Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) and Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) shares have delivered markedly different returns over the last three years.

One of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining giants has smashed the 24.5% gains posted by the benchmark over the past three years (as at 10 September). The other has delivered far less.

So, which was the better investment?

Fortescue shares flounder

Well, it wasn’t Fortescue.

Three years ago, on 8 September 2023, you could have bought Fortescue shares for $19.40 apiece.

So, for $10,000 you could have 515 shares.

On Thursday, shares were trading for $17.61 each, down 9.2% over three years.

But stockholders wouldn’t have done quite that badly.

That’s because if you held Fortescue shares for the past three years, you’d also have received the last six fully franked Fortescue dividend payments totalling $4.15 a share. (The final FY 2026 Fortescue dividend will be paid on 29 September.)

If we add that back into the recent share price, then the accumulated value of the shares you bought in September 2023 is now worth $21.76. And the 515 shares you picked up for $10,000 are worth an accumulated $11,207.

So, what about Rio Tinto?

Buying $10,000 worth of Rio Tinto shares

Unlike Fortescue shares, Rio Tinto shares have strongly outperformed over the past three years.

On 8 September 2023, Rio Tinto shares were trading for $111.17 apiece. Meaning you could have bought 89 shares with a $10,000 investment, with $105 in pocket money left over.

On Thursday, shares were changing hands for $179.33 each, up 61.3% in three years.

Investors have also banked significant passive income from the ASX 200 mining stock along the way.

If you owned Rio Tinto shares for the past three years, you would have received, or will shortly receive, the past six fully franked dividend payments. (The interim 2026 Rio Tinto dividend will be paid out on 24 September.)

All told those six Rio Tinto dividends come out to a rounded $19.18 a share.

If we add that back into the recent share price, then the accumulated value of the Rio Tinto stock you picked up in September 2023 is now worth $198.51 a share.

And the 89 shares you bought for $10,000 are worth an accumulated $17,667.

So, for this time period at least, Rio Tinto clearly takes the prize over Fortescue shares.

How about in 2026?

As of Thursday, the ASX 200 has gained 0.7% year to date.

Over this same time, Rio Tinto shares have gained 21.5% and paid two dividends.

And Fortescue shares have tumbled 20.5% and paid two dividends.

The post $10,00 invested in Rio Tinto and Fortescue shares 3 years ago is now worth… appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• How many Fortescue shares do I need to buy to earn $1,000 per month in passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 iShares Global 100 AUD ETF (ASX: IOO) puts some of the world’s biggest multinational businesses into a single ASX investment.

That includes companies leading areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, financial services, healthcare, and consumer technology.

With so many established global names under one roof, is the IOO ETF a good buy today?

A portfolio of global leaders

The IOO ETF tracks the S&P Global 100 Index, giving investors exposure to 100 major multinational companies from around the world.

I like the focus on businesses that have already built significant global operations.

Major holdings include Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and JPMorgan.

These companies give the fund exposure to areas including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital advertising, ecommerce, financial services, and consumer technology.

There are also businesses outside the technology sector, which gives investors exposure to other parts of the global economy.

For me, one of the advantages is that I do not need to decide which individual global giant will deliver the strongest returns over the next decade. The ETF gives me exposure to a collection of them through a simple ASX investment.

Concentration comes with trade-offs

The IOO ETF is more concentrated than some broad global ETFs.

With around 100 holdings, individual companies can have a greater influence on performance. Its largest positions also account for a meaningful proportion of the portfolio.

I do not necessarily see that as a negative. If I were buying this fund, I would be doing so because I specifically wanted greater exposure to some of the world’s biggest and most established businesses.

But investors should understand that the fund may behave differently from an ETF holding more than 1,000 stocks.

If several of its largest holdings struggle at the same time, performance could suffer.

Why I would buy

What I like most about the IOO ETF is the quality of the businesses it allows me to own without needing to build the portfolio myself.

Many of its holdings have spent years establishing global customer bases, strong brands, valuable technology, or leading positions within their industries.

I think several of them could still be considerably larger businesses a decade from now.

That makes IOO ETF a fund I would be comfortable gradually adding to rather than trying to pick the perfect entry point.

Foolish takeaway

So, would I buy the IOO ETF now? Yes, I would.

I like the opportunity to own a focused collection of major global businesses through one ASX investment.

The portfolio is relatively concentrated, and some of its biggest holdings are not cheap, so I would expect plenty of volatility along the way.

But for an investor prepared to hold for years, I think the companies inside IOO give the ETF a strong long-term foundation.

The post Should I buy the iShares Global 100 ETF (IOO) now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. 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 Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

There are 7,484,000 ‘lost’ superannuation accounts being held by super funds or the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) today.

Lost super can take a few different forms.

The most common is forgotten super accounts that are inactive, or in other words, are not receiving employer or personal contributions.

They can also be super accounts with old contact details, making it impossible for the super funds to contact their owners.

Super funds will often hand these accounts over to the ATO, and the ATO will go about trying to reunite people with their money.

Altogether, these 7.484 million accounts are worth a staggering $21.2 billion.

How people lose track of their superannuation

Aussies can lose track of their superannuation if they have had to set up a new super account each time they’ve changed jobs.

This was commonplace prior to 1 July 2005, when the norm was for employers to select a single superannuation provider

Then the law changed to allow employees to nominate their preferred fund. This enabled their super to move with them.

Forgetting to update your contact details with your superannuation fund is another way super gets lost.

It’s less common these days given people tend to keep their mobile numbers, and to a lesser extent their email addresses, for life.

But before mobile phones and email existed, it was easy for workers to move house, which meant changing both their address and landline phone number, and forget to let their superannuation fund know.

It’s therefore more likely that most lost super accounts belong to older Australians nearing or already in retirement.

Couple reunited with $1M they didn’t know they had

Last year, the ATO returned more than $1.1 billion in unclaimed super through consolidations and direct payments to individuals.

Consolidations involve transferring money from several superannuation funds into one.

It’s surprisingly easy to do online at ATO online services, which you can also access through your myGov account.

ATO Deputy Commissioner Ben Kelly said many Australians did not realise they had lost superannuation.

He recounted a story whereby the ATO reunited a married couple approaching retirement with more than $1 million in lost super.

That lost super changed their lives.

It’s not just about reclaiming a lump sum of money that is yours.

It’s also about ending the opportunity cost of money not being invested appropriately for your stage of life.

Many workers take the default ‘balanced’ option with their superannuation because it sounds sensible.

However, ‘growth’ or ‘high growth’ strategies may be more appropriate, especially if they are young.

Kelly said:

The average amount in lost super is around $41,000.

Depending on your age, this could grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars if you put it to work for your retirement where you want it.

Think of lost super as lost opportunities – finding it now could help maximise your savings in retirement.

There’s another cost to not keeping track of your superannuation.

If you have multiple lost super accounts, you are also paying multiple account fees and possibly multiple insurance premiums, which are eating away at your retirement savings.

The ATO says about 4 million Australians have more than two superannuation accounts. The norm is to only have one.

Find your lost superannuation

Follow the ATO’s super health check to find out if you have lost super.

If you have multiple accounts, the instructions will help you choose a fund to become your sole fund moving forward.

They also explain how to arrange the transfer of all superannuation monies held in multiple accounts into your new fund.

Follow the instructions in the link above to update your contact details and your nominated beneficiary, too.

The post Are you one of 7.5 million Aussies with an average $41,000 in lost superannuation? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here’s the average Australian superannuation balance at 50 and 55
• How much can Australian pensioners own and earn under new rules starting next week?
• Want $50,000 a year in retirement? Here’s how much superannuation you may need

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 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.