Pension Funds - Articles & White Papers

The challenges of investing in illiquid private assets while also facilitating member switching and early release schemes are addressed in a new PGIM IAS framework to help CIOs examine how to adjust asset allocations when faced with differing levels of early access permissioning.

Decumulation – the process of turning capital into income – has been recognised as a most difficult task, as perhaps best emphasised by strong statements made by two recipients of the Nobel Prize in economics. Richard Thaler describes it as a 'more difficult challenge than accumulation', while William Sharpe calls it the '…

Dimensional Fund Advisors study the performance of different investment and spending strategies for retirement. Investment strategies include wealth-focused glide paths that combine equities with short-term, high-quality fixed income. They also consider an income-focused glide path that combines a moderate equity allocation…

Institutional portfolios such as corporate pension plans are increasing allocations to illiquid private assets seeking better returns and diversification. However, as allocations increase, a portfolio’s liquidity structure changes, sometimes abruptly. How can a CIO increase their confidence with private asset allocations and…

The key theme of this year’s report, the ‘S’ pillar of ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing, is highly pertinent. As politicians and policy makers across the world aim to ‘build back better’, Create-Research and DWS believe they need to take the time to fully understand the social part of ESG.

In a world of low return expectations and even lower interest rates, pension plans are re-evaluating their portfolios, looking for alternative ways to achieve return targets and improve funded status. Diversifying portfolios with real assets helps address these challenges. Real assets may reduce portfolio volatility, enhance…

The Global Pension Assets Study estimates global pension fund assets across 22 major pension markets (the P22). These geographies now total a record US$56.6 trillion in pension assets and account for 76% of the GDP of these economies. The study, conducted by WTW and the Thinking Ahead Institute since the 1990s, includes an…

Advances in technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning are radically reshaping winners and losers across the service sector in both developed and emerging markets – and at an even faster pace after the Covid-19 pandemic. To understand the investment implications of this next revolution…

Is your plan cash-flow negative? Is it underfunded too? This paper breaks down alternative cash-flow sources – equipped to serve short- and long-term funding needs. Explore the potential benefits of a cash-flow-driven investment (CDI) framework that includes cash-flow-aware growth assets – especially those with an explicit…

This is the second year that DWS has sponsored this report by CREATE-Research. Amongst other insights, this year’s survey confirms the on-going movement of passive investment into the mainstream with 66% of survey respondents considering passive index investing as a mature part of their portfolio.

The benefits of cashflow driven investment (CDI) are slightly controversial. Some believe it is a powerful risk management strategy for DB schemes nearing their endgames, whereas others are more sceptical given that it may compromise multi-asset diversification.

Pension money has power. But deciding how to use it isn’t easy. That’s why, in 2021’s ESG member survey, LGIM asked savers if COVID-19 trumps climate concerns, whether to engage or exclude, and which generation is greener than ever.

Nuveen examines ways corporate pension plans at all funding levels can optimize their approach to portfolio construction and identifies how factor exposures and asset allocations shift when applying a factors-first approach.

The Global Pension Assets Study covers 22 major pension markets (the P22), which now totals US$52,522 billion in pension assets and account for 80% of the GDP of these economies. The study includes an analysis of the seven largest markets (the P7) which includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and US…

Every quarter, our Content Team curates a unique list of the best asset manager salary surveys from around the world, providing our members with information on benchmark salaries for investment management professionals. These fund manager salary surveys cover a wide variety of roles within the asset management industry,…

No one was ready for 2020, but investors can be prepared for 2021 and, ultimately, look to a future envisaged before the pandemic hit. PGIM’s Annual Best Ideas: The Future in Focus, sheds light on the opportunities that they believe are worth watching in 2021.

The traditional Defined Contribution (DC) investment portfolio made up of equities and bonds has worked well for investors for a long time. For much of the last 15 years, the environment that has afforded this success has been driven by central bank actions such as ultra-low interest rates and quantitative easing.

Explore Nuveen's latest issue of next, their publication which explores key issues impacting the future of defined contribution investing. In this issue of next, they explore topics making news in the defined contribution (DC) world as potential ways to innovate plan design. First, they discuss the increasing importance and…

The role of the core menu in defined contribution (DC) plans has changed considerably over the last decade as default investments, target-date funds in particular, continue to capture participant attention and assets. This evolution requires plan sponsors and consultants to revisit key assumptions about optimal core menu…