Author: cvernon

Illinois Pension Consolidation Act

On December 18th, 2019, Governor Pritzker officially signed Public Act 101-0610 into law, which then took effect on January 1st, 2020. A large portion of this new law (the “Pension Consolidation Act”) requires all 649 Illinois suburban and downstate police and firefighters pension funds — previously established as prescribed by Articles 3 and 4, respectively, of the Illinois Pension Code — to consolidate their assets into two new statewide funds: one for all police pension funds and one for all firefighter pension funds.

This legislative update covers the background and reasoning for consolidating these public safety pension funds, lays out the established timeline for the consolidation process, and details the ongoing responsibilities, requirements, and structure of both current local boards and the transition and permanent boards for the newly established funds.

Read > Illinois Pension Consolidation Act Legislative Update

While there is still some uncertainty regarding the implementation and timing of the transition, Marquette will continue to monitor new announcements closely and provide regular updates to our Article 3 and 4 pension fund clients as details emerge. Also included in this update are several key points we consider of utmost importance as the transition boards begin implementing the Act, including governance, infrastructure, personnel, a transition plan, and implementation. We are prepared to work with the consolidated funds, auditors, and any other necessary service providers to ensure our clients experience a transition that is as seamless as possible.

For further information or questions, please contact your consultant.

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs. Information contained herein should not be construed as legal advice.

Will 2020 Earnings Expectations Hold Up?

Despite poor earnings growth in 2019, global equities had a strong year, generating double-digit returns. The MSCI World Index, a developed global equity benchmark, and the MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index returned 28.4% and 18.4%, respectively. Paradoxically, however, earnings growth was negative for both indices in 2019. Why were equity returns so strong while earnings growth was so weak? One key reason was investor reaction to central bank activity.

Throughout most of the world, central banks took accommodative actions in response to slowed economic growth. The developed markets central bank policy rate dropped from 1.96% to 1.39% between 2018 and 2019. Emerging countries also acted as China, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and the Philippines all deployed interest rate cuts. This central bank activity boosted investor optimism leading to strong returns in anticipation of better economic and earnings data in the year ahead.

Looking forward, 2020 earnings growth estimates range from 8% to 14%. In a typical year, estimates are revised downward as analysts begin the year with a more optimistic view. In fact, at this time last year, 2019 estimates ranged between 5% and 8%. Will the 2020 expectations hold up as we move through the year? We think markets are betting that they will and that a significant miss, similar to 2019, is likely to lead to disappointing returns in the year ahead.

Print PDF > Will 2020 Earnings Expectations Hold Up?

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Institutional Retirement Plans Legislative Update — SECURE Act

As speculated in Marquette’s recent  4Q 2019 DC Legislative Update, Congress passed sweeping retirement savings reform by tacking the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (“SECURE Act”) onto its year-end spending bills. On December 17th and 19th, the House and Senate respectively passed the SECURE Act (“the Act”) with the goal of enhancing retirement readiness for Americans. This update outlines a summary of the Act’s provisions impacting our defined contribution (DC) and defined benefit (DB) plan clients.

Read > Institutional Retirement Plans Legislative Update — SECURE Act

As always, your consultant will be able to address any specific questions you may have regarding these changes. A similar summary targeting individual investors can be found here.

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Individual Retirement Plans Legislative Update — SECURE Act

In June of 2019, we published our first paper on the SECURE Act, “Securing Retirement through the SECURE Act,” after it passed the House and have since been monitoring the evolution of the legislation. On December 17th and 19th, the House and Senate respectively passed the SECURE Act (“the Act”) with the goal of enhancing retirement readiness for Americans. The Act will undoubtedly impact both retirement plans and individuals in many ways. This update will specifically focus on the pieces of the legislation impacting individuals.

Read> Individual Retirement Plans Legislative Update — SECURE Act

As always, your consultant will be able to address any specific questions you may have regarding these changes. A summary of the SECURE Act’s provisions impacting our defined contribution and defined benefit plan clients is outlined in a separate legislative update here.

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

What Does the Next Decade Look Like for Private Equity Investors?

For U.S. private equity investors, it has been a spectacular decade. Through September 2019, EV/ EBITDA¹ multiples, a standard for measuring private equity investment value, stood at 12.8x, just below the 2014 high of 12.9x. This figure marks an 82% increase from 2009, during which the U.S. economy was emerging from the Global Financial Crisis. In addition to revenue growth and EBITDA margin expansion, increasing multiples is a driver of private equity value creation and the most publicized metric on the state of the market.

A decade of increasing multiples has benefited private equity investors and managers. As investors saw the value of their private equity allocations grow, they rewarded managers with increasing amounts of capital. In 2019, global private equity raised $595 billion,² the second-largest sum ever.  A decades’ worth of prolific fundraising, like 2017’s record total of $628 billion, has created substantial amounts of dry powder, or uninvested capital. Today, private equity managers are sitting on $1.43 trillion of dry powder, waiting for investment opportunities to emerge.

