A reader previously asked us: “Is there a Kiwisaver gold fund that I could invest in?”
Then recently someone else also asked:
“I’m moving back to Australia and have a small amount in my kiwisaver $25k roughly. Is it possible to invest that in physical gold and silver that I can possess? I am worried that it will dwindle away in fees, where as a self managed ‘fund’ invested in metals would be safer. Is that possible?”
We wrote about this some years ago here: Questions From Readers: Precious Metals & Kiwisaver, BoomBust Cycle, Gold & Silver Exit Strategies
The gist of our answer back then was that there are no specific precious metals Kiwisaver funds available and we thought unlikely there would be. Why? Because gold and silver are seen as “too risky” by the mainstream fund management community. And they are not “diversified” like a standard “balanced” fund would be. There also probably wouldn’t be enough demand to justify setting such a fund up.
Of course diversification does not do you much good in a financial crisis. In 2008 every sharemarket plummeted regardless of where it was located.
But we digress. Back to the question at hand. Is there a Kiwisaver gold fund or gold investment option?
Table of Contents
- How You Can Create Your Own D-I-Y KiwiSaver To Invest in Gold
- How You Can Use Craigs Investment Partners KiwiSaver To Invest in Gold
- Gold Kiwisaver “Investment” Versus Gold as Financial Insurance
- Other Things to Consider in This DIY Kiwisaver Precious Metals Fund
- Should You Use Your Kiwisaver to “Invest in Gold”
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
How You Can Create Your Own D-I-Y KiwiSaver To Invest in Gold
The answer is now “yes” you can create your own do-it-yourself (DIY) Kiwisaver gold fund.
A while back a helpful reader pointed out there is actually a way of gaining significant exposure to gold via Kiwisaver.
That is via the Craigs Investment Partners KiwiStart Select KiwiSaver scheme. Note: This has since been renamed, Craigs KiwiSaver Scheme.
This scheme allows you to select individual holdings in your Kiwisaver. So effectively a do-it-yourself (DIY) Kiwisaver fund.
You can choose individual stocks and funds from a fairly large range of Australasian and global shares and funds.
However, unlike in Australia this is not a self managed super fund where you can potentially hold actual physical gold and silver bullion.
How You Can Use Craigs Investment Partners KiwiSaver To Invest in Gold
As far as we could see there are no individual gold or silver mining companies listed in the Australian or New Zealand listed equities. Only diversified miners such as Rio Tinto.
However we did see 2 possible gold investment funds listed. They were:
DIY Kiwisaver Gold Fund Option 1: VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF [GDX]
VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF. This is an NYSE listed fund that:
“Aims to provide returns that match the performance of the Amex Gold Miners Index, an index of around 40 global companies that mine for gold or silver.”
DIY Kiwisaver Gold Fund Option 2: SPDR Gold Trust (ETF) [GLD]
Also an NYSE listed fund that:
“Aims to reflect the performance of gold bullion, less the fees and expenses associated with the fund. GLD is backed by gold bullion held in the form of London Good Delivery Bars by the HSBC Bank USA.”
As far as we could see there is no minimum number of holdings you are required to have. So you could have one or both of these overseas listed funds as a holding in your DIY Kiwisaver fund.
You can download and learn more about the product here: Craigs KiwiSaver Scheme Product Disclosure Statement.
Then you can download the full list of investment options here: (see Craigs KiwiSaver Scheme Investment Options Supplement).
You can contact Matt Willis at Craigs Investment Partners and say David at Gold Survival Guide sent you. Email: matt.willis@craigsip.com.
Gold Kiwisaver “Investment” Versus Gold as Financial Insurance
Both these gold funds of course have counterparty risk. (For more detail on counterparty risk see: Why Gold Bullion is Your Financial Insurance).
In the case of GDX you rely upon the individual companies to remain solvent. You also rely upon the fund manager to remain solvent.
With GLD you have the fund manager as your counterparty, along with HSBC as the custodian of the gold bars.
In the Kiwisaver fund itself, you also have Craigs Investment Partners as a counterparty. As they state in the investment statement:
“Your money will be pooled with other investors’ money and invested in various investments.
…Your portfolio is not segregated and liabilities of the Scheme can affect all portfolios.”
Of course this is not too different from any other Kiwisaver fund. Refer to this for more on the risks of Kiwisaver: Kiwisaver and Bank Bail Ins: If a Bank Fails, Are Kiwisaver Funds Affected by the OBR?
So we certainly wouldn’t view these funds as financial insurance as we do physical gold and silver bullion. But rather as exposure to the gold sector. So more of a gold related investment.
Other Things to Consider in This DIY Kiwisaver Precious Metals Fund
Taxation
Owning individual shares and funds may not be the most efficient in terms of taxation, compared to other Kiwisaver funds.
“Craigs KiwiSaver Scheme is not a Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE) so is taxed as a widely-held superannuation fund at a flat rate of 28% on taxable income.”
Fees
Be aware the fees may be higher than a standard Kiwisaver fund which are often around 1.00%. For example:
- Brokerage to a maximum of 1.25% when you buy or sell. But no minimum brokerage charge, so you can purchase in small increments and still only pay a percentage fee.
- Then a yearly management fee and a fund fee. Then the fee of the specific funds you choose to invest in. In the case of VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF [GDX] the total fees would be 1.76% per annum.
- While for the SPDR Gold Trust (ETF) [GLD] fees are 1.65% per year.
- There may also be a small annual member fee.
Should You Use Your Kiwisaver to “Invest in Gold”
That’s up to you! But, as we say above, don’t confuse investing in gold funds and gold mining shares, with holding physical gold and silver bullion.
We’d suggest you own physical gold and silver bullion as the bedrock of your wealth.
To learn about how to invest in physical gold or silver see: How to Buy and Invest in Gold and Silver >>
Then what you do with the rest of your assets is what we’d call investing. This could include exposure to the potential upside in the gold price via funds in Kiwisaver, along with other investments. But just as your average financial advisor would want you to be aware of the risks in gold, be aware of all the risks in other investments too!
If you don’t have your wealth insurance yet, you can buy gold or buy silver today.
For more on selecting the right type of physical gold bar to buy see: What Type of Gold Bar Should I Buy?
Editors Note: This post was originally published 24 July 2018. Updated 4 March 2019 to includes corrections to fees. Last updated 5 September 2023.
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Thankyou so much for this, it drives me crazy that the only control i have with other kiwisaver providers is to choose wether i put my money in conservative, growth or medium packages!! Really wanted to invest it in gold, but cant withdraw it so this is an excellent option, thanks for doing the research and finding this, for me it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.
Hi Pete, No problem. Glad it was of help to you. Just remember the downsides of investing in funds including counter-party risk. But as you say with Kiwisaver there are limited options and this is about the best of them.
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Best thing you can do with Kiwisaver is take it out and buy a house.
Since inception most Kiwi retirement savings are now exposed to the US stock market which is a huge risk. Not only that but most of these schemes have lower returns than a simple investment in SPY ETF after fees and tax. Monthly fees on Kiwisaver schemes are absurdly high.
Once could open a Hatch account and buy SPY ETF for a $3 transaction fee and no tax (until you sell) and no monthly administration fees. SPY ETF has an average return of over 10% PA (compounding, based on the last 30 years).
Not financial advice.