Products August 8, 2012

Mercer to Include ESG Ratings in Client Reports

Proprietary environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings from Mercer will be included in client reports related to manager searches and performance.  
Reported by

Mercer assigns ESG ratings across investment styles, asset classes and geographies as part of its manager research process. The company plans to implement the new ESG reporting process globally by the end of this year. 

“ESG factors have the potential to become more important risk-return drivers for our clients,” said Andrew Kirton, Mercer’s global chief investment officer. “A growing number of institutional investors are expressing an interest in ESG assessments; however, relatively few managers integrate these factors into their investment processes. Incorporating ESG as a key aspect of the search process will promote constructive dialogue with managers on ESG-related issues and result in better overall outcomes.” 

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Products August 7, 2012

Securian Makes Changes to Investment Lineup

An additional 21 investment options from Securian Retirement offer diversity to advisers looking for more choices for retirement plan clients. 
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The company looks for low expenses, risk-adjusted performance and asset managers with repeatable, disciplined investment processes, according to Kent Peterson, director, investment services and senior associate actuary. “Advisers can feel confident they are offering quality investment choices backed by a comprehensive due diligence process,” Peterson said. 

The net operating expenses of the new Securian options are extremely competitive relative to their peer strategies, with the majority at 0.2% or less, the company said. Additionally, all revenue-sharing funds from investment companies are passed on to plan participants on a daily basis using a 20-year-old process called Securian’s Actual Allocation Method.

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Securian has added the following investments: Total International Stock Index I; Large Growth Equity XV; Inflation-Adjusted Bond II; Mid-Cap Equity IV; Small/Mid Growth Equity IV; Natural Resources III; Emerging Markets III; Small Value Equity XVIII; Emerging Markets Index IA; and International Core Index I.

For target-date accounts with underlying investment options based on Vanguard Retirement Funds with the correlative dates, the following options are now available: Retirement 2015; Retirement 2020; Retirement 2025; Retirement 2030; Retirement 2035; Retirement 2040; Retirement 2045; Retirement 2050; Retirement 2055; Retirement 2060; and Retirement Income.

Securian said it would close the following investment options to new plans effective September 4. On November 20 they will be mapped and closed: Long-Term Investor-Grade Bond; Managed III; Large Value Equity II; and Small Value Equity IX.  

More information is available on the “Financial Professionals” page here.

 

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