STAFF WRITER

Defined benefit (“DB”) plans in the U.S. account for $2.3 trillion in assets and cover nearly 42 million plan participants, of whom over 20 million are active employees, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.1 Though shrinking in number, these traditional employee benefit plans remain an important part of the investment and retirement security landscape.

Abstract: This report defines and explains the rise of investments outsourcing – the practice of delegating part or all of a portfolio to third-party, multi-asset specialists – among U.S. institutional investors. The study presents key findings from a Casey Quirk survey of more than 20 of America’s largest investments outsourcing vendors.

The ongoing financial crisis has dealt a heavy blow to private pension systems. Between January and October this year, private pensions in the OECD area have registered losses of nearly 20% of their assets (equivalent to USD 5 trillion).