August 2025
08Aug

Optimization Algorithms for Pension Asset Allocation Under Market Volatility

By Akshay Sharma & Satish Kabade Pension fund organizations function as essential financial entities that protect employee retirement funds to provide complete and punctual pension distributions. Pension fund effectiveness through asset distribution determines how well a fund meets its future obligations. Traditional methods of portfolio optimization align with the Modern Portfolio Theory through the Markowitz model to help determine asset allocation by defining the relationship between return and risk. These static modeling approaches fail to fulfill their purpose in real...

August 8, 2025
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June 2023
30Jun

ESG in DC Pensions Report

By Emma Simon & John Greenwood In recent years responsible investment strategies and the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the investment process have moved from a niche concern to the mainstream. In the last 12 months ESG and responsible investing have shot to the top of the agenda for pension professionals, driven by a combination of regulatory pressure, increased consumer awareness, reputation management concerns and the Covid pandemic. Greater public awareness of the relationship between investments...

June 30, 2023
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March 2023
17Mar

The Importance of Goals-based (and Values-based) Liability Indices: Applied to Impact and Green Investing

By Arun Muralidhar, Roland van den Brink, Patrick Groenendijk & Ronald van der Wouden Investors are creating portfolios that align with their specific goals and values. We posit that goals and values should be translated into Goals-based Liability Indices (“GLIdes”). GLIdes can be used to achieve goals, benchmark the asset portfolio, and improve governance.They allow Boards to measure progress to their overall (or multiple) goal(s) and also the relative risks of their investment policies and implementation. We first introduce the...

March 17, 2023
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October 2022
28Oct

Optimal Savings and Portfolio Choice with Risky Labor Income and Reference-Dependent Preferences 

By Servaas van Bilsen, Roger J. A. Laeven & Theo Nijman This paper explores the joint impact of reference-dependent preferences and non- tradable risky labor income on optimal savings and portfolio decisions. We develop a non-trivial solution procedure to determine the optimal policies. Our results reveal that the impact of permanent labor income shocks on both the optimal savings rate and the optimal portfolio share is more pronounced under reference- dependent preferences than under CRRA preferences. In particular, we find...

October 28, 2022
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September 2022
30Sep

Behavioral Influences on Retirement Planning: Non-Financial Reasoning Affecting Retirement Outcomes

By Janet Aschkenasy The supposed rational logic of the market is no longer understood to exclusively motivate economic decision making. Behavioral economics is now a vital part of university curriculums. Both lay persons and professional retirement investors at times manage money on irrational behavioral factors. Janet Aschkenasy, a veteran business writer, discusses the insights of leading behavioral economics scholars and draws upon current research to describe "decision making" practices among individuals and retirement managers. Often higher investment returns are forfeited to a behavioral...

September 30, 2022
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14Sep

Financial Wellness Meets Behavioral Economics

By Shlomo Benartzi Helping Participants See the Big Picture and Act on It The financial lives of American workers have become increasingly complicated in the 21st century. Instead of relying on an employer pension, most workers now save on their own, a shift that brings both opportunities and challenges. In addition, workers have to effectively allocate these savings across different financial products and accounts. Should they fund their 401(k) account or emergency savings account? Should they choose a high-deductible health...

September 14, 2022
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09Sep

Designing Successful Target Date Strategies for Defined Contribution Plans

By Schaus, Gross The ultimate guidebook for navigating the new world of pensions and retirement plans In the wake of the explosive growth of defined contribution (DC) plans invested with target date strategies, and the understanding of how important these strategies can be in effectively meeting retirement income goals, plan sponsors are seeking more optimal target date approaches. This timely book provides you with in-depth answers from the nation's most qualified and experienced experts to pressing questions about DC plan design. Read...

September 9, 2022
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August 2022
26Aug

ESG and Private Market Assets: UK, EU, and Australian Investors Shifting the Trillions (2022 – 2026)

By M. Nicolas J. Firzli, Nick Sherry & Guan Seng Khoo The co-authors of the article, are amongst the original coiners of term such as “infrastructure as an asset class” and “pension superpowers.” They also predicted, at the onset of the Covid Crisis, that a “historic realignment on the asset allocation front is happening precisely at the moment when ESG is moving centre stage: even in once staunchly neoliberal jurisdictions like Texas, Alaska or Switzerland, the smart money is betting on...

August 26, 2022
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July 2022
28Jul

Trust and Retirement Preparedness: Evidence from Singapore

By Benedict S. Koh, Olivia S. Mitchell & Joelle H. Fong Trust is an essential component of the financial system, and distrust can undermine saving and economic growth. Accordingly, prior research has shown that survey responses to a question about ‘trust in people’ are associated with household willingness to invest in the stock market. Nevertheless, little is known about how trust shapes economic behaviors predictive of retirement preparedness. Our study draws on the Singapore Life Panel (SLP®), a high-frequency internet...

July 28, 2022
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22Jul

Pension Fund Environmental, Social and Governance Risk Disclosures: Developing Global Practice

By International Actuarial Association  The paper summarizes the main features and trends in pension fund Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk disclosures around the world available to regulators, members and the public. It includes reference to statutory requirements, general practice and voluntary disclosures in relation to pension fund accounts and other documents made available to members, such as benefit/fund statements. We discuss the financial and reputational risks which ESG issues can present to pension fund investments and to long-term performance. We refer...

July 22, 2022
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