Kernel Australia 100 Fund

At 0.25 percent, this is the lowest-fee Australasian shares fund in the KiwiSaver market, though with just $4.3 million under management, it remains one of the smallest. Kernel Wealth's Australia 100 Fund is an all-equity play on the ASX, with 98 percent in Australian shares and a narrow 2 percent in international stocks. The portfolio is heavily tilted toward banks and resources: Commonwealth Bank and BHP Group together make up more than a fifth of the fund, while the big four Australian banks claim nearly 27 percent. Add Wesfarmers, CSL, Woodside Energy and Rio Tinto, and the top ten holdings account for just over half the portfolio.

This is a concentrated bet on Australia's largest companies, delivered through a low-cost index structure. The fund sits at risk level 6, reflecting full exposure to equity market volatility with no diversification into bonds or cash. Its tiny scale means limited performance history, so there are no one-, three- or five-year returns available yet. The fund is built for investors seeking direct access to the Australian sharemarket without the fee drag common in actively managed options, though its concentration in financials and resources makes it a narrower proposition than a globally diversified equity fund.

General information only, not financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.