Mission-Related Investing: Current Practices and Views of Non-Profit Investors

Investor approaches to mission-related investing (MRI) are as varied as the social and environmental outcomes they seek to achieve. This survey report explores trends in the structure and implementation of MRI programs, investor motivations and perceived challenges, and expectations for future growth in MRI investment activity, based on responses from 159 non-profit clients, 50 of which are actively making mission-related investments.

February 2017

VantagePoint: First Quarter 2017

The start of the year is always a good time to focus on personal improvements with resolutions. In this edition of VantagePoint, we share in the spirit of a new year by providing investment resolutions.

January 2017

Why Shouldn’t Investors Simplify to a 70/30 Portfolio?

Simple is not so sweet in the current environment. In a world of global uncertainty, investors should place a premium on diversification. The siren song of the simple portfolio may be difficult to resist, but its appeal is based on recent performance that is unlikely to be repeated over the next decade. Prospective long-term returns […]

January 2017

Outlook 2017: A Break in the Clouds

In our 2017 outlook, we review the prospects for several asset classes—developed and emerging markets equities, credit, real assets, sovereign bonds, and currencies—and share the advice of our chief investment strategist.

December 2016

Keeping Underwater Endowments Afloat (and the Programs They Support)

When endowment funds slip “underwater” (below the historic dollar value of the original gift), institutions face a tradeoff between distributing anticipated budget support and restoring the endowment to its original value. Ultimately, the choice of underwater policy depends on the situation and needs of each institution in balancing endowment preservation with program support.

August 2016

Risks and Opportunities From the Changing Climate: Playbook for the Truly Long-Term Investor

Considering climate factors is an economic risk management and opportunity capitalization issue core to prudent investing for the long term. In this paper, we discuss the potential risks that climate change can inflict upon certain sectors and asset classes, outline corresponding strategies to defend against those risks, and review the thematic areas across public and private asset classes to proactively capitalize on the evolving opportunity set within the "resource efficiency" sector.

December 2015

Navigating the Diversified Growth Fund Maze

Diversified growth funds (DGFs) have garnered significant attention and assets—particularly amongst UK defined benefit pension schemes—as a less volatile source of long-term growth. DGFs can be valuable tools for pension portfolio management, but only if trustees understand what they are buying and how it fits into the context of the total portfolio. The simple bifurcation of the available products into traditional and absolute return strategies can be a starting point for trustees to help make sense of the market and set appropriate risk/return expectations across different market environments.

October 2015

Constructing Superior Equity Portfolios

A common perception among investors that employ active equity management is that the “donut” structure is more aggressive, more expensive, and riskier than the “core-satellite” structure because of the donut structure’s heavier reliance on concentrated, high tracking error, high fee managers. The research we present in this report, which examines a 17-year period, calls into question these perceptions. Our analysis suggests that, at a minimum, investors should reassess whether a core-satellite structure is as likely to help them earn their payout as a donut structure.

September 2015