An SMSF can be an attractive option for people who seek control over their retirement investment.

However, running an SMSF can be a lot of work and responsibility. Managing investment strategies to ensure the SMSF makes enough money for its beneficiaries to retire requires time and attention. You are also responsible for meeting the legal obligations required to run an SMSF.

As the regulator of SMSFs, the ATO collects and publishes data about the health and performance of the SMSF sector. These statistics may help you when considering whether to establish an SMSF. They can provide you with indicative information about such things as the type of investments, return on investments and costs incurred by existing funds. You can find these by searching ‘SMSF statistics’ on the ATO website.