The Institute for Pension Fund Integrity released their latest whitepaper today – “Evaluating Pension Investment Strategies: A Comparison of Top- and Bottom-Performing State Public Pension Funds to a Passive Index Portfolio.” In our previous report, “Public Pension Performance: Comparing Pension Investments to Passive Index Portfolios,” we introduced a method for comparing each state’s public pension fund […]
Resources
Issue Brief – Multiemployer Pensions: Assessing the Financial Challenges
The Institute for Pension Fund Integrity released their latest issue brief today — an examination of the state of multiemployer pension plans and the various policy challenges and solutions facing these funds. More than 10 million Americans depend on these plans for their retirement, which could be hurt by funding challenges. Several key considerations are […]
DOL Final Rule Limits Proxy Voting by Retirement Plan Fiduciaries
This article originally appeared in SHRM on December 15, 2020. Retirement plan fiduciaries will be barred from casting corporate-shareholder proxy votes in favor of social or political positions that don’t advance the financial interests of retirement plan participants, under a Department of Labor (DOL) final rule released on Dec. 11. These matters are often referred to as […]
IPFI Issue Brief: Public Pensions and COVID-19: Confronting a Crisis, and Opportunities for Reform
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic over the last several months has caused worldwide economic, social, and political upheaval. After a decade of general growth, economies are now faced with a major contraction as social distancing becomes the norm and entire industries are forced to confront new realities. For public pensions, many of which were […]
IPFI Issue Brief: Defining ESG – Clarifying the Myths and Facts
With efforts underway by the Department of Labor and other government agencies to address Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing in pension plans and other investment products, the topic has garnered significant attention over the past several months. Given its prominence, it comes as a surprise that this investment strategy remains ambiguous and lacks a […]
IPFI Advisory Board Continues to Weigh In on Proposed Department of Labor ESG Rule
Washington, DC – Over the past month, the U.S. Department of Labor has solicited input on a proposed regulation concerning environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments and their role in pension funds overseen by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Under consideration is whether plan managers, bound by fiduciary duty to their beneficiaries, are sacrificing investment […]
IPFI Issue Brief: SEC Rulemaking and What It Means for Proxy Advisory Firms
In November 2019 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-2 in favor of proposing two new rules regarding proxy advisory firms. These rules, S7-22-19 Amendments to Exemptions from the Proxy Rules for Proxy Voting Advice and S7-23-19 Procedural Requirements and Resubmission Thresholds under Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 build on the SEC’s November 2019 […]
IPFI Issue Brief: Reforming The Proxy Advisory Firm Duopoly: An Analysis of Recent SEC Guidance and Its Implications for Public Pension Retirees
Since 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been evaluating the role that proxy advisory firms have regarding shareholder engagement. This has resulted in recent Commission-level guidance to clarify the relationship between proxy advisory firms and institutional investors. At the end of the day, public pension retirees rely on their pension systems and […]
Public Pension Performance: Comparing Pension Investments to Passive Index Portfolios
With many states facing tough budgetary decisions, in part because pensions are requiring greater contributions, the Institute for Pension Fund Integrity decided to compare pensions through another metric besides the funding ratio. How well a pension is funded is important for determining the overall health of the system, but if the investments are not performing […]
IPFI Issue Brief: ESG and the Proxy Process – What Does the Research Say?
With environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing on the rise and calls for public pensions to divest from fossil fuels, private prisons, gun manufacturers, and others, IPFI compiled the latest research to determine the efficacy of ESG investing for public pensions. Public pensions across the country are facing almost $6 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Any […]