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Team Super vs Vanguard 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

Team Super

Industry fund

Team Super is the fund formed from Mine Super and TWUSUPER. Its specialist focus is transport, energy and mining.

Membership

The fund serves workers in its core industries and other eligible members. Former Mine and TWUSUPER members should check their current division and insurance documents.

Vanguard Super

Retail fund

Vanguard Super offers an age-based Lifecycle default, other diversified and single-sector investments, and both retirement and transition-to-retirement accounts.

Membership

The SaveSmart PDS sets joining conditions. Insurance eligibility is separate and includes work-hours and occupation requirements for some cover types.

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

Team Super and Vanguard Super: product features and conditions
What to compareTeam SuperVanguard Super
Membership and access

The fund serves workers in its core industries and other eligible members. Former Mine and TWUSUPER members should check their current division and insurance documents.

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The SaveSmart PDS sets joining conditions. Insurance eligibility is separate and includes work-hours and occupation requirements for some cover types.

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Accounts and products

Superannuation, pre-retirement pension and account-based pension.

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SaveSmart accumulation, SpendSmart pension and TransitionSmart TTR.

Vanguard Super SaveSmart

SpendSmart account-based pension

TransitionSmart TTR

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Investment choices

Pre-mixed and single-asset options let members build their own mix. Pension and super defaults follow the rules for their particular account, rather than a single default being suitable for every member.

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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.

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Insurance

Insurance divisions reflect the industries the fund serves. The merger included premium and definition changes, so a pre-merger quote is not enough to compare current cover.

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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.

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Retirement income

Both pre-retirement and account-based pensions are available, with their own investment and fee disclosures.

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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.

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Advice and support

Team offers a complimentary initial appointment. Advice on how the account is invested is available at no extra cost; other personal advice has separate fees.

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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.

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Fee details to check

The merger page advertises a fixed super administration charge of 75 cents a week. Add any percentage administration charge, investment costs, transaction costs and insurance from the current super PDS. Pension fees use a different schedule.

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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.

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Comparing investment performance

Read the option history carefully around the merger and any strategy changes. A long record can include a predecessor portfolio and is not automatically the record of every former TWUSUPER option.

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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.

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THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on Team Super

Editorial assessment

A relevant comparison for workers whose occupation makes insurance definitions, exclusions and claims support especially important.

What deserves a closer look

  • Compare the insurance division that would cover your actual job.
  • The fixed weekly fee is only one part of total cost; it should not be used as a total-fee headline.

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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 Vanguard Super

Editorial assessment

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.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People who prefer a Lifecycle strategy that automatically changes with age.
  • Members comparing pooled diversified or single-sector investments.
  • People who want an accumulation and pension pathway with the same provider.

What deserves a closer look

  • Hazardous-occupation and work-hours eligibility rules can limit TPD or income-protection cover.
  • The super product's own performance history must be distinguished from Vanguard's older investment funds.
  • An age-based strategy cannot account for every part of your household finances.
  • Vanguard Super does not provide the same freedom as a direct ETF brokerage account.

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

Before choosing between Team Super and Vanguard 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 Team Super profile · Read the full Vanguard Super profile · Choose another comparison