Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.
Restricted occupational fund
FES Super serves eligible Western Australian fire and emergency services employees, with defined benefit and accumulation accounts.
Firefighters start in the Defined Benefit Account. Different rules apply to other permanent, temporary and casual employees of DFES and associated employers. Spouse and retained accounts are available under their own eligibility rules.
Retail platform
North is an adviser-based super and pension platform. Its menu tiers and optional lifetime products make the actual account design more important than the brand-level price.
A financial adviser is required for MyNorth products. Read the PDS and target market determination for the particular account, including whether it is ordinary super, a pension or a lifetime product.
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 | FES Super | North |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and access | Firefighters start in the Defined Benefit Account. Different rules apply to other permanent, temporary and casual employees of DFES and associated employers. Spouse and retained accounts are available under their own eligibility rules. Sources12345 | A financial adviser is required for MyNorth products. Read the PDS and target market determination for the particular account, including whether it is ordinary super, a pension or a lifetime product. Sources15 |
| Accounts and products | Fire and Emergency Services Superannuation Fund in Western Australia. Compare its accumulation accounts separately from defined benefits. Defined Benefit Account Accumulation Account Retained Benefit Account Spouse Account Account Based Pension Sources12345 | MyNorth and North super and pension products in Wealth Personal Superannuation and Pension Fund; separate from AMP SignatureSuper. MyNorth Super MyNorth Pension MyNorth Lifetime Super MyNorth Lifetime Income MyNorth Deferred Lifetime Income North legacy products Sources3 |
| Investment choices | Smoothed option for accumulation accounts Accumulation members have six choices: Smoothed, Moderate, Cash, Fixed Interest, International Shares and Australian Shares. The Smoothed option can set aside some returns in stronger years and release reserves in weaker years, at the board's discretion. Sources12345 | Investments selected through the product and adviser; not one platform-wide MySuper default. MyNorth uses Grow, Select and Choice menus with different pricing. Members can hold investments across menus, with administration costs reflecting that mix. The cash account also has its own investment and administration charges, so uninvested cash is part of the cost calculation. Sources2 |
| Insurance | The defined benefit has employment-related death and disability provisions, with separate income protection arrangements. Accumulation insurance uses different terms. Check occupation, account type and employment status before comparing cover. Sources12345 | North supports insurance arrangements, including cover held inside super. The policy and underwriting are separate from the investment platform. Ask the adviser to compare the cover, premium and exclusions with the existing policy before transferring. Sources16 |
| Retirement income | Members can retain eligible savings or use an account-based pension. Converting a defined benefit into accumulation can be irreversible under the scheme rules. Sources12345 | MyNorth offers ordinary pension accounts and separate Lifetime and Deferred Lifetime Income arrangements. The PDS says capital-access rules limit withdrawals and death/exit benefits for the lifetime-income accounts. Ordinary super and lifetime-income access terms must not be confused. Sources345 |
| Comparing investment performance | Any investment comparison on this profile applies to the named accumulation option. Obtain a scheme benefit estimate before assessing a defined benefit transfer. Sources12345 | A platform does not have one investment return. Compare the actual portfolio after its underlying and platform costs, and disclose adviser fees separately if they are excluded. The performance of one managed fund cannot stand in for the account. Show the exact menu mix, account type and advice fee. Keep ordinary super and account-based pensions separate from lifetime-income comparisons. Sources123456 |
| Advice and support | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | MyNorth is available through an adviser, making the advice relationship part of the proposition. Fees may include initial, ongoing, fixed-term or ad hoc advice charges. Ask what each service will deliver and what happens to the account if that relationship ends. Sources126 |
| Fee details to check | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | Add account and administration fees, underlying investment costs, the cash-account charge, any trustee or lifetime fee, insurance and adviser charges. Menu mix, balance tiers and eligible family aggregation can change the total. A nil administration rate on one menu does not make all holdings or the full arrangement free. Sources23 |
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
For a firefighter, the starting point is the value of the employment-linked benefit and cover. A return chart cannot price those entitlements. For an accumulation member, the unusual Smoothed option deserves attention: smoothing changes when returns are credited, without removing investment risk.
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
North is a platform to assess with a specific portfolio and service proposal in front of you. Its menu and retirement features may help an adviser implement a plan, but the justification should be concrete. For a straightforward diversified holding, the comparison needs to show what the extra structure and advice cost buys.
Sources3
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.
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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.