Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.
Retail fund
Mercer Super's SmartPath default adjusts investments with age. Its range also includes ready-made portfolios, passive and sustainable choices, and direct investing in eligible plans.
Individuals can join Mercer SmartSuper, or employees can join their employer's Mercer plan. Access to particular investments and insurance features depends on the plan.
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 | Mercer Super | North |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and access | Individuals can join Mercer SmartSuper, or employees can join their employer's Mercer plan. Access to particular investments and insurance features depends on the plan. Sources1 | 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 | Mercer SmartSuper and Mercer Super Trust employer plans. Virgin Money and restricted employer MySuper products need separate labels. Mercer SmartSuper Mercer employer plans Mercer SmartRetirement Income Mercer Direct where available Sources14 | 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 | Mercer SmartPath, subject to the employer plan's own product. SmartPath gradually changes the investment mix as members age. Ready-made options let members choose a risk level without assembling every asset class. Select-Your-Own includes sector, passive and sustainable options. Mercer Direct provides selected shares, ETFs and term deposits where the plan permits it. Sources2 | 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 | Most Mercer Super Trust members have group insurance through AIA Australia, but the fund says the applicable plan determines the cover. Obtain the employer-plan insurance document and compare benefits, exclusions and subsidies before moving to another account. Sources5 | 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 | Mercer SmartRetirement Income offers allocated pensions. Its Smart Bundle combines a SmartPath investment strategy with preselected pension payments and timing, which members can change. It is still an allocated pension arrangement, so it should not be described as a guaranteed income for life. Sources34 | 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 |
| Advice and support | Mercer's product information directs members to obtain advice appropriate to their circumstances. This research has not verified a single free personal-advice entitlement for every Mercer plan; ask the fund for the available service and fee. Sources5 | 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 | Compare the actual plan fee schedule, including any employer subsidy or negotiated discount. The cost also depends on SmartPath cohort or chosen investments. Mercer Direct and its underlying investments can carry additional charges. Sources123456 | 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 |
| Comparing investment performance | A quoted SmartPath result belongs to a particular cohort and period. Mercer sometimes illustrates returns using one of its largest groups of members; that is not a single return received by everyone. Use the same age, product and fee basis in the competing account. Do not apply Mercer SmartSuper figures to Virgin Money or every employer plan in the same legal fund. Treat the sustainable-options judgment as a dated finding about specified claims and options. Sources2 | 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 |
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
Mercer's appeal depends heavily on the employer plan. A plan with useful insurance or negotiated fees can look quite different from the standard public product. SmartPath offers a convenient default, while the retirement bundle may reduce setup decisions, provided the chosen payment rate fits the retiree's spending needs.
Sources6
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.
Read the full Mercer Super profile · Read the full North 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.