The Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System (LASERS) reported a 15.8% investment return for the year ended June 30, which it said was one of the highest in the history of LASERS, boosting the total asset value of its investments to more than $11 billion.
LASERS said its 2017 fiscal year performance places it among the top-third percentile of 86 other public retirement funds with assets greater than $1 billion, according to Wilshire’s Trust Universe Comparison Service (TUCS).
“LASERS 15.8% return far exceeds our 7.75% expected rate of return as well as the TUCS universe median of 12.7%,” said LASERS Executive Director Cindy Rougeou in a statement.
LASERS provides a defined benefit pension plan that covers approximately 100,000 members. In 2016, the gross of fee return for fiscal year end was a loss of 2.4%, while the three- and five-year annualized returns were 5.6% and 5.9%, respectively.
“The benefit of global diversification is evident in our investment returns,” said Bobby Beale, LASERS’ CIO. “LASERS Board of Trustees and staff strive to be forward-thinking, disciplined, and efficient, while continuing to allocate assets for the long term. We are pleased with our plan performance and believe that LASERS is well positioned to meet its future goals and objectives.”
Tags: Fiscal Year, Louisiana, Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System, Pension