Superannuation Advice — Clear Financial Advice That Makes Your super Work Harder
Superannuation is the primary wealth accumulation vehicle for most Australians, yet most people never receive professional advice on fund selection, contribution strategies, or investment allocation. Japhia provides superannuation advice covering fund review and consolidation, contribution optimisation, investment strategy, and retirement planning. We are an authorised representative of Madison Financial Group (AFSL No. 246679), regulated by ASIC.
You have been working for years and contributing to superannuation, but you have never properly reviewed your super fund, consolidated multiple accounts, or adjusted your investment options. Many are in the same position. What you may not realise is how much this passive approach costs in unnecessary fees and underperformance over time. This is where professional superannuation advice becomes necessary.
We provide superannuation advice covering fund selection, contribution strategies, investment allocation, and retirement planning. As your superannuation adviser in Sydney, we help you structure your super to work as hard as possible for your retirement.
Are You Getting What You Want from Your Super?
Suboptimal contribution strategy, poor investment allocation and super fund fees erode retirement balances over working lifetimes. Good super advice can change your balance today as well as your balance at retirement. For example, default investment options are typically balanced funds that may not suit your age or risk tolerance. Many do not take full advantage of tax-effective contributions, which means foregoing a compounding advantage that cannot be recovered. Fee differences of 0.5% annually can compound to tens of thousands of dollars over 30 years.
Our Superannuation Advice Services in Sydney
Here is how we help our clients get their super working as hard as possible.
Super Fund Review and Comparison
We review your current super fund against top-performing alternatives across fees, investment performance, insurance costs, and member services. This includes administration fee analysis, investment fee comparison, insurance premium review, historical performance against benchmarks, and consolidation opportunities to eliminate duplicate accounts. A fund review identifies whether you are paying excessive fees or earning below-market returns.
Contribution Strategy and Tax Planning
Superannuation contributions receive concessional tax treatment, making them one of the most tax-effective savings vehicles available. Up to defined caps, contributions above the mandatory employer minimum may reduce taxable income while building retirement capital.
Where relevant, we advise on salary sacrifice strategies to maximise concessional contributions within annual caps, non-concessional contributions for after-tax lump sums, carry-forward concessional contributions for catch-up contributions if you have unused cap space, government co-contribution eligibility for low-to-middle-income earners, and spouse contribution-splitting strategies. Laws regarding these contribution rules change regularly – getting professional advice ensures you maximise available opportunities without triggering penalty tax.
Investment Allocation Strategy
Default super investment options are typically balanced funds holding 60-70% growth assets and 30-40% defensive assets. This allocation may not suit your age, risk tolerance, or retirement timeline. Members approaching retirement may require greater defensive allocation to protect capital.
We review your current investment allocation, assess risk tolerance and time horizon, and recommend appropriate investment options within your fund. Investment allocation has a greater impact on retirement outcomes than fee reduction.
Insurance Within Superannuation
Most super funds provide default life insurance and total and permanent disability (TPD) cover. One advantage of this arrangement is the cost is funded from your super balance rather than take-home pay, which reduces cash-flow pressure. However, insurance premiums erode your retirement savings over time, and the claims process through the super trustee is administratively more burdensome. We will help you assess whether your super fund insurance is adequate, appropriate, and cost-effective. For many clients, holding some or all insurance outside super provides better coverage and cleaner claims processes despite higher cash-flow costs.
Superannuation in Retirement
Transitioning superannuation from the accumulation phase to the pension phase is one of the most important financial decisions you will make. We advise on transition-to-retirement strategies for members, account-based pension setup and withdrawal strategies, minimum annual withdrawal requirements, tax treatment of super income in retirement, and coordination with Age Pension entitlements. Pension phase decisions can have permanent consequences for tax treatment and income flexibility.
Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)
SMSFs provide direct control over investment decisions, including property, shares, and alternative assets. They are appropriate for members with more substantial super balances and a willingness to accept trustee compliance obligations. We provide SMSF suitability assessment, establishment coordination, and investment strategy development and can work with your accountant to achieve ongoing compliance. For detailed information, refer to our SMSF Advice page.
Who Needs Superannuation Advice?
You are in your 30s or 40s and have never properly reviewed your investment allocation in super.
You have multiple super accounts from different jobs, and you are paying fees on all of them.
