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North vs Russell Investments iQ Super

Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.

By SuperGuru Group · Research checked 11 September 2026 · Historical APRA figures to 30 June 2026

North

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.

Membership

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.

Russell Investments iQ Super

Retail fund

iQ Super combines an age-based default with a sizeable menu of active, indexed and low-carbon investments.

Membership

For Life and employer-based arrangements have their own product terms.

Compare fees and investment returns

Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.

Choose an investment option to see the figures

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.

How the products differ

North and Russell Investments iQ Super: product features and conditions
What to compareNorthRussell Investments iQ Super
Membership and access

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

For Life and employer-based arrangements have their own product terms.

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Accounts and products

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

iQ Super and iQ Retirement.

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Investment choices

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

GoalTracker is the age-based MySuper default. The menu also includes diversified, sector, responsible and third-party indexed options.

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Insurance

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.

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Insurance applications and terms differ by membership and employer plan.

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Retirement income

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

iQ Retirement includes pension and transition-to-retirement arrangements.

Sources123
Advice and support

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

Member resources include retirement support and advice; confirm the scope and fee for your request.

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Fee details to check

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

Use the PDS and plan booklet for the precise iQ product. Employer pricing must not be assigned to every iQ member.

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Comparing investment performance

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

GoalTracker changes exposure with age. Compare the correct stage and use the same fee basis as the competing option.

Sources123

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on North

Editorial assessment

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.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People working with an adviser who need a broad investment and retirement product range.
  • Members examining lifetime-income arrangements and prepared to assess their access restrictions.
  • Families checking whether the applicable fee aggregation changes the overall cost.

What deserves a closer look

  • MyNorth requires an adviser, and advice charges are additional to investment-platform costs.
  • Money held in the cash account has its own charges.
  • Lifetime-income products have capital-access and beneficiary restrictions.
  • North and AMP SignatureSuper sit in different product and legal-fund structures; one cannot inherit the other's fee or performance result.

Sources3

Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on Russell Investments iQ Super

Editorial assessment

A useful candidate for someone who wants Russell's investment range or an employer plan with negotiated terms.

What deserves a closer look

  • Single-sector options need a whole-portfolio allocation plan.
  • APRA combines iQ, Resource and Nationwide in some product reporting; those figures are not automatically brand-specific fees.

Sources123

Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.

Before choosing between North and Russell Investments iQ Super

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 North profile · Read the full Russell Investments iQ Super profile · Choose another comparison

Sources for North

Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.

  1. North client product and adviser requirements
  2. North fees and menu pricing
  3. MyNorth Super and Pension PDS
  4. MyNorth Lifetime FAQ
  5. MyNorth target market determination
  6. North client support

Sources for Russell Investments iQ Super

Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.

  1. Investment menu
  2. iQ Super For Life PDS
  3. Member resources