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North vs smartMonday

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.

smartMonday

Retail fund brand

smartMonday PRIME has an age-based default and a choice menu, plus a pension product. Its MySuper design changed in August 2026.

Membership

Employer and personal membership depend on the relevant product and plan.

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 smartMonday: product features and conditions
What to compareNorthsmartMonday
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

Employer and personal membership depend on the relevant product and plan.

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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

PRIME super and PENSION.

Sources123
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

LifeStage MySuper now uses four age bands. Members can also select pre-mixed and sector options.

Sources123
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.

Sources16

Insurance is available; advice about a member's smartMonday insurance is included without a separate advice charge.

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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

A pension account is available under separate disclosure.

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.

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smartCoach provides account-related advice. Check the scope before seeking broader planning.

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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

From 14 August 2026, the standard annual administration charge fell to $67.60 plus 0.16% of balance, with a $1,000 cap on that percentage component. Investment costs rose for most options; employer terms may differ.

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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

Do not compare the new LifeStage strategy as though its allocation has remained unchanged throughout the historical LifeCycle record.

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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 smartMonday

Editorial assessment

Worth comparing for members who prefer an age-based investment strategy or have a negotiated employer plan.

What deserves a closer look

  • Old pages still refer to LifeCycle; the August 2026 notice is the current guide.
  • The administration reduction does not mean every member's total fees fell.

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 smartMonday

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 smartMonday 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 smartMonday

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

  1. August 2026 product changes
  2. Current disclosure documents
  3. FAQs and advice