The SWIB Podcast: Wisconsin Retirement System Insights

Jan 29 2025 33 ep. 26 mins 21

The SWIB Podcast: Wisconsin Retirement System Insights artwork

News and insights about the complex, prudent, and disciplined investment strategies the State of Wisconsin Investment Board has put in place to help grow and protect the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System.

Navigating today’s financial markets takes innovative thinking to design and implement investment strategies that control risk while generating reasonable returns. In a time when public pension funds across the country are struggling with issues related to underfunding, SWIB has helped fuel one of the only fully funded pension systems in the U.S.

Join us as we talk about the importance of managing assets in a more challenging environment and optimizing cost over the long term on behalf of the more than 642,000 current and former state and local government employees and their families who rely on the WRS for some of their retirement security.

SWIB is recognized as a premier investment organization because of its strong management of the trust funds of the WRS and several other smaller trust funds. SWIB has been successful in generating respectable returns to help ensure the WRS is able to meet its obligations today and in the future.

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32. A Look Back at 2024 and Ahead to 2025 with SWIB Executive Director/Chief Investment Officer Edwin Denson

Jan 29 2025 18 mins

The financial markets in 2024 were shaped by geopolitical conflicts, a presidential election, the Federal Reserve initiating an interest rate cutting cycle, a continued bull stock market, and a U.S. economy that remained relatively strong. Many of the themes that dominated the past year are likely to continue shaping the financial markets in the year ahead. What does it all mean fo

31. Small Cap Stocks Play Big Role in WRS Investment Strategy

Dec 11 2024 20 mins

When investing in the stock market, there is a list of companies that will be familiar to even novice investors. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Walmart are just a few of the companies that grab the attention of investors and make headlines. These are large capitalization, or large cap, companies. These companies typically have a market capitalization over $15 billion. Alth

30. Why Bet on One Horse When You Can Back the Whole Stable, with Chase Nicholson

Oct 02 2024 25 mins

Multi-strategy funds have become more popular over the years. But what exactly is a multi- strategy fund and how does SWIB’s implementation of a multi-strategy portfolio benefit the overall investment strategy for the Wisconsin Retirement System? In this episode of The SWIB Podcast, SWIB Senior Portfolio Manager Chase Nicholson explains what a multi-strategy portfolio is, why SWI

29. An In-Depth Look at the Economy with SWIB Head Economist and Asset & Risk CIO Todd Mattina

Jul 31 2024 38 mins

Despite interest rates that remain high and inflation that is still above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, the U.S. stock market continues a bull run, unemployment remains relatively low, and wage growth has been steady. So, what does all that mean for investors and what will the second half of the year bring as geopolitical issues continue to grab headlines and we head into a No

28. The Role of Passive Strategies in SWIB's Investment Strategy

Jun 19 2024 38 mins

SWIB has implemented a diverse and sophisticated investment strategy for the Wisconsin Retirement System, or WRS. The Core Trust Fund, the larger of the two WRS trust funds, holds investments in public equities, fixed income, real estate, and private markets. That investment strategy also includes a mix of active and passive strategies. In this episode of the SWIB Podcast, learn m

27. Accessing the Private Markets Through Co-Investment

Apr 03 2024 27 mins

Investments in the private markets is one aspect of SWIB’s diversified investment portfolio. But there are many ways to invest in the private markets. One approach that has been gathering momentum in the past decade is co-investment. In a private market context, coinvesting involves buying equity or debt in private companies alongside a private equity or private credit fund. What

26. ‘It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over’: A Look Back at 2023 and Ahead to 2024 with SWIB ED/CIO Edwin Denson

Jan 31 2024 24 mins

Yogi Berra once famously said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” That was certainly true for financial markets in 2023. Just when it looked like many of the same issues that investors faced in 2022 would hold down returns, 2023 finished strong. Despite the challenges of the past year, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board remained committed to its long-term investment strat

25. A Look into the Housing Market and SWIB’s MBS Portfolio

Nov 29 2023 30 mins

The U.S. economy has shown remarkable resiliency despite many industry experts saying a recession is inevitable. The same cannot be said about the housing market. Home prices continue to climb, interest rates are near record highs, and home inventory is not matching homebuyer demand. It seems like the dream of owning a home is inching further out of reach for many Americans. In thi

24. The State Investment Fund: Providing a Strong, Steady Economic Pillar for Wisconsin

Sep 21 2023 17 mins

While the investment management of the fully funded Wisconsin Retirement System may be more well known, SWIB also manages several other smaller trust funds including the State Investment Fund or the SIF. The SIF is a pool of cash balances of various state and local governmental units created by state statute. In managing the SIF, SWIB works on behalf of local governments to manage

23. An In-Depth Look at the Economy Midway Through 2023, with Todd Mattina

Jun 23 2023 38 mins

As we reach the midway point of 2023, investors continue to navigate a unique set of challenges that have caused, at times, volatile financial markets. Investors face concerns from geopolitical crises and supply chain issues, to inflation and rising interest rates and the ongoing possibility of a recession. The State of Wisconsin Investment Board has worked to meet the challenges h