TEXPERS' 2023 Summer Educational Forum is Over, But Now is The Time to Practice What You Learned

More than 300 people attended TEXPERS' Summer Educational Forum on Aug. 13-15, 2023, in The Woodlands, Texas. 

The event offered networking and professional development in the relaxing environment of The Woodlands Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton. If you attended TEXPERS' 2023 Summer Educational Forum, you gained deeper insight from thought leaders in the public employee pension system space. But how do you turn those learnings into tangible results? It's all about leveraging the takeaways from your experience and applying them to create meaningful change in your pension plans.

Drawing on the knowledge from the event's thought leaders, you can implement effective tactics to safeguard a comfortable retirement for those who depend on you.

Apply What You Learned

When it comes to investments, the key takeaway from the TEXPERS forum is the importance of understanding the latest trends and applying them to your portfolio. During the event, you learned about different asset classes and diversification strategies. You also heard about emerging asset classes such as private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, and real estate. Now that you're back in the office, you can use this knowledge to build an optimal portfolio that meets your goals and objectives.

Stay Up to Date on Regulatory Practices

It's also important to review existing investments with an eye toward reducing risk and ensuring that your plan operates under best practices. At the TEXPERS forum, you focused on governance areas such as fiduciary duty, risk management, investment policy statements, and monitoring investment performance. These are essential considerations when protecting your plan's assets while meeting regulatory requirements. It's vital that trustees stay up to date on regulatory changes so they can ensure compliance with applicable laws. Additionally, having a comprehensive IPS helps outline expectations for staff members responsible for managing plan assets. Regularly reviewing IPS documents helps ensure that investment decisions are being made in accordance with stated procedures.

Stay Ahead of Industry Changes

Another critical area explored at the TEXPERS forum was domestically and globally benchmarking trends that impact pension plans today. This is where staying ahead of industry changes can help ensure your plan remains competitive. As a trustee or administrator, it's imperative to understand how adjustments such as fee structure modifications or market conditions shifts can affect investment returns. By being proactive with research and analyzing these trends, you can be better equipped to make informed decisions for beneficiaries now and in the future.

As public sector employees work tirelessly toward securing the safety and well-being of their communities, it is important for trustees and administrators of public employee pension retirement plans to protect their retirement security through smart investments and effective governance policies. Professional development opportunities like those offered by TEXPERS become increasingly critical resources for trustees and administrators seeking new insights into improving pension management strategies. Taking advantage of these events not only keeps trustees up to date on current trends but also provides a platform for networking with subject matter experts from all over the country who can offer valuable perspectives on various aspects of pension systems from an experienced perspective.

In other words, don’t forget what you learned at TEXPERS – take it back with you! Unlock by leveraging what you learned there to improve pension governance across your organization while helping secure retirement for beneficiaries everywhere!

Download Forum Presentation Documents as a Zip File

Show Us Your Best Shots!

TEXPERS staff and members were taking photos during the 2023 Summer Educational Forum in The Woodlands, Texas. We posted some to our Facebook photo album. Click the button below to view what took place, and be sure to share your photos with us! Tag us using the hashtag #TEXPERS2023. Click to see SEF 2023 Photos!