DID your superannuation retirement fund take a beating during the global financial crisis?

You are not alone; according to a treasury report Australians from all age groups were shocked at seeing their super funds lose money.

The reports says many people assumed that their super funds were guaranteed — that is, they could only go up.

The Oakleigh Traders association recognised this, and has come up withy a solution — self-managed super funds.

Jim Brownlee, who has a financial services business in Oakleigh, has got the association on board to run a series of free workshops to help people set up their own super funds.

"We're talking about educating people to become se;d-advisers, not rely on someone else to tell them what to do," he said.

"We can educate people that they can take control of their super, they can change the results."

Mr Brownlee is basing the classes on John Price's book The Conscious Investor. Professor Price said the book and the workshops were relevant to everyone, from people starting out in the workshops to those approaching retirement.

He said anyone could learn to mange their own super, and encouraged people to give the free workshops a go.

Mr Brownlee will hold the first of a series of information seminars at the former Oakleigh Council Chambers on Sunday.