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Mid-year Member Update from NCPERS: New Resources for Public Pension Professionals
In the first half of 2024, NCPERS has expanded its member programs and launched new initiatives to meet the needs of the public pension community. And there's plenty more on the horizon! Find out what's next and learn how your organization can take advantage of our many resources.
By: Hank Kim, Executive Director & Counsel, NCPERSReflecting back on the first half of this busy year, I am extremely proud of how much NCPERS has accomplished so far and excited about how much we have grown in 2024. We have added several new hires to our headquarters staff, increasing our bandwidth for member programs. This mid-year point offers the chance to highlight important activities to date and our big plans for the remainder of 2024. Please make sure your organization is taking advantage of these resources and services we're providing the community.
2024 ACE Hits New Highs
Thank you for making our Annual Conference & Exhibition (ACE) in Seattle such a resounding success! This year's conference saw the highest participation by pension plan staff and trustees in the last five years. The program featured more than 70 plan leaders and industry experts sharing their valuable perspectives on top-of-mind issues. View our upcoming conferences to find your next opportunity to learn from and connect with members of the public pension community.Interested in speaking at an upcoming event? Be sure to submit a speaker proposal for our upcoming Public Safety Conference by Monday, August 5th!
New Roundtable for Member Services Leads
We launched another new Pension Professional Roundtable, this one for directors of Member Services at pension plans. Over 60 pension plans attended these Roundtable calls in April and July, sharing their day-to-day challenges and solutions with their peers. Sign up here to participate in our pension fund roundtables for CEOs, CIOs, Communications, HR, and Member Services staff. Also, if there is a class of fund professionals who would benefit from having their own Roundtable, please email me. We're always open to exploring ways to support our members!NCPERS Research Delivering Fresh Insights
Our research shines a light on the current state of public pensions, and several new studies were released in the first half of the year. Our 2024 Public Retirement System Study, released in January, explores pension funds' fiscal condition and their fiscal and operational integrity. Access the member-only dashboard to see how your plan stacks up.Our newest study The Hidden Costs of Pension Reforms: Rising Income Inequality, Lagging Economic Growth, finds that policies that reduce pension benefits or promote transitions to defined contribution plans, which are usually implemented to save money, may end up costing more due to the dynamic interrelationship between pension reforms, income inequality, the economy, and market returns. Learn more about the key findings at our 11th annual Public Pension Funding Forum, held August 18-20 in Boston.
We are currently analyzing data from the more than 150 funds that participated in the 2024 Public Pension Compensation Survey and expect to release our most comprehensive dataset yet on public pension professional salaries and benefits in September. Participating funds will receive free access to the in-depth survey data to help them make informed decisions about compensation, benefits, and hiring strategies. Pension funds that did not participate will still be able to purchase the report for $2,500.
Educational Webinar Series
The popularity of our Center for Online Learning has encouraged us to expand our webinar series this year with more frequent events and a broader range of topics. In the just the last few months we have provided webinars to our members on key proxy votes to watch, how DEI policies can impact recruitment and retention, and new research exploring how rising income inequality impacts pension reform and GDP growth. You can find all of our past webinar recordings at the NCPERS Center for Online Learning.With education at the core of our mission and Hunter Bryant, our new Education Manager, expanding our capacities, you will find a continued emphasis on virtual learning opportunities in the coming months.
NCPERS Resource: Best Governance Practices for Public Retirement Systems
Earlier this year, NCPERS released a newly revised version of Best Governance Practices for Public Retirement Systems. This popular resource can provide plan leaders with a better understanding of governance documents, policies, strategic planning, and many other areas of responsibility.Developed in collaboration with Segal Marco Advisors, contributing author Julian Regan talked with NCPERS about the purpose of this guide, common governance-related challenges, and best practices for public retirement systems to consider.
Legislative Recap
Most state legislatures are winding down or finished passing legislation for this session. In November, the election and pre-filing will kick off the next round of activity, of course, both nationally and at the state level.This current pause is a good time for members to assess what's happened to date in the legislative arena. See our 2024 Legislative Summary for the enacted legislation from calendar year 2024 that relates to pension plans and retirement systems. On this national map, states with darker blue had more pension-related activity this year. Simply click a state and then scroll down the page to see a list of enacted legislation from the 2024 session relevant to pension issues, bill titles, and links to the language.
As always, NCPERS will keep its members updated on any legislative activity impacting pension plans over the rest of 2024.
What's Next?
There's plenty more on the horizon! Later this month, we're heading to Boston for the Public Pension Funding Forum, where pension executives, industry leaders, and academics will highlight the latest research and case studies on emerging funding solutions.In late September, we're looking forward to bringing together HR professionals in Denver for three days of networking, peer-to-peer learning, and hands-on training with industry experts during the Public Pension HR Summit. This one-of-a-kind event will equip you with the knowledge and resources needed to navigate the complexities of public sector HR. Be sure to register by September 2nd to secure the discounted early-bird rates!
We're also gearing up for the Public Safety Conference, held October 27-30 in Palm Springs, and the pre-conference NCPERS University events—the Program for Advanced Trustee Studies (PATS) and NCPERS Accredited Fiduciary (NAF) program.
Outside of our educational events, you can always find the latest research, updates on legislative and legal issues, insights into investment trends, and much more in our publications or on our blog.
Stay tuned for updates in the coming months highlighting additional opportunities to take advantage of the many resources from NCPERS. I encourage you to reach out to our membership team at membership@ncpers.org with any questions.
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