Products October 9, 2012

The Principal Offers LDI Separate Accounts

Principal Financial Group is offering a suite of separate accounts designed to help defined benefit (DB) plans of all sizes implement a liability-driven investing (LDI) strategy.
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The Principal LDI Separate Accounts are a lineup of four fixed-income investment options of varying durations that can be combined to match the duration of a plan’s liabilities. Each of the Principal LDI Separate Accounts offers financial professionals and their defined benefit clients a distinct duration band and an emphasis on corporate bonds.   

“Until now, sponsors of small and medium-sized defined benefit plans and their financial professionals have struggled to implement an LDI strategy because typically only the largest plans had enough fixed-income assets to create the customized bond portfolio needed to match the duration of a plan’s liabilities,” said Janet Kubik, vice president of retirement and investor services at The Principal. “The Principal LDI Separate Accounts provide fixed-income investment options of varying durations that can be combined together so all sizes of defined benefit plans can use LDI strategies.”    

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The LDI Separate Accounts are also supported by a due diligence process to help plan sponsors manage their investment-related fiduciary responsibilities.   

More information is here.

 

Deals & People October 9, 2012

Mercer Hammond Appoints Nonprofit Leaders

Mercer Hammond named national segment leaders of nonprofit health care, higher education endowments and foundations segments.
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Key responsibilities for these leaders include heading research teams that identify and incorporate the firm’s best investment ideas into client portfolios within their respective segments.

Rich Marra was named leader of nonprofit health care, and will focus on the systems’ endowments, retirement funds and operating pools. He brings 22 years of experience in corporate finance and 15 years of institutional investment experience. Previously, Marra was an assistant treasurer and director of pension investments at a major U.S. corporation.

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Chris Adkerson, leader of higher education endowments, has 16 years of experience, and received his chartered financial analyst (CFA) and chartered alternative investment analysis designation.

Russ LaMore will serve as consultant to a select group of not-for-profit clients in the foundations and endowment segments. LaMore has 23 years of industry experience and received his CFA designation.

Mercer now serves more than 240 clients globally in these new segments with $43 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.mercer-hammond.mercer.com.

 

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