Pension Risk Matters : Pension Risk News & Analysis : Investment Governance, Inc. : Pension Risk & Investment

Please join me for a November 9, 2009 keynote presentation entitled "The Financial Crisis And The New Paradigm For Pension Plan Risk Management: How Can We Avoid Being Here Again?" Part of the IQPC's Pension Plan De-Risking Summit, I'll address topics that include:

• Assessing the damage caused to US pension plans by the 2008 financial crisis
• Distinguishing the winners from the losers: Examining the investment strategies of the funds that suffered least from last year’s market meltdown
• Understanding the role of alternative investments in risk-reduced asset allocation strategies
• To what extent has the financial crisis changed – if at all – the way pension plans measure, and manage, their risk?
• Looking at the clouds on the horizon: What kinds of future risk should US pension plans be most wary of?
• Determining the most effective asset allocation strategies for dealing with future financial challenges.

Investment Governance, Inc. (formerly known as Pension Governance, Incorporated) is a proud media sponsor of this two-day series of hands on workshops and presentations by experts. Developed in conjunction with an industry-leading advisory board, IQPC’s Pension Plan De-Risking event has been specifically designed to educate plan sponsors on the most effective strategies for diversifying effectively, bringing assets in line with plan liabilities, and reducing exposure to risky investments. 

I have the great pleasure of being one of two keynote speakers as part of Audit World 2009. My speech, entitled "Navigating the Auditor Hot Zone: Helping Investors Through Volatile Financial Markets," will include case studies from the trenches with respect to prudent process, hard-to-value investing, modeling and much more.

Always important, auditors are increasingly finding themselve in a position of providing pro-active guidance to their clients about complex rules and markets alike. It's no surprise then that institutional investors tell us that what, when and how auditors opine is of critical importance. Lack of uniformity in what auditors advise is a stated concern. On the flip side, auditors worry that pensions, endowments and foundations are asking too much of them, forcing an uncomfortable situation that blurs oversight with execution of essential duties.

Please join me for what should be an exciting and topical event. Sponsors of Audit World 2009, the MIS Training Institute, have put together a "case study-driven, information-rich program in four defined tracks: Financial Services, Non-Financial Services, Manufacturing and Best Practices."

Click to download the conference brochure for Audit World 2009 from September 15 through 17, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. If you register before August 29, 2009, you are entitled to a 10% discount off the regular conference fee.To take advantage of this special discount, you must contact MIS Training Institute’s Customer Service and reference the following priority code when registering: AW09/PRM. The discount offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount offer or on previous registrations. Contact the MIS Training Institute by telephoning 508-879-7999 or sending an email to mis@misti.com.

 I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak at the upcoming Private Equity Analyst Conference 2009, to be held at the Waldorf Astoria from September 16-17, 2009. With so much focus now on ethics, conflicts of interest and transparency, the panel topic I've been asked to address is near and dear to my heart.

I've reprinted the session description below. Click here to learn more information about the conference in its entirety.

Title: "Avoiding Major Trouble: Why Private Equity Firms Must Spend More Time On Ethics"

Description: Ethics has become one of the key words over the past year, especially given the fallout on Wall Street. And regulations, both in the U.S. and overseas, now place strict curbs on many established business practices in an effort to stem corruption. The consequences for companies, both in fines and damage to reputation, can be significant, which means investors need to pay attention. But as the disclosures earlier this year in New York make clear firms are not doing as good a job as they can adhering to such policies. So what should firms be doing to ensure that they themselves as well as their portfolio companies stay compliant with not only various regulatory codes, but also just doing good business? What is the message that firms can drive home to their partners and their portfolio companies? Our panel provides their thoughts.

Panelists:

• Barry Gonder, General Partner, Grove Street Advisors
• Pascal Levensohn, Founder & Managing Partner, Levensohn Venture Partners
• Susan M. Mangiero, Founder & President, Pension Governance
• Raymond Svider, Co-Chairman & Managing Partner, BC Partners
  

Mark your calendars for an exciting event about pension risk realities. Dr. Susan Mangiero, President of Pension Governance, Incorporated, will join other pension professionals for a half-day workshop entitled "Pensions at Risk: A Meeting of Fiduciary and Financial Minds." Presented by the New York Society of Security Analysts, Derivatives Committee, the event will be held in midtown Manhattan on January 21, 2009 from 8:30 am to noon.

Click to register. A description of the program is excerpted below.

<< Recent market turmoil, coupled with changes in pension funding and accounting rules, have helped produce a “perfect storm” of volatility and risk in our defined benefit pension plans. As pension investment and risk management strategies continue to evolve to meet these demands, so does the need for informed fiduciary decision-making. This program is intended to provide an up-to-date and in-depth discussion regarding the fiduciary legal and risk management considerations involved in the design and implementation of pension investment management strategy, including liability driven investing (LDI) approaches and those integrated within a framework of corporate finance. Topics will include performance benchmark development, asset/liability duration matching, timing of implementation and the use of derivatives, alternative asset classes and leverage. >>

Martin Rosenburgh, Esquire, will moderate a panel to include the following speakers:

• Nell Hennessy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fiduciary Counselors Inc.
• Susan M. Mangiero, PhD, AIFA, AVA, CFA, FRM, President, Pension Governance, Inc
• James Moore, PhD, Executive Vice President, Pension Strategist, PIMCO
• Michael W. Peskin, CERA, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley.

Hear Susan Mangiero, PhD, AIFA, AVA, CFA, FRM speak about pension governance pitfalls. Part of the Second Annual Ohio Forum on Public Retirement: The Conference for the Public Retirement Systems of Ohio, Dr. Mangiero joins fellow pension consultant Mary Willett on a panel entitled "Fiduciary Responsibility - Is Your staff and Board on the Right Track?" Lisa Morris, Deputy Executive Director, School Employees Retirement System of Ohio, moderates. In a second presentation, she leads a case study discussion about San Diego and Amaranth Advisors.

To schedule Dr. Mangiero for your event, call BigSpeak! agent Mr. Barrett Cordero at 805-965-1400 or send an email to barrettc@bigspeak.com.