While the majority (80 per cent) of U.S. retirement plan sponsors rate their record keeper as excellent or very good, they’re also seeking more support for plan members’ financial wellness, according to a new survey by Greenwich Associates. The survey, which polled 145 U.S. retirement plan sponsors and 15 U.S. consultants, found among plan sponsors, […]
Institutional investors own more than 70 per cent of U.S. public firms and passive funds have seen significant growth, from five per cent of mutual funds in 2000 to more than 30 per cent today, but the jury is still out on what this means for corporate governance. Using a theoretical framework, a new paper […]
The impact of powerful trends, including aging populations and growing debt levels in the world’s largest economies, has been somewhat mitigated in recent years by the ongoing involvement of central banks in markets and declining interest rates. However, with rates at historic lows, this is not something that can be relied on over the next […]
As private equity investments become more commonplace in pension fund portfolios, is the asset class really worth it? According to a paper by Ludovic Phalippou, professor of financial economics at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, private equity funds have failed to outperform equities over a 10-year period. But the real catch is the […]
The collapse in the equity markets has damaged capital accumulation plan retirement accounts. Governments need to level the playing field between defined benefit plans and CAPs, which include defined contribution plans, registered retirement savings plans and pooled registered pension plans, to assist capital accumulation plan members in rebuilding their retirement accounts. If investments are not […]
The value of total global assets under management grew by 15 per cent in 2019, with institutional investors’ assets reaching $52 trillion, according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group. The growth was primarily driven by market performance, contributing to about three-quarters of the expansion in 2019. Looking to specific asset classes, alternative products […]
In a recent expert column, I broke down the different components of fees for defined contribution plans. And now, I will explore the key fee drivers and strategies to help plan sponsors manage fee levels in DC plans. Managing these costs are imperative, as excessive fees may result in the significant impairment of DC member […]
Defined contribution pension plan fees have long been an area of significant risk for pension fiduciaries. Typically, a DC plan sponsor will negotiate fees for the plan and members will pay the bulk of those fees through asset-based fees charged on the investment funds. If the fees for the DC plan are excessive, the resulting […]
When it comes to private equity investments, there’s a business case for multi-manager co-investment funds versus single-manager primary funds, according to research by Capital Dynamics. The global asset management firm published a research paper using Preqin data to compare how actual co-investment funds compare to single sponsor private equity funds of the same vintage. It […]
For the fourth consecutive year, reviewing fees is the most important step defined contribution plan sponsors are taking to improve their fiduciary positions, with fees identified as the main priority for 2020, according to a new survey by U.S.-based investment consulting firm Callan. “With the amount of fee-related project work we see, it’s not surprising […]