Course Objectives

This course has been designed taken into consideration falling interest rates and stagnant stock markets and the dramatic impact they are having on pension schemes’ ability to fund future liabilities. Ensuring sufficient resources for retirement today encompasses a complex set of decisions involving assumptions on asset returns, interest rates, inflation rates, longevity, and future salary growth. With inflation rising in many economies, pension funds are increasingly looking to invest in real assets like infrastructure and real estate to hedge against the threat of rising prices. This negative backdrop is being competed out against and environment where the corporate governance responsibilities of institutional investors and pension funds are being questioned and challenged.

This comprehensive Pension Fund Strategies programme addresses many of the current pension issues from both the asset and liability perspectives to give you a holistic appreciation of the complex issues involved.

Who Should Attend?

Pension schemes administrators, Pension accounting staff, Pension reporting staff, Pension fund managers, Regulators, Pension governance specialists, Trustees, Actuarial staff, Pension risk specialists, etc.


Course Overview

The fundamentals of Pension Funds. The controversy surrounding
Pension Funds – a Global Perspective

Pension Fund Basics

The different types of Pension Scheme

Investing in the Age of Volatility

Pension Fund Asset-Liability Management Pension Fund Liabilities

Pension Funding Policies

Asser- Liability Management Tools

Asset-Liability Modelling

Pension Fund Investment Strategies Strategic Asset allocation and
Portfolio Optimisation- Setting objectives

Tactical Asset Allocation and Benchmark Timing

Dynamic approaches to Pension fund management

Actuarial considerations, scheme design and the annuity market role
And responsibilities of the actuary

Actuarial calculations and Assumptions

Scheme design considerations – DC plans

Annuities

Infrastructure Investing for pension funds

Pension risk management

Longevity risk hedging and transfer

Pension scheme reporting

Pension governance and organisation structure

Learning Goal

By the end of the course, you will understand the complex world of Pension Investment Strategy across a number of areas including:

Understanding the global pensions crisis

The challenge to the cult of the equity

The role and purpose of pension funds

The different types of pension scheme

Measuring and modelling a pension liability

Impact of liabilities on investment strategy

Pension funding policies

Asset/Liability management tools

Pension fund investment strategies

Dynamic approaches

Benchmark timing and tactical asset allocation

Actuarial calculations and assumptions

The annuity markets

Pension risk management, pension reporting and governance

Dynamic presentations support each of the topics together with interactive sessions of discussion. Attendees will have the opportunity to practice these skills.

Course Materials

Case studies, small group work, exercises and feedback will be used to facilitate learning.