You are a business owner who has not maximised your super contributions as part of your overall tax strategy.
You want to know if your super is on track for the retirement you want.
You are paying high fees in a default fund, and you have a feeling there are better options.
You want to understand whether an SMSF is right for your situation.
You are approaching retirement, and you want a clear plan for drawing down your super efficiently.
How We Work
Understand
We start by learning your current super arrangements, employment status, retirement timeline, and any specific concerns or objectives you have regarding your superannuation.
Analyse
We review your super fund performance, fees, investment allocation, contribution strategies, and insurance coverage. We assess whether your current arrangements are optimal for your circumstances.
Present
We walk you through our recommendations: which fund we recommend, what contribution strategies will benefit you, how your investment allocation should be adjusted, and what this means for your retirement outcome. We explain the reasoning and the expected impact.
Implement and Review:
We implement the superannuation strategy by liaising with your super funds as your adviser. With an ongoing engagement, we will also provide contribution strategy updates, investment allocation reviews, and assessments of regulatory changes that affect your super.
Next Steps
An initial consultation with Japhia takes approximately 30 minutes. We will find out about your current super arrangements and investment options and discuss potentially available opportunities. Appointments are available in person at our North Sydney office or online. Japhia is based at Level 24, 100 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060.
Adviser Profile
Meet Nicholas Wong – principal, japhia wealth advisory
Nicholas Wong is an authorised representative of Madison Financial Group (AFSL No. 246679). Nicholas has spent over 25 years working in the finance industry, with experience across financial planning, tax, superannuation and personal insurance. His goal is to provide well-considered, personalised wealth management advice that helps you grow, manage and protect your wealth over the long term.
Nicholas has extensive qualifications in finance and tax and has advised clients ranging from individuals to business owners. His clients value his ability to explain investment, superannuation, retirement planning and insurance options in simple terms and to give them a clear and actionable plan to achieve their financial goals. He is based at Level 24, 100 Miller Street, North Sydney.
Academic Qualifications:
Bachelor of Economics (University of Sydney)
Master of Applied Finance and Investments (FINSIA)
Master of Taxation (University of Sydney Faculty of Law)
Master of Financial Planning (Kaplan Professional)
Professional Qualifications:
Member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI)
Qualified Tax Relevant Provider as registered by Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
Superannuation Advice Across Greater Sydney
We provide superannuation advice across Greater Sydney — in person at our North Sydney office or via video call anywhere else.
| North Sydney | Mosman | Eastern Suburbs |
| Lower North Shore | Upper North Shore | Chatswood |
| Northbridge | Hills District | Parramatta |
| Sydney CBD | St Leonards | Newcastle |
Common Questions About Superannuation Advice in Sydney (FAQs)
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This depends on your income, tax position, and retirement goals. Salary sacrifice or making a personal deductible contribution up to the concessional contribution cap) reduces taxable income while building retirement capital. We model contribution strategies based on your specific circumstances.
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Compare your fund against industry benchmarks for fees, long-term investment performance, and insurance costs. Most people have never compared their fund against alternatives. We conduct this analysis as part of our review. Note, however, that past performance is not an indicator of future performance.
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Choice of investment option should take into account your age, risk tolerance, and retirement timeline. Younger members can typically sustain higher growth allocations. Members approaching retirement require more defensive positioning. We assess appropriate allocation for your circumstances.
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Insurance inside a super fund reduces cash flow impact but erodes retirement savings and may provide limited coverage. Insurance outside super generally costs more but offers broader policy options. The right structure depends on your financial position and coverage needs.
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Japhia charges a transparent fee agreed upfront with no commissions from super funds or product providers. The fee depends on the complexity of your super arrangements and the scope of work required.
Ready to Get Superannuation Advice in Sydney?
An initial consultation with Japhia takes approximately 30 minutes. We will take a look at your current super arrangements and investment options and discuss potentially available opportunities. No obligation. No sales pitch.
Japhia Wealth Advisory
24/100 Miller Street North Sydney NSW 2060
+61 2 7202 8382
AFSL: 246679
GENERAL ADVICE WARNING: This information is of a general nature only and neither represents nor is intended to be specific advice on any particular matter. Madison Financial Group Pty Ltd strongly suggests that no person should act specifically on the basis of the information contained herein but should seek appropriate professional advice based upon their own personal circumstances.