Business Commons^™

Socially Responsible Investing: A Comparative Analysis For The Bluegrass Community Foundation, Andrew Hedrick

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In the fall of 2010 the Blue Grass Community Foundation began considering whether an updated investment strategy that included Socially Responsible Investing would be advantageous and in line with the mission of the organization. The question was raised whether this type of investing meant that the return on investment from securities currently held in the Foundation’s portfolio had to be sacrificed in order to incorporate this type of investment philosophy into the existing criteria used to invest the organization’s assets.

This paper examines literature relevant to the topic and conducts an analysis of a sample of mutual funds currently available …

U.S. State Employee Pension Systems: An Investigation Into The Causes Of Unfunded Liabilities, Chuck Truesdell

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Defined benefit retirement plans for state employees have come under fire, both financially and politically, following recent market volatility and subsequent losses in pension investments. Asset losses matched with liabilities that are set years in advance translate to pressures on state policymakers and plan administrators to either find ways to improve the finances of these pension systems or transition to defined contribution plans that put the financial risk on individual employees rather than the state government. Because most states are legally and contractually obligated to pay retiree benefits regardless of the pension system’s financial condition — even to the point …