Returning the Brethren Pension Plan’s Retirement Benefits Fund to
fully funded status and approving five new tactical fund options for
Brethren Foundation’s organizational clients were the primary focuses of
the Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) Board of Directors meeting on April
21-22 at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
The board also spent time approving lists of defense-related
companies that will be kept out of BBT investments, evaluating the
performance of the board, receiving an unqualified opinion from the
organization’s auditor, and recognizing departing and nominated board
members during the weekend-long meeting. But the Pension Plan’s
Retirement Benefits Fund (RBF) was the primary focus of the board’s
attention.
“Many pension plans across the country have experienced hardships in
recent years,” said Nevin Dulabaum, president of BBT. “We’re not immune
to those challenges. But we are steadfastly working to strengthen the
RBF so that it can meet its obligations for the lifetimes of all current
and future annuitants.”
The two-day assembly was preceded by several meetings of the board
and its committees. A board conference call was held on Feb. 26, which
allowed BBT board and staff members to review departmental reports and
routine business. The Governance Committee met with Dulabaum in
Lancaster, Pa., on April 12; the Property and Compliance task team met
in Elgin on April 19; and the board’s Investment, Budget and Audit
Review, and Governance Committees each met in Elgin on April 20.
Three studies offer insight and possible paths for the RBF
Since the recent economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 left the Pension
Plan’s RBF at 68.5 percent funded as of Dec. 31, 2008, BBT’s highest
priority has been to return that fund--which pays out all Pension Plan
annuitants’ monthly benefits--to fully funded status.
Scott Douglas, director of Employee Benefits, led the board through
reports from three studies that analyzed key components of Brethren
Pension Plan. Although they were separate studies, their goals were the
same--to provide information that will help safeguard the Brethren
Pension Plan and the RBF for years to come.
One study was reviewed ahead of the full board meeting by the
Investment Committee; prepared by investment consulting firm Marquette
Associates, the study examined different economic and investment
scenarios for returning the RBF to fully funded status. Based on these
projections, it could take a decade or more to achieve this goal.
Factors that contribute to the RBF’s funding status include the
fluctuations of the investment markets, the number of new annuitants,
the mortality experience of Pension Plan members, the spousal options
that are selected, and the conversion rate used to determine how much
money each annuitant will receive as a lifetime benefit.
Another study examined the mortality assumptions that BBT uses in its
calculations of annuity payments. Human resources consulting firm Aon
Hewitt put together a review of BBT’s current mortality assumptions and
concluded that while the mortality table BBT uses is on target, it would
be appropriate to switch to a different table in the future. The report
made several other suggestions that the board’s Pension Plan task force
will review at its next meeting.
A study commissioned each year by BBT examined the funded status of
the RBF. The report indicated that as of Dec. 31, 2011, the RBF was 78
percent funded--meaning that for each dollar it must pay out to
annuitants, it has 78 cents available. This is a 10 percent increase
over its low, but it indicates that the task force’s work is not
complete.
Tactical investments added to Foundation’s fund options
In response to requests from several current and prospective
organizational clients, Brethren Foundation staff members have worked
with the BFI Board and investment and client service counsel to develop a
way to offer five goal-oriented investment choices. These new funds are
composed of multiple BFI funds and are monitored by an investment
adviser.
The five tactical funds are named after the purpose each is intended
to serve--Aggressive Growth, Growth, Income and Growth, Income, and
Conservative. The asset allocation of each of these funds will be
evaluated on a regular basis, and changes will be made within an asset
range defined by the BBT board. These changes will be made based on
perceived opportunities within the capital markets. These funds will be
available to all organizational clients for an additional fee.
“We’re pleased to be able to offer Foundation clients a way to
simplify their allocation process,” said Steve Mason, director of BFI.
“These five tactical funds will allow our clients greater ease in
directing their investments toward specific goals.”
The board approved the addition of these five new funds to BFI’s 16 existing funds.
Lists of Defense-related companies used to screen investments approved by the Board
To honor the Church of the Brethren’s historic peace stance, BBT
creates two lists each year of US Department of Defense contractors that
either earned 10 percent or more of their income from defense contracts
or hold one of the top 25 defense contracts issued to publicly traded
companies. Companies that fall into these categories in the Department
of Defense’s previous fiscal year are then prohibited from being
included in any of BBT’s or BFI’s actively managed portfolios. The board
approved the lists created for use in 2012 during Saturday’s session.
These lists are available for review at www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/screening.
IR+M retained for another three years of investment management
Representatives of Income Research and Management (IR+M) presented a
report to the Investment Committee during its meeting on Friday. IR+M is
an investment management firm based in Boston that has been serving BBT
as a fixed income manager since June 1995. After hearing the
Committee’s recommendation to retain IR+M, the BBT board voted to retain
the firm for another term. For the three-year period ending March 31,
IR+M had a return of 10.2 percent for its Brethren Pension Plan
portfolio, compared with the benchmark, Barclays Capital US
Government/Credit Bond Index, which returned 7.1 percent in that same
period. Each manager is reviewed every three years by the Investment
Committee.
Orientation and governance session helped undergird the Board’s mission
To strengthen the performance and focus of the BBT board, Saturday’s
morning session was dedicated to a time of board evaluation. The members
discussed what it means to serve on the BBT board, and it reviewed an
updated orientation and resource guide for new board members. This
exercise was led by the Governance Committee, which has recently
expanded its focus to include selecting BBT board nominees, orienting
new members, pairing those new members with mentors from the board, and
evaluating board members individually and collectively.
“We have an important mission--to provide BBT with solid leadership
and support,” said Karen O. Crim, BBT board chairwoman. “As a board, we
need to ensure that we are performing our duty to BBT’s members and
clients effectively.”
In other news
An unqualified audit opinion of BBT’s financial reports, including
Brethren Benefit Trust Inc. and Brethren Foundation Inc., was reviewed
by the Budget and Audit Review Committee. Craig Resch, a partner at
auditing firm Legacy Professionals, presented an overview of the audited
financial statements. Board members then met with Resch in closed
session. The audited financials were approved by the committee and the
board.
Three positions on the BBT board are up for election or appointment
this year, and the Governance Committee reviewed for the board the
status of all three positions. One will be filled by Annual Conference
election; the nominees for this slot are Eric Kabler of Johnstown, Pa.,
and Karen Pacheco of North Miami Beach, Fla. Pension Plan members have
elected Tom McCracken of York, Pa., to represent the Fellowship of
Brethren Homes for a four-year term. The BBT board in November had
indicated it would appoint Ann Quay Davis of Covina, Calif., to serve
another term on the board. Both appointments will be submitted for
affirmation by Annual Conference delegates this summer.
The board and staff bid farewell and offered thanks to two departing
board members--Jack Grim of East Berlin, Pa., who was previously elected
by Annual Conference, and Michael Leiter of Boonsboro, Md., who was
chosen to replace Carol Davis as the representative of the Fellowship of
Brethren Homes in April 2010.
Upcoming BBT board meetings in 2012 will take place at the General
Offices in Elgin, Ill., on Aug. 4-5 and at the General Offices and
Pinecrest Community, a Brethren-affiliated retirement center in Mount
Morris, Ill., on Nov. 17-18.
-- Brian Solem is coordinator of publications for Brethren Benefit Trust.
Source:5/31/2012 Newsline
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