Milford’s focus on client service and long-term financial performance has seen the locally-owned investment firm named KiwiSaver Provider of the Year by research company Canstar for the second year in a row. Milford has also been awarded Outstanding Value KiwiSaver Scheme for the second year in a row.
Milford’s Head of KiwiSaver & Distribution, Murray Harris, said the criteria for the awards, which balance performance, features, and value for money, reflect Milford’s own priorities in designing its KiwiSaver products and services.
“KiwiSaver is, for most people, a medium to long term investment. By considering average returns over a five-year period, the Canstar awards provide investors a more reliable guide than they would get by looking at performance over a shorter timeframe,” Mr Harris said.
Mr Harris said while the costs of investing in a particular fund were an important consideration, so too were the range of investment options offered and the financial advice, tools and support provided.
“We recognise different people have different investment objectives, and we put a lot of effort into designing products and services that meet a broad range of investors’ needs,” Mr Harris said.
“Our various funds offer investors a choice of risk and return profiles, we offer investors personalised advice through different channels, and we try and make it as easy as possible for people to review and adjust their investments as and when their circumstances change,” said Mr Harris. He also commented that “We will continually challenge ourselves to provide the best products and service and improve our KiwiSaver Plan, such as removing the annual member administration fee as we have done recently.”
“We’re very pleased that all this, as well as our ability to generate strong returns for our members, has again been recognised by Canstar’s judging panel and we gladly accept the awards on behalf of all Milford KiwiSaver Plan members.”