Pension Funds and the Financial Impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues.

Corporate financial performance can be impacted by how well companies manage material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities. Issues such as human capital, resource use efficiency, and data security can affect a company’s competitive advantage and long-term financial success. Investors are therefore incorporating ESG analyses into their investment process in order to make better, more well-informed investment decisions with the aim of improving portfolio risk-adjusted returns.

This panel conversation will feature Mike Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer, discussing how he is working to incorporate sustainability factors into the investment decision-making process in order to fulfill the Office’s fiduciary duty and maximize returns. The panel will also feature Maureen Ehrenberg, President of Global Integrated Facilities Management at commercial real estate firm JLL, sharing the ESG initiatives her company is focusing on in order to improve financial performance and thereby enhance shareholder value for clients as well as the company.

In a deal that could set a precedent for other financially struggling municipalities to follow, the city of Harvey has reached a deal with its police and firefighter pension funds to end a court fight over how much of the money Harvey gets from the state of Illinois the city should be allowed to spend on current day-to-day operations, rather than police and fire department retirees’ pensions.

In a deal that could set a precedent for other financially struggling municipalities to follow,  the city of Harvey has reached a deal with its police and firefighter pension funds to end a court fight over how much of the money Harvey gets from the state of Illinois the city should be allowed to spend on current day-to-day operations, rather than police and fire department retirees’ pensions.

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Last week we wrote about Minnesota and the collaborative process that led to the unanimous passage of pension legislation that will shore up the pension systems there. Minnesota showed the right way to do things: bring everyone to the table and negotiate in good faith. Other states have not followed this same path when dealing with public pensions. Kentucky also passed a major piece of pension legislation this year, but with a less positive outcome than in Minnesota.

More than a year ago, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin began saying he would call a special legislative session to address public pensions and tax reform. He quickly dropped tax reform, despite Kentucky’s notoriously porous tax code, and said the special session would focus only on public pensions. Despite continuing to promise a special session throughout the fall, he never called one. Eventually, it became too late for a special session and the 2018 regular legislative session began in Kentucky.

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A new state program will automatically deduct money from the paychecks of about 1.2 million Illinois residents for retirement savings.

The move could reduce the use of food stamps, Medicaid and other publicly funded social programs, said Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs. Illinois Secure Choice is being phased in more than three years after becoming law, The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reported.

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