Knowing how much superannuation you have, and how much you should have, is crucial to ensuring you have sufficient retirement savings for a comfortable lifestyle after you stop working.

Retirement savings falling short

While comparisons with others might not be helpful in themselves, what is interesting is that, on average, 45-year-olds do not have enough in their superannuation to be on track for a comfortable retirement.

Figures from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) show that for men aged 45-49 the average superannuation balance is $193,501, while for women it is $147,146.

But ASFA also has a useful calculator called Super Detective, which will show you how much superannuation you need for your age to be on track for what they deem a comfortable retirement.

That figure for a 45-year-old is $239,000 – well above the average.

ASFA’s Retirement Standard, or what they deem necessary for a comfortable retirement, envisages a superannuation balance which generates $55,923 per year for singles or $78,566 for couples.

It envisages retirees being able to afford top level health cover, a reasonable car, leisure activities and occasional travel as well as home maintenance.

Keep in mind it also assumes you own your own home and draw a part pension once you hit the pension age of 67.

How to boost your superannuation?

-If your superannuation is coming up short, there are various strategies to boost it, with some of them also being tax-effective.

The first step is to confirm that you have only one superannuation account. As simple as it sounds, this can save you from a double-up on fees charged by your superannuation provider.

Extra contributions can also be made to superannuation in the form of concessional and non-concessional contributions.

Concessional contributions are taxed at just 15% and include money contributed by your employer, salary sacrifice contributions, and extra contributions you make up to a cap of $32,500.

If funds permit and your superannuation balance is 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.

The amount you are able to contribute in this way can be found in your myGov account.

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 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 45-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.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can make it much easier to invest in markets and industries that are difficult to access through individual ASX shares.

There are several Betashares funds I like, but these three stand out to me as long-term investments I would be happy to own.

Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as businesses move more of their operations online.

Companies now store enormous amounts of sensitive information digitally, while cloud computing, remote work, artificial intelligence, and connected devices are creating more potential points of attack.

That means cybersecurity spending is becoming harder for businesses and governments to avoid.

The HACK ETF provides exposure to a collection of global stocks involved in areas such as network security, cloud protection, identity management, and threat detection.

I think it makes sense to use an ETF for this industry because technology changes quickly. Today’s strongest cybersecurity company may not necessarily remain the leader a decade from now. The HACK ETF allows investors to back the broader growth in cybersecurity spending without relying on one company to get everything right.

Betashares Global Healthcare ETF (ASX: DRUG)

Healthcare is another area I would be comfortable investing in for decades.

The DRUG ETF provides exposure to major global healthcare businesses across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and other parts of the sector.

I think there are several reasons demand could keep growing. Populations are ageing in many developed countries, new treatments continue being developed, and medical technology is improving what doctors can diagnose and treat.

For me, this ETF offers a simple way to gain exposure to healthcare innovation without needing to predict which individual drug or medical technology becomes the biggest success.

Betashares Global Shares ETF (ASX: BGBL)

My final choice would be much broader than the others.

The BGBL ETF provides exposure to a large collection of companies across developed markets outside Australia.

I like it because an investor can gain access to many of the world’s leading businesses through one relatively simple holding.

It also fills some gaps that naturally exist in the Australian share market. Global markets offer much greater exposure to industries such as technology, healthcare, consumer brands, and industrial businesses.

For someone building wealth over many years, I think having part of a portfolio invested beyond Australia makes a lot of sense. The BGBL ETF could therefore serve as a long-term core holding.

Foolish takeaway

I would be comfortable owning all three of these Betashares ETFs for the long term.

What I like most is that they give me access to opportunities that are difficult to capture through the ASX alone, while still keeping the investment process straightforward.

For investors prepared to stay patient, I think the HACK, DRUG, and BGBL ETFs are three funds worth considering.

The post 3 Betashares ETFs I want to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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 BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF. 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.

Cybersecurity company Infotrust Ltd (ASX: ITS) hasn’t been a winner for shareholders over the past year, with its shares falling by slightly more than 50%.

But according to the team at Bell Potter, the company is now well-positioned and could deliver significant upside.

I’ll get to their price target on the company shortly. First, let’s look at Infotrust’s recent full-year results.

Revenue growing strongly, but profit flagging

The company reported revenue of $64.1 million in FY26, up 9.8%; however, underlying EBITDA fell 20.3% to $2.7 million.

Including the loss the company booked on the sale of its cloud and communications division, Infotrust booked a net loss of $23.1 million.

The company said following that divestment, it was solely focused on cybersecurity.

The company said in its results report:

Following the divestment of the Cloud and Communications segment during FY26, the Company’s operations are exclusively focused on cyber security, digital resilience and associated technology services under the “Infotrust” brand. The Australian cyber security market continues to benefit from structural demand for cyber security and digital resilience, secure cloud adoption, data protection, identity security, AI governance and regulatory assurance. The market is also becoming more competitive and more consolidated, with customers seeking fewer, deeper technology partners that can provide trusted expertise, local accountability and outcome-based services.

Infotrust said acquisitions were expected to remain a “disciplined accelerator” for the business, which was now better focused.

The company added:

Infotrust’s strategy is to grow as a focused, trusted cyber-first technology services provider by deepening customer relationships, expanding cross-sell opportunities across the Company’s existing customer base, packaging services into clearer market-facing offers and investing in high-growth cyber capabilities, including identity, data security, AI security and cloud security.

Shares looking cheap, broker says

Bell Potter said in its research note to clients that the company’s financial results were close to its forecasts, while cash flow was better than forecast.

They said that Infotrust’s FY27 guidance for $80 million in revenue was better than their $73 million forecast, while the forecast EBITDA of more than $6 million was in line.

Bell Potter added:

We have upgraded our FY27 and FY28 revenue forecasts by 8% and now forecast $78.5 million and $88.3 million. That is, we are slightly under the budgeted revenue forecast of $80 million in FY27 for conservatism. We have, however, downgraded our underlying EBITDA forecasts by 4% and 9% due to a reduction in our margin assumptions.

Bell Potter has reduced its price target on Infotrust to 48 cents from 58 cents; however, this remains well above the share price of 25 cents at the time of writing.

Infotrust is valued at $44.5 million.

The post Bell Potter says this ASX small cap could rise 92% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 Betashares ETFs I want to buy
• 3 ASX ETFs that are a perfect compliment to your superannuation
• How much is needed in superannuation for $1,000 in weekly passive income?
• 2 ASX shares with dividend yields above 11%
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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 positions in and has recommended Infotrust. 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.