These record-setting figures beg investors to ask very important questions regarding the next decade of private equity. Regardless of the past decade, we continue to see a tremendous amount of value in the private equity asset class as a return enhancer and diversifier for portfolios. Undoubtedly, investor scrutiny will increase as the asset class becomes more competitive, and manager differentiation will be paramount.

Print PDF > What Does the Next Decade Look Like for Private Equity Investors?

¹ Enterprise value / earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization
² Cummings, C. “Fundraising Stumbled in 2019 From Decade’s Record Pace,”  9 Jan. 2020. The Wall Street Journal.

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Alternatives 101 Video Series

Our Alternatives 101 video series covers each of the major alternatives asset classes, with guidance provided by several of Marquette’s research analysts and directors. In contrast to traditional investments, alternatives investing includes asset classes other than stocks, bonds, and cash (reference our Investing 101 series for more information about traditional investing concepts). This series aims to introduce trustees, staff, and other investors to the key terms and concepts they may encounter when investing in these typically less familiar asset classes.

The series covers:

View each talk in the player below— use the upper-right list icon to access a specific presentation.

For more information, questions, or feedback, please send us an email.

U.K. Domestic Banks Spike After Tory Triumph

In what has been called a landmark victory, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Conservatives handily defeated their Labour party opposition in the Thursday, December 12th U.K. general election, winning 364 of the 650 Parliament seats. This landslide gain locks in a Tory government majority, which should enable Johnson to fulfill his campaign pledge to “Get Brexit Done.” The win also provides the broader market with greater certainty about the direction of Brexit, as Johnson will now have the votes necessary to complete the steps needed to make the existing divorce deal law and to take Britain out of the European Union by the end of 2020.

Brexit has been a major overhang on U.K. stocks, as evidenced by the FTSE 100 being the worst performing European Index year-to-date. In this chart of the week, we show the London stock market response to the election results. The FTSE 100 Index rallied on both the Friday and Monday after last week’s election, up 1.1% and 2.3% respectively based on closing price. In intraday trading on Monday, December 16th, the U.K. blue-chip index surged to its highest level in four months, up nearly 2.7%. Of note, those businesses acutely impacted by the domestic U.K. economy saw a meaningful boost. British financial service firms were among the major climbers during the rally, with Hargreaves Lansdown, Barclays, and Lloyds Banking Group (shown in the chart) up over 4%.

Print PDF > U.K. Domestic Banks Spike After Tory Triumph

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Defined Contribution Plan Legislative Update – 4Q 2019

Since our 2Q 2019 DC Legislative Update, both chambers of Congress have moved forward with legislative enhancements for retirement savings. Under the leadership of Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), the House has passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act). In the Senate, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, formally introduced the most recent version of the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act (RESA). The bulk of this update discusses the similarities and differences between the two pieces of legislation and what plan sponsors can expect going forward.

In this update, we summarize various pieces of legislation and recent topics of interest for DC plan sponsors:

  • SECURE Act vs. RESA
  • Release of Final Regulations on changes to the hardship withdrawal process by the IRS
  • IRS 2020 401(k) contribution limit increases

Download PDF > 4Q 2019 Defined Contribution Legislative Update

As always, your consultant will be able to address any specific questions you may have regarding these changes. For a broader view of Marquette’s approach to defined contribution consulting, see our previous research including A Roadmap for Defined Contribution Plan Sponsors and Defined Contribution Plans: A Look at the Past, Present & Future.

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Illinois Sustainable Investing Act

As sustainability factors are increasingly being incorporated into the underlying investment processes at the corporate, manager, and investor levels, it’s not surprising that the Illinois General Assembly has taken up the issue in recently passed legislation. The Illinois Sustainable Investing Act (the “Act”), formally cited as Public Act 101-0473, was signed into law by Governor Pritzker with an effective date of January 1st, 2020. The goal of the Act is to recognize that sustainability factors play an important role in an investment’s overall performance and the creation of long-term value.

In this update, we summarize the Act and offer next steps for impacted clients, including:

  • Stated goals and purposes of the Act
  • The role of sustainability factors in investment performance and value
  • The duties of public agencies and governments
  • Implementation of the Act

Download PDF > Illinois Sustainable Investing Act Legislative Update

As always, your consultant will be able to address any specific questions you may have regarding these changes.

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Private Equity Position Paper – 2019 Update

This position paper explores the fundamentals of private equity as an asset class. Particularly, we examine the subcategories of venture capital, growth equity, buyout, direct lending/ mezzanine debt, and distressed, and the investment styles within them; mechanics of investing in private equity including fund structure, commitment period, cash flow, and the J-curve; investor fees and performance; and recent trends. Recommendations and guidance towards the investment manager search process and making an allocation to the asset class are also included.

Download PDF > Private Equity Position Paper

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.