyrocket 32% in just the first month of the rebound.

Investors were further buoyed by CSL management’s outlook when the company reported its FY26 results last month.

This boosted the CSL share price further, and now the stock is up 82% since 3 June.

Not all healthcare stocks have performed as well, and experts say there are still good opportunities afoot.

If you’re looking for opportunities in this buoyant sector, here are two buy-rated ASX healthcare small-caps from the experts.

SomnoMed Ltd (ASX: SOM)

The SomnoMed share price is 34 cents, down 2.9% today and down 55% over 12 months.

Top broker Morgans refers to this ASX healthcare share as the “cheaper sleeper”.

Morgans has a speculative buy recommendation on SomnoMed shares.

The broker has a 12-month price target of 76 cents on this stock, which implies a potential 127% upside ahead.

Morgans said:

The FY26 result landed where the July trading update flagged, with revenue of A$114.5m and adjusted EBITDA of A$10.9m (9.6% margin), a touch under our A$11.1m EBITDA forecast.

The management restructure is now formalised (Karen Borg sole CEO, Greg Knight COO, Nathan Minnich CMO), removing the leadership overhang flagged in July and giving the FY27 growth reinflection case a settled team to execute against.

With A$16.8m net cash against a A$73m market cap, SOM is now trading on <8x EV/EBITDA, it’s too cheap.

Mach7 Technologies Ltd (ASX: M7T)

The Mach7 Technologies share price is 26 cents, down 5.5% today and down 13% over 12 months.

Morgans has a buy rating on this ASX healthcare share with a 48-cent target.

This suggests a potential 84% upside ahead.

Morgans said:

The market should be broadly comfortable with the result given recent trading updates, but new contract delivery remains the key requirement before investors are likely to begin marking the stock materially higher.

Revenue and OPEX landed broadly in line with guidance, while the NPAT miss was driven by a A$1.9m restructuring charge and a weaker tax benefit rather than deterioration in the core subscription business.

Moderate increase in target price due to model roll-forward, lower share count, and leaner-than-expected cost base.

Upside potential to target presents an opportunity but needs new contract momentum to spark renewed interest.

The post ASX healthcare shares are 39% higher since June. Are you missing out? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• CSL shares are up 90%. How much higher can they go?
• How much passive income can I earn off a $550,000 superannuation balance?
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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL and Mach7 Technologies. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.