Ten Mistakes in Investment Policy Development

May 09, 2024

Since GEM’s inception, we have probably seen over five hundred Investment Policy Statements. Though they’ve varied in length, style, and level of detail, we’ve observed that there is a consistent and recurring set of issues related to Purpose, Governance, Construction, Evaluation, and Alignment.

With this framework, we further explore the ten mistakes we most often see in investment policy development:

  1. An undefined purpose
  2. Vague investment goals
  3. Unclear roles and responsibilities
  4. Under- or over-diversification
  5. Assuming historical correlations will hold
  6. Mistaking legal structures for investment strategies
  7. Confusing beta and alpha
  8. Lacking specific benchmarks and time periods
  9. Too much backseat driving
  10. No linkage between the institution, the spending policy, and the IPS

Read our whitepaper to learn more about the importance of carefully crafting an Investment Policy Statement to ensure successful execution of your investment program into perpetuity.

 

Read More

Recent Insights

The Returns Horse Race Has Begun — But Does Measuring Up Matter?

As Matt Bank discussed with Institutional Investor, institutions should avoid the comparison game as endowment return season gets underway and focus instead on simply running their own race.

Largest OCIOs see scale as a friend. Others see an enemy.

Many OCIOs remain divided on the issue of scale: some believe it is necessary for growth, others believe it can inhibit the search for alpha. Matt Bank shared his views with Pensions & Investments.

Could OCIO reporting standards bring light to opaque universe?

As part of Pensions & Investments’ OCIO Special Report, Matt Bank discussed how a crowded OCIO universe has presented challenges for institutions seeking to vet the right outsourced provider.

Connect with us

Let’s start a conversation about how we can help.