A GUI-based educational simulation tool designed to help students understand Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs), superannuation, and long-term investment decision-making. Developed by Ming Fan, and Zhenye Li .
SMSF Simulator is a desktop application built as a teaching tool for finance and superannuation courses. It allows students to step into the role of an SMSF trustee — making real decisions about contributions, asset allocation, and withdrawal strategies — while directly observing the long-term impact on their retirement balance.
The simulator is designed to make abstract superannuation concepts tangible and engaging. By interacting with a realistic fund interface, students develop intuition for how contribution timing, investment returns, tax treatment, and drawdown strategies compound over decades.
A simulation begins with the user setting up a fund profile — member age, current balance, income, and contribution preferences. The simulator then projects the fund's trajectory year by year, incorporating:
At the end of each simulation, students receive a summary report comparing their outcomes against benchmark strategies, fostering classroom discussion and reflection.
Below is an overview of the user interface. Screenshots will be updated as development progresses.
Fig. 1 — Main dashboard showing fund balance, contribution history, and projected balance at retirement.
Fig. 2 — Asset allocation panel where users configure investment strategy and return assumptions.
Fig. 3 — Interactive projection chart comparing user strategy against conservative and growth benchmarks.
Fig. 4 — Summary report generated at the end of each simulation session.
The application is currently under development. The first release will be available here once ready.
Windows · macOS · Requires Python 3.10+
For questions, early access, or collaboration, feel free to reach out at m.fan@deakin.edu.au.