extras add up for Sam

HESTA member Sam has to be prepared to succeed in her role as an infection control nurse. It’s a skill she also calls on when it comes to her retirement, which she is planning for now even though she’s only in her late 30s.

When Sam and her husband became homeowners last year, she decided to start making extra super contributions.

“I just started thinking about the future really,” Sam says.

“I want to have a decent retirement, plus if anything happened to me, I want to make sure my family will be able to manage.”

Sam asked her employer to set up salary sacrifice contributions directly from her before-tax pay into her super.

She says she hardly notices the difference in income, but she can definitely see the impact these contributions are making to her super balance.

Sam has been so satisfied with her experience as a HESTA member that she encouraged her husband to compare super funds and review his entitlements.

“My super seemed to be growing quite a bit faster than his,” Sam explains.

“We felt that his balance probably didn’t reflect the time and money he was putting into it, so he decided to join HESTA.”

Although Sam has decades of work left ahead of her, she already has plans in place for her retirement.

“I’m looking forward to doing all the things that are a bit harder when you’ve got a young family and the time commitment of work,” Sam says.

“I’d love to travel to Europe and maybe America and see some of the world really.

“If we have grandkids, I’d also like to spoil them.”

After 16 years as a HESTA member, Sam is feeling confident she’ll be able to experience all this and more.

“I am feeling confident about being financially secure in retirement,” Sam says. 

“Instead of paying bills or the mortgage, I hope my super will be mine to spend on the things we want to do.”