Defined Benefit Fund

The primary objective of the defined benefit portfolio is to secure the funds necessary to pay statutory benefits provided by OPERS. OPERS investment professionals manage the investments of member and employer contributions for Traditional Pension Plan members. They also manage the investment of employer contributions for Combined Plan members.

Investment Philosophy

The OPERS Board of Trustees believes OPERS’ assets should be managed in a fashion that reflects OPERS’ unique liabilities, funding resources and portfolio size, by incorporating accepted investment theory and reliable, empirical evidence.

Specifically, OPERS has adopted the following principles:

• Asset allocation is the key determinant of return and, therefore, commitments to asset allocation ranges will be maintained through a disciplined rebalancing program.
• Diversification, both by and within asset classes, is the primary risk control element.
• The pursuit of returns in excess of benchmarks entails the distinct possibility of disappointing results over very short periods of time and, therefore, the assets will be invested with a long-term perspective.
• Passive investment vehicles consist of derivatives-based strategies that are suitable alternatives in highly efficient markets.