Inaugural Study Reveals How Asset Managers Incorporate DEI into Their Core Business
Callan’s 2024 Asset Manager DEI Study examines how investment managers approach diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their own firms.
Unlocking the Secrets of the ‘Data Vault’
Bo Abesamis describes the Callan “Data Vault,” a repository where data is collected, cleansed, aggregated, and curated.
The Importance of Defining Fundamental Investment Beliefs
In Callan’s 46 years as an institutional consulting firm, we have advised the fiduciaries and staffs of many hundreds of funds on their investment strategies and policies. We believe that the primary objective of these investment reviews is to develop a consensus on the fundamental investment beliefs of the fiduciaries driving the process. These beliefs […]
The Essential Elements of Culture
View Ron’s Paper As Callan’s executive chairman, Ron meets regularly with fellow employees and industry leaders to discuss issues of broad concern to institutional investors. In this blog post, drawn from his recent paper “Nurturing Strong Cultures at Professional Firms,” Ron outlines a set of principles for creating and maintaining an effective corporate culture. What It […]
How Can an Organization Achieve Gender Diversity?
View PDF In a recent white paper I addressed the problem of gender diversity in the investment management industry. I reviewed the industry’s track record on the inclusion of women, explored why diversity is important, and outlined why many firms have found it so difficult to add women to their workforce. You can find my […]
Untangling the Gordian Knot of ‘Cash Drag’
Modern portfolios are increasingly complicated as they have expanded beyond stocks and bonds. The management of those portfolios—and the attendant illiquidity that can come with alternative investments—has many asset owners staring at a Gordian knot very much in need of untangling. With Alexandrian efficiency, a futures-based cash overlay can slice through many of the issues complicating cash […]
Callan Survey Unearths DC Governance Committee Productivity Hacks
Our survey found that the governance committees that oversee DC plans need to make efficient use of resources, but it is not always apparent how
Thoughts on Relevance
Staying competitive in our industry is critical for all of us, but it is becoming more challenging. We are all well aware of the many issues our industry faces. However, from my perspective as a 40+ year industry veteran, it is amazing just how resilient and successful our industry has always been. Why is our […]
Open Protocol: Comparing Apples to Apples
Evaluating the risks of a large cap value portfolio against those of another has long been a relatively easy exercise for investors. However, evaluating the risks of an absolute return-oriented risk premia fund versus those of a relative value multi-strategy hedge fund is not, even though they can have the same stated investment objective.Investors who […]
Completion Managers: An Overview
The pension plan environment is fraught with complexities as increasing regulation and rising costs force plan sponsors to evaluate an array of risks to meet their pension obligations. Many plan sponsors have taken the first steps to de-risk their plans by increasing allocations to fixed income and the duration of those assets to match their […]