The SWIB Podcast: Wisconsin Retirement System Insights

The Wisconsin Retirement System is one of the few fully funded public pensions in the country, thanks in part to SWIB’s strong investment management. Because of the unique shared risk design of the WRS, investment returns directly impact annuity adjustments for retirees and contribution rates for employees and employers. The challenge is finding the right balance between taking enough risk to make...

Volatility is a word that has become all too common in the last couple years when talking about the financial markets. Over the past two years, the pandemic has been a big economic story driving both monetary and fiscal policy. While the pandemic continues to create hurdles, new concerns are grabbing headlines. From supply chain issues to the great resignation, to the highest inflation rate in fou...

Office buildings, warehouses, and apartment complexes dot the landscape from coast-to-coast. They are common landmarks that we usually pass by every day without a second thought. We know these brick and mortar spaces are important to a thriving economy, but what might surprise you is how important they are to SWIB’s investment strategy. SWIB’s real estate portfolio helps diversify the Core Trust F...

We live in a world full of technology; faster computers, smart phones, and cars that can drive and park themselves are all part of the world that is becoming more reliant on technology. Like every other industry, the financial sector has been touched by these changing times. The relationship between data, technology and human talent is key to the successful incorporation of these trends in active...

The Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) was created 40 years ago to help protect public employees and their beneficiaries against the financial hardships of old age and disability, to attract and retain a qualified public workforce, establish modest benefits, and achieve administrative savings. There is no doubt that the WRS has done that and more over the last four decades. But, the WRS, as one of...

The beginning of a new year is a time to reflect on the year gone by and look forward to what lies ahead. In 2021, the financial markets saw ongoing volatility caused by COVID-19 while the Federal Reserve continued with the policies it put in place to combat the economic effect of the pandemic. Interest rates, inflation, and supply chain backlogs were all topics that grabbed headlines throughout t...

Innovation has always been critical to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s (SWIB’s) success. As assets under management continue to grow, and the investment industry and the world continue to change, SWIB is positioning itself for the future, finding innovative ways to invest the public pension funds and help secure the financial futures of the people who rely on the Wisconsin Retirement Sys...

This year, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) is celebrating 70 years of service to the state of Wisconsin. A lot has changed over the past 70 years. And, while our world has and continues to change, one thing that has remained a constant is SWIB’s commitment to helping provide retirement security for hundreds of thousands of current and former state and local government employees and...

Excellence, innovation, integrity, collaboration, and people. Those are the core values at the heart of SWIB’s mission to the members of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS). Edwin Denson, SWIB’s new executive director and chief investment officer, is using those core values to build on SWIB’s already strong foundation as one of the country’s premier investment managers. Edwin joined SWIB in 2018...

As an institution, SWIB has had to adapt and overcome significant challenges over the last year — among them, frenetic markets, the workplace disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the passing of SWIB's former executive director and chief investment officer David Villa. But through it all, SWIB has continued to serve members of the Wisconsin Retirement System at a high level, due in large part t...

Competing under challenging circumstances is nothing new for Derek Drummond. As a triathlete who competes in several events throughout the year, including Madison’s Iron Man competition, Derek challenges himself through tough endurance races with hopes of establishing a personal best time.  Derek’s competitive spirit carries over into his work. As SWIB’s funds alpha manager, Derek is constantly pu...

In 2020, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) remained committed to its long-term investment strategy, resulting in strong returns for the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), even in a challenging year. The Core Fund, the larger of the two WRS trust funds with more than $120 billion in assets, ended the year with a net return of just above 15%. The Core Fund's 5- and 10-year returns both...

Sophisticated investment strategies, forward-looking technologies, and strong internal asset management help make the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) a leading investment organization. As a premier money manager, SWIB brings a disciplined, prudent, and innovative approach to market opportunities. But to remain a leader in the public pension industry, SWIB must continue to evolve. In thi...

Wisconsin's forward-thinking culture has contributed to a history of entrepreneurs who have turned ideas into successful businesses that have become fixtures in the state. Whether it's a company headquartered in Wisconsin or a global corporation doing business in the state, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board is proud to have partnered with all types of businesses to help those companies succe...

In the classic children's fairy tale, Goldilocks looks for the porridge that is not too hot and not too cold, but just right. Similarly, the investment professionals at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board have to strike just the right balance between an asset allocation that is not too risky for the system's risk sharing design, but takes enough risk to generate the returns necessary to sustai...

Just like you can't put on a play without stage hands, the portfolio and investment managers at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board are supported by a wide variety of professionals whose behind-the-scenes work is vital to SWIB's mission of generating returns on behalf of the Wisconsin Retirement System and its members. Whether it's tracking the performance of individual investments, implementi...

From Harley-Davidson to Kohl’s Corp., the Zoom meetings platform to EatStreet food delivery, from industrial warehouses in California to New York City highrises, private equity investments and the funds alpha strategy provide unique opportunities for SWIB to generate returns on behalf of the Wisconsin Retirement System and its members. In this episode, we talk to Anne-Marie Fink, SWIB’s managing d...

While other pension funds struggle with the financial implications of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic and chronic under-funding, the robust Wisconsin Retirement System remains on-track to meet its obligations to retirees. This is thanks, in no small part, to the steady, thoughtful investment decisions of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board's team of financial experts. Under the leadership of...

Arriving later this summer... News and insights about the complex, prudent, and disciplined investment strategies SWIB has put in place to help grow and protect the assets of the WRS.  Navigating today’s financial markets takes innovative thinking to design and implement investment strategies that control risk while generating reasonable returns. In a time when public pension funds across the coun...