Superannuation funds have enjoyed their best returns since the years before the global financial crisis, partly due to the falling Australian dollar.
Popular balanced funds posted median gains of 8.1 per cent in 2014, which follows returns of 11.7 per cent in 2012 and 16.3 per cent in 2013, according to research by Super Ratings.
"It's been a better three years than the three years prior to the GFC," managing director Jeff Bresnahan told AAP.
A sharp drop in the Australian dollar since 2013, from around 104 US cents to about 82 US cents, had also boosted returns on global equities, in which super funds typically hold about a fifth of their investments.
"The drop in the Australian dollar has assisted most Australian super funds," Mr Bresnahan said.
Six of the top 10 super performers in 2014 were industry funds, with the higher education sector's UniSuper delivering the best return, of 10 per cent.
Telstra Super, a corporate fund for the telco's employees, had a return of 9.4 per cent, and retail super fund Kinetic achieved 9.6 per cent.
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