DOL Issues Final Rule on Selecting Plan Investments

In the final rule, the DOL modified the ESG rule, most notably removing references to ESG.

Survey: ESG Incorporation Nearly Doubles in 5 Years; Those Considering It Jumps

A third of respondents not yet incorporating ESG were considering doing so, the highest in the survey’s history and nearly triple the level in 2019.

How ESG-Minded Investors Can Help Address the Affordable Housing Crisis

Institutional investors with a focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing can help address the housing crisis through investment opportunities in both the public and private markets…

DOL Calls for Stricter Rules Around ESG Investing in Retirement Plans

The Department of Labor (DOL) in late June proposed guidance for considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in the investment duties of fiduciaries for both defined benefit and defined contribution plans subject to ERISA. In general, the DOL rule seems intended to create a larger hurdle to incorporating ESG factors into ERISA plan investments. […]

Staying Calm Amid Turbulent Markets

Market volatility spiked in the latter half of February and has remained elevated, driven by the spread of the coronavirus outside of China.

Choices for the ‘Distribution Phase’ of DC Plans

View Our Paper It may be hard to believe, but the 401(k)—the most popular type of defined contribution (DC) plan—turned 40 this year. Up to now, the retirement industry has focused on improving the “accumulation phase” of DC plans. But as DC plans enter middle age, the retirement industry should start thinking more about the […]

Under the Hood of the MSCI EM Index

Remember the BRIC countries? The acronym was coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill for the economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China to convey that their relative economic growth would continue to exceed that of the so-called Group of 7 (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States) and thus […]

Many Plans Risk Up for Returns

View PDF Fund sponsors are beginning to come to grips with lower capital market return expectations. Pension funds are reducing actuarial return assumptions, and endowments and foundations are discussing and making adjustments to spending rules. Some funds are addressing this issue by taking on substantial market risk (80%-85% in risky assets) to attempt to close […]