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In-house Investments

What is the minimum AUM for internal management?

Large funds outperform small funds mostly mainly due to the cost savings of internal management. So when does internal management make economic sense for a fund? It’s at a much lower AUM than you might think. CEM Benchmarking analysed a universe of 186 pension funds globally. That universe is split into four groupings: 77 funds […]
Amanda WhiteMay 20, 2015
Uncategorised posts

Do pension funds add value?

Asset owners, on average, add 15 basis points of value above their asset class benchmarks after fees, according to an extensive study by CEM Benchmarking. The survey, which measured 6,666 data points from a global set of defined benefit plans, and some sovereign wealth funds and buffer funds, from 1992-2013. Gross of investment fees, funds […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 14, 2015
Private Equity

Data doesn’t lie: illiquidity premium doesn’t exist

There is no 3 per cent illiquidity premium in private equity, according to research by CEM Benchmarking. A cost drag on private assets cancels out the returns of investing in private equity and real estate for those investors that outsource to external providers, the research finds. CEM Benchmarking, which has a database of 354 pension […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 22, 2014
Uncategorised posts

Finnish pension reform a lesson for all

The findings from the first review of the Finnish pension system, commissioned by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, were handed down by Nicholas Barr from the London School of Economics and Keith Ambachtsheer from the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management last month. Although Helsinki in January is far from a party Ambachtsheer and Barr […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 25, 2013
Uncategorised posts

In-house not for
every house: WSIB

While the trend for most large institutional investors is to insource asset management, the $85-billion Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) has decided to take a different path. Much-cited CEM Benchmarking research shows that funds with internal-management platforms are better performers after cost, and this is largely driven by the lower costs of internal management. Many […]
Amanda WhiteSeptember 14, 2012
Uncategorised posts

CEM study reveals in-house savings

A defining characteristic of leading pension funds globally is the cost savings garnered from in-house investment management. An organisational design study by CEM Benchmarking has revealed that “leading” funds have an average of 49 per cent of assets managed in-house, and yet the internal staff and non-manager third-party costs make up only 15 per cent […]
Amanda WhiteApril 20, 2012
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