Newly Issued Guidance for UK Pension Schemes Emphasizes Need to Consider ESG Factors

Sustainable investing and the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors continue to gain prominence. The new 2017 investment guidance for defined benefit (DB) schemes from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) in the United Kingdom has material new ESG content. This follows similar guidance for defined contribution (DC) schemes issued last year. Cambridge Associates has prepared this short piece to summarise this guidance and its implications for pension scheme investment strategy, including how we might help.

September 2017

Funding Development for Public Universities

Investing in revenue development and fundraising while simultaneously pursuing goals for asset growth is a balancing act. Public universities commonly draw from a combination of three funding sources—the university’s centralized operating budget, gift fees, and administrative fees charged against the endowment—to help pay for the growing costs of development efforts. However, determining the right mix […]

August 2017

VantagePoint: Third Quarter 2017

This quarter’s edition covers the very overvalued US equity market, reviewing what late cycle looks like in the US and casting a critical eye at the consensus view of an overly concentrated market. Also discussed are the better prospects for ex US markets and the importance of remaining diversified.

July 2017

Over the Long Term, Diversification Still Wins

Since 2009, US equities have outperformed every major asset class by a considerable margin, returning 14.5% a year on average. And, over the same period, a simple 70% US equity/30% bond portfolio* returned 11.4% per year, on average. These kinds of results can tempt even the savviest investors into abandoning their long-term discipline and chasing […]

June 2017

Thought Mortality Was Dead? Considerations for Pensions Given the IRS's Delay in Implementing RP-2014

The IRS’s somewhat unexpected decision to delay implementation of the RP-2014 mortality tables has impacted at least three separate aspects of pension plan strategy: calculating minimum contribution requirements; determining variable-rate PBGC premiums; and valuing lump-sum distributions to be paid out to terminated vested participants. This brief discusses what has changed and provides general considerations for all sponsors to weigh in the near term.

May 2017

In an Environment of Declining Demographics and Slow Productivity Growth, What Investments Look Attractive?

Answers to our clients’ questions about market action and the market environment in a few paragraphs every two weeks. Investments with the potential to earn returns competitive with equities—without a dependence on economic growth—are especially valuable diversifiers for portfolios. Such investments are varied, sometimes niche, and require skilled implementation. Many require some illiquidity, but may […]

May 2017

Do the Results of the First Round of the French Presidential Election Sound the All Clear for European Risk Assets?

Answers to our clients’ questions about market action and the market environment in a few paragraphs every two weeks. Although the election results provide a powerful “risk-on” catalyst in the short term, the underlying long-term problems facing France and the Eurozone are unlikely to go away under a Macron presidency, so the old adage “sell […]

April 2017

A Stronger Union: Addressing the Unique Investment Challenges of Multiemployer Defined Benefit Plans

Adaptive and sophisticated strategies are necessary to serve the unique features, constraints, and needs of multiemployer plans. In this note, we explore some of the key challenges that many multiemployer plans face, discuss how to invest in light of these challenges, and provide thoughts on governance and the overall role of the investment advisor in the multiemployer context.

April 2017