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Robert Merton: the individual plan man

A retirement solution that focuses on outcomes and is customised for each participant cannot be met by existing defined-contribution designs, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist, Robert Merton, who advocates a “next-generation DC solution”. Merton, who is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management’s distinguished professor of finance and resident scientist at Dimensional Fund […]
Amanda WhiteAugust 24, 2012
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CalPERS gets dynamic in strategic plan

CalPERS aims to increase its total-portfolio risk oversight, as well as move towards more dynamic asset allocation as the fund attempts to overhaul its investment decision-making processes. This week the fund released a two-year business plan that aims to implement a risk-based dynamic asset-allocation approach by June 2014. It is the first time the $238.2-billion […]
Amanda WhiteAugust 17, 2012
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ESG here to stay

Anyone who thought ESG was a passing fad can think again. The announcement this week that Mercer, which has led the consulting industry on standalone ESG ratings, will now integrate those factors across its ratings process has cemented ESG as an important investment risk and return consideration. The consultant rates more than 20,000 investment strategies […]
Amanda WhiteAugust 13, 2012
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Mercer integrates ESG

Mercer will integrate its proprietary environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings across all of its manager-search and performance data, cementing ESG as a key investment consideration. The consultant rates more than 20,000 strategies, oversees more than $5 trillion of assets under advice and has $60 billion in its multi-manager products. Mercer has led the consulting […]
Amanda WhiteAugust 10, 2012
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Modern portfolio theory, risk and fiduciary duty

It was only a few decades ago that trustees in many jurisdictions were restricted from investing in certain assets. Fiduciary duty has evolved as the thinking about investments has changed. This is true, then, of how trustees should be applying fiduciary duty to current day investment challenges, including systemic risk and climate change risk. Ed […]
Amanda WhiteAugust 8, 2012
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Academics and industry unite

The gargantuan impact of systemic risk in global financial markets has been corroborated by a consortium of industry and academics collaborating to provide independent quantitative research, insight and leadership on systemic risk. Driven by director of MIT’s Laboratory for Financial Engineering,  Andrew Lo, senior managing director at State Street Global Markets, Jessica Donohue, and managing […]
Amanda WhiteAugust 3, 2012
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