Achieving Investment Excellence: A Practical Guide for Trustees of Pension Funds, Endowments and Foundations

Crucial methods, tactics and tools for successful pension fund management

Achieving Investment Excellence offers trustees and asset managers a comprehensive handbook for improving the quality of their investments. With a stated goal of substantially and sustainably improving annual returns, this book clarifies and demystifies important concepts surrounding trustee duties and responsibilities, investment strategies, analysis, evaluation and much more.

Low interest rates are making the high cost of future pension payouts fraught with tension, even as the time and knowledge required to manage these funds appropriately increases ― it is no wonder that pensions are increasingly seen as a financial liability. Now more than ever, it is critical that trustees understand exactly what contributes to investment success ― and what detracts from it. This book details the roles, the tools and the strategies that make pension funds pay off.

• Understand the role of pension funds and the fiduciary duty of trustees
• Learn the tools and kills you need to build profound and lasting investment excellence
• Analyse, diagnose and improve investment quality of funds using concrete tools and instruments

• Study illustrative examples that demonstrate critical implementation and execution advice

Packed with expert insight, crucial tools and real-life examples, this book is an important resource for those tasked with governing these. Achieving Investment Excellence provides the expert insight, clear guidance and key wisdom you need to manage these funds successfully.

KEES KOEDIJK is dean and director of TIAS Business School and a professor of finance at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. He is managing editor for the Journal of International Money and Finance, and his work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. Kees Koedijk has served on many investment committees and advisory boards.

ALFRED SLAGER is professor of pension fund management at TIAS Business School, and a trustee for the Dutch Pension Fund for General Practitioners. His extensive practical experience makes him a frequently invited advisor to pension funds and speaker at international events on pensions and asset management.

JAAP VAN DAM is principal director of investment strategy at PGGM, where he is responsible for the strategic change agenda for the pension fund. He chairs the European Chapter of the 300 Club and serves as member on numerous advisory boards, including the Research Committee of the International Centre for Pension Management.