Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.
Closed retail fund
Challenger Retirement Fund holds legacy super, pension and insurance contracts. Its products are closed to new members.
The provider confirms all products in this fund are closed to new members. Existing holders should use the documents for their particular contract.
Retail fund
Vanguard Super offers an age-based Lifecycle default, other diversified and single-sector investments, and both retirement and transition-to-retirement accounts.
The SaveSmart PDS sets joining conditions. Insurance eligibility is separate and includes work-hours and occupation requirements for some cover types.
Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.
The costs and returns belong to the selected product, option or lifecycle stage.
Source: APRA Comprehensive Product Performance Package 2026, published 28 August 2026. Fees reflect the reporting year to 30 June 2026, are net of tax, use standard arrangements and exclude member-activity fees. Dollar figures are rounded. They are not a current quote. Check the latest PDS for changes, insurance premiums and any separately charged advice.
Returns are annualised historical results. Different return bases, risk levels and periods cannot be treated as interchangeable. MySuper net returns use a $50,000 representative balance even when you change the fee balance. A lifecycle stage return does not track a person moving between stages. Missing figures mean not reported, not zero. Past returns do not predict future returns. Read our method and APRA's definitions.
| What to compare | Challenger Retirement Fund | Vanguard Super |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and access | The provider confirms all products in this fund are closed to new members. Existing holders should use the documents for their particular contract. Sources123 | The SaveSmart PDS sets joining conditions. Insurance eligibility is separate and includes work-hours and occupation requirements for some cover types. Sources48 |
| Accounts and products | Existing products inside Challenger Retirement Fund. This entry does not describe every annuity currently sold by Challenger Life. Guaranteed Personal Superannuation Guaranteed Income Pension Plan Guaranteed Lifetime Pension Plan Term Allocated Pension Term Life under super Sources123 | SaveSmart accumulation, SpendSmart pension and TransitionSmart TTR. Vanguard Super SaveSmart SpendSmart account-based pension TransitionSmart TTR Sources2 |
| Investment choices | Some contracts provide a guaranteed rate or income; others have cash or market-linked features. There is no single investment menu or balanced option that represents the whole fund. Sources123 | Lifecycle Lifecycle changes the asset mix as a member ages. Members can choose other diversified options or single-sector options instead. The menu offers pooled investments inside super; it should not be described as a brokerage account for buying any Vanguard ETF. Sources1 |
| Insurance | Term Life is a separate insurance product in the fund. Holding a pension does not mean a member has that insurance. Sources123 | Eligible members receive basic death and TPD cover. Income protection requires a separate application. Vanguard's public eligibility page lists a minimum recent work-hours condition and excludes hazardous occupations for TPD and income protection; TPD must be held with death cover and cannot exceed it. Sources45 |
| Retirement income | Income, withdrawal rights and indexation depend on the original contract. Fixed terms may have break costs, while some lifetime pensions have no withdrawal value. Sources123 | SpendSmart provides regular retirement income and lump-sum access for eligible members. TransitionSmart lets eligible working members draw pension payments while keeping a SaveSmart accumulation account for contributions. Sources23 |
| Comparing investment performance | Do not present this fund as an available destination for a new accumulation account. Guaranteed-income contracts and ordinary market investment options need different comparisons. Sources123 | Lifecycle performance is age-dependent. Compare an equivalent age allocation and period, and use super-product returns rather than the much longer track record of a Vanguard managed fund or ETF outside super. Those are different products with different costs and taxes. Show Lifecycle results for the same age. Include SpendSmart and TransitionSmart in retirement comparisons, and compare insurance eligibility explicitly. Sources12345678 |
| Advice and support | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | Vanguard provides educational material and a Find an Adviser tool. Compare the scope and price of personal advice separately; the presence of a referral tool does not establish that comprehensive advice is included in the super fee. Sources7 |
| Fee details to check | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | Use the total annual fee for your selected option and balance, then account for insurance and buy/sell spreads. Vanguard says options other than Lifecycle can have different costs. A quoted Lifecycle percentage therefore should not be attached to every investment choice or pension product. Sources6 |
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
This entry is useful for someone trying to understand an existing policy. A modern super comparison can miss the promise built into a legacy pension. Start with the contract, its payment schedule and any surrender value before weighing a change.
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
Vanguard is a useful comparison for someone who wants a clearly described age-based investment approach. Its retirement accounts also let members move from saving to drawing an income within the fund. Insurance is the detail that can change the decision, particularly for someone in a hazardous occupation or with irregular working hours.
Sources4
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
Use the membership rules to establish which accounts are available to you. Then compare the total price of the investment option and cover you need. A lower fee or higher historical return alone does not tell you which fund is suitable.
Ask both funds to confirm insurance acceptance, exclusions, waiting periods and whether cover would change when you leave your employer. Obtain advice before giving up a defined benefit or an insurance policy you may not be able to replace. ASIC Moneysmart explains the comparison checks.
Read the full Challenger Retirement Fund profile · Read the full Vanguard Super profile · Choose another comparison
Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.
Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.