January 2022

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6 Reasons You Should Attend TEXPERS' Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas

In-person conferences are one of the best opportunities to take your professional development to the next level. And when it comes to the public pensions industry, no live event matches the niche learning you'll find to help you become a better trustee or administrator. TEXPERS is hosting its Annual Conference April 3-6, 2022, at The Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. Click here to register for the association's most well-attended event of the year. Online registration is open through March 18.  Learning and sharpening your skills has never been easier: you can read blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos on YouTube, or even attend webinars, to name a few options. Is an in-person conference really worth the time and expense? Yes!  Going to conferences can have enormous benefits for TEXPERS' public pension system member trustees and administrators. You get face-to-face interaction, opportunities to learn and earn state-approved continuing education credit hours, and chance encounters that can change everything.  Click Here to Read The Reasons Why You Should Attend:

Sponsoring TEXPERS' Conference Helps Pension Fund Trustees and Administrators Gain Valuable Public Retirement Industry Insight Sponsorship opportunities are available for TEXPERS' Associate Advisor, Associate, Consultant, Actuary, and Vendor members at our 2022 Annual Conference, April 3-6 in Fort Worth, Texas. Please join us as we empower our local public retirement system members from across the state with the tools and industry insights to manage and govern their retirement funds. Access Our Sponsor & Exhibitor Prospectus

Houston Fund Selects Government Expert Tim Schauer as New Executive Director Effective Feb. 1, 2022, Tim Schauer will step into the role of executive director of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund, according to a recent news release. The Fund announced the new hire on Jan. 18, ending a nationwide search for an executive director to replace Ralph Marsh, who retired from the position last year. Read More

Texas News Headlines Pensions Best and Worst States for Pensions Texas Teachers' Pension Fund Buys New Austin Office Building Austin Firefighters Plan Appoints New Fund Administrator* Economy & Investments These Are the Local Private Equity Funds That Closed in 2021 Texas, Arizona have Recovered All the Jobs Lost When COVID-19 Hit Texas' Economy 'Surging' during Omicron as Some California businesses Voluntarily Shut Down Farm Economy Forecast Show High Inputs, High Market Returns Politics & Government Campaign Trails Heat Up The Biggest Texas Political Stories to Watch for in 2022 Race for Lieutenant Governor Battle for Texas Governor: Abbott, O'Rourke Fundraise Millions Perspectives In Texas, ESG Virtue-Signaling is a Risky Investment

Member Survey

As a pension trustee or administrator, how confident are you in your public speaking skills? I'm an Old Pro. Select I Could Use Some Improvement. Select I'm a Newbie to Public Speaking. Select

Last Month's Poll Results In the December Outlook newsletter, we asked our readers how important pension benefits are in recruiting and retaining public employees. Out of the 17 respondents, 9 (52.9%) indicated pension benefits are "extremely" important. The remaining respondents, however, were split in their responses: 4 (23.5%) indicated that pension benefits were "moderately" important and 4 (23.5%) indicated that pension benefits were "not at all" important in recruiting and retaining public employees.

National News Headlines

Public Pensions NCPERS Proposed New Measure for Public Pension Sustainability State Pension Plan Funding Rises in Fourth Quarter and Calendar Year: Wilshire* DB Plans Retain Cost Advantage Over DC Plans Big Pensions are Nearly 100% Funded, the Healthiest They've Been Since 2008 Financial Crisis Economics & Investments Biden Says It's Appropriate for Fed to Recalibrate Support for U.S. Economy U.S.-China Tech War: Beijing Unveils Grand Plan to Grow Digital Economy as U.S. Moves Forward With Competition Bill Studies & Reports Has COVID Affected Pensions for Workers Without Social Security? Milliman Analysis: 2021 Ends with Strong Fourth Quarter Deficit Reduction State and Local Government Contributions to Statewide Pension Plans: FY 20 Fiscal Responsibility and 401(K)s: Why Converting Public Employees to Defined-Contribution Retirement Plans is Wrong for Your State Legislative/Government Updates January See Flurry of State Plan Legislation Best Practices/Professional Development Strategies to Stay Positive and Productive Learn How to Negotiate Using Logrolling *Some links to sites may require registration to access articles.

Mark Your Calendar

The New Era of Digital Trust CISCO Virtual | Noon CST, Jan. 26, 2022 Click to Learn More

Basics of Finding Data Using data.census.gov U.S. Census Bureau Virtual | 10 a.m. CST, Jan. 27, 2022 Click to Learn More

PRB Actuarial Committee Meeting Texas Pension Review Board In-Person & Virtual | 10 a.m. CST, Jan. 28, 2022 | Austin, TX Click to Learn More

13th Annual Retirement Policy Conference National Institute on Retirement Security In-person Event | Feb. 28-March 1, 2022 | Washington, D.C. Click to Learn More

Banking & Bourbon The Bond Buyer Virtual | 3:30 p.m. CST, March 16, 2022 Click to Learn More

Membership Magazine

TEXPERS Pension Observer

The first quarterly edition of TEXPERS Pension Observer, the association's membership magazine, should be arriving in the mail next month. The magazine is full of information about TEXPERS' 2022 Annual Conference April 3-6 in Fort Worth, Texas as well as other news and best practices regarding the public pension and investments industry. (Pictured is the cover of the last edition of the membership magazine of 2021.)

Want to Advertise in TEXPERS' Membership Magazine? Here's How! TEXPERS' quarterly publication Pension Observer offers its Advisor, Associate, Consultant, Actuarial, and Vendor members advertising packages to help you get the word out about your organizations. Click here to access our association's 2022 Rate Sheet.

Welcome New Members

Boston Partners Global Investors, Associate Member Manulife Investment Management, Associate Member Richmont Capital Partners, Consultant Member ASG Capco, Vendor Member

About Us  The Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (TEXPERS) is a statewide voluntary nonprofit association that provides education and legislative advisory services to the trustees, administrators, professional service providers and employee groups that manage the retirement money of police, firefighters, municipal and district employees in cities across Texas.

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