The Dilemma Facing a $358 Billion Investing Giant

Image Credit: Alex Nabaum

You can learn a valuable lesson from the nation’s largest public-pension plan: Be careful how high you set your expectations. You might have to try to meet them.

The $358 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System has been studying whether to adopt a new approach that would increase its private-equity holdings. The giant organization already has nearly $28 billion, or 8% of assets, in such funds, which invest in startups or in corporate buyouts. Calpers’ board voted in principle March 18 to move forward with a plan that could funnel up to $20 billion into such venture and buyout funds over the next decade.

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This article was originally published on The Wall Street Journal.


Further reading

Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor

Verdad Capital, “Lessons from Oregon

Research papers by Steven Kaplan, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Provoking Posts, “Betting Like Buffett