RVK: Investments for pensions doing very well in 2021 (guess who's No. 1)

From Bob Buerkle

October 29, 2021 

Investments for pensions doing very well in 2021

STRS returns are best of all 5 pension plans again! (this comment added)

Press-News, The (Minerva, OH)

Ohio’s five public pension systems are seeing robust investment returns so far in 2021 with increases ranging from 8.8% to 11.5% in the first two quarters, according to a new report by RVK, Inc.

The systems also saw strong returns in 2019 and 2020, after losses in 2018. Collectively, the five systems now hold $251 billion in investment portfolios.

The Ohio Retirement Study Council, a bipartisan pension watchdog panel, is scheduled to dig into the RVK report at its meeting Thursday.

In the first two quarters, the funds saw increases of:

11.5% for State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.

11.3% for Highway Patrol Retirement System.

11.2% for Ohio Police & Fire.

9.7% for School Employees Retirement System.

9.6% for Public Employees Retirement – Health Care Fund.

8.8% for PERS – Pension Fund.

Five of the six beat their benchmarks, which are used for apples to apples performance comparisons. Thanks to a robust stock market in 2019, 2020 and so far in 2021, the funds have exceeded their assumed rates of returns.

PERS is Ohio’s largest public pension system with $119.3 billion in investments and STRS is second with $94.8 billion. Ohio Police & Fire has $18.5 billion, School Employees Retirement System has $17.8 billion and the highway patrol system is the smallest with $1.1 billion.

The funds serve 675,000 government employees, 1.1 million inactive members and 485,000 beneficiaries.

Source:  NCPERS   October 26, 2021

Expanded version by Laura Bischoff posted in The Columbus Dispatch, October 12, 2021 https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/10/13/ohio-public-pension-funds-enjoy-strong-returns-2019-2020-and-2021/6102323001/