Since 1987, public pension funds have exceeded their assumed rates of investment return, new research shows.
The National Association of State Retirement Administrators, Lexington, Ky., discloses this funding in a March 2013 report on public pension plan investment return assumptions.
At 8.9 percent, the media annualized investment return for the 25-year period ended December 31, 2012 exceeded the most used investment return assumption of 8.0 percent, the report states. The 10-year return is slightly below the average assumption of 7.77 percent.
“Although public pension funds, like other investor, have experienced sub-par returns over the past decade, median public pension fund returns over longer periods meet or exceed the assumed rates used by most plans,” the report states. “Changes in economic and financial conditions are causing many public plans to reconsider their investment return assumptions.