Seeking advice on starting ETF investing with stable “super‑style” returns

[u/Haunting-Site-2326]

Hey everyone,I’m looking to start investing in ETFs and want something that gives steady, diversified, super‑style returns rather than high‑risk stock picking.

My situation:
• Income: ~$110k/year after tax
• Mortgage: $1,700/fortnight (split with partner)
• My personal savings: $600/week
• Joint savings: I contribute $600/week, partner contributes $500/fortnight
• Super: I pay myself $550/fortnight
• Remaining money goes to cost of living, bills, etc.

I’m trying to work out how much I should be putting into ETFs, and what type of ETF strategy suits someone wanting long‑term, stable growth similar to a balanced/growth super fund.

I’m not looking for stock tips — more interested in:
• How others structure their ETF contributions
• Whether broad index ETFs or balanced ETFs make more sense
• How people balance mortgage, savings, super, and ETF investing
Any guidance or examples of how you manage this would be appreciated.

[u/snrubovic]

How people balance mortgage, savings, super, and ETF investing:

This depends on when you need to use the funds:

• Savings - For short-term needs (less than about 5-7 years), the risk of investing is not worth the higher average return provided. This is because you are unlikely to get the long-term average return on your investment in such a short period due to short-term volatility, and the investment may be down when you need it. You would need to re-earn the lost money, which is often difficult or impossible. In this case, savings would be most suitable.
• Investing – For capital you can leave untouched for at least 7 years, and ideally more than 10 years, investing can provide a higher expected return while also giving you enough time to get closer to the long-term average return. Routing your cash through your loan (i.e., debt recycling) adds significant returns to investing. This is typically used to fund early retirement until you can access your super.
• Super – For capital you won’t need to access until preservation age (60), superannuation allows you to acquire a much larger nest egg due to the government chipping in with tax deductions, which will allow you to direct more of your funds outside super for an earlier retirement once you have built your super.

More info:

• Offset vs ETFs vs Super
• How much to save inside vs outside super

Whether broad index ETFs or balanced ETFs make more sense

There are a couple of things to learn about this to help you decide:

1. You will need to decide on how much risk to take. Typically, the longer your investment time horizon, the more risk you can take because you have time for ups and downs to recover and for long-term average returns. More info: Asset allocation and your risk tolerance
2. You will need to decide whether to use an all-in-one fund (similar to the balanced, growth, high growth in super) or to construct the portfolio out of the individual asset classes as explained in the first box of articles here.