The Qualifying Period for the DeKalb County Pension Board election will be December 5, 2011 through December 14, 2011. Any employee who is a participant in the DeKalb County Pension Plan as of the qualification deadline date may run for membership on the Pension Board.
Two employees will be elected. To qