And there are a hundred other things you'd rather spend your money on - trips, clothes, entertainment, relationships. I get it - thinking about something 40 years in the future is hard to do.

But your super does matter. Almost 10% of your income is being put into an account for you. And when you retire that may be a nice big chunk of money but will it be enough? That depends on how you want to live.

Picture yourself 40 years from now

Picture yourself as an older retired person (not easy to do but use your imagination). Are you sitting in an old home that needs lots of work, driving an old car and eating at home most of the time? Or are you living in a nice home or apartment, taking off overseas once a year and enjoying some meals out with friends? If it’s the second vision that appeals to you now’s the time to do something to ensure you achieve that.

Don’t ignore your super

If someone handed you a couple hundred dollars every couple of weeks you wouldn’t just ignore it. But it's often what we do with our super – just let it sit in an account and don’t give it any attention.

The thing about super is – it wants your attention. It thrives with attention. And it doesn't need much – just a couple minutes here and there.

A few quick things you can do with your super

We understand you don't have a lot of time to think about your super. Super is boring (but boring can be good for you – have a read of last month’s article on why being bored can be good for you).

Here's a few things that don't take long and can make a big difference to your super balance.

• find your other super: do you have more than one account? Let us find it for you so you can roll it into one account. The fewer accounts you have the less fees you pay and the more money you'll save!
• top up your super: earn less than $51,000? You could get a super bonus from the government (it's called a co-contribution) if you make a post-tax contribution. Earn more? You could save on tax and grow your super by salary sacrificing a bit each month into your account.
• stay with TelstraSuper: if you don't work for Telstra or a related company anymore, chances are your new employer set up a new super account for you but not all super funds are created equal. TelstraSuper is a top performing, award winning super fund with many benefits so it's a great place to keep your super and build up your future savings. You can stay with us even when you leave your employer - we're your fund for life. 

Need help?

Sometimes it's just easier to speak to someone and we have a team who can answer your super queries over the phone. If you have any questions give us a call on 1300 033 166 or fill in our online form and we'll call you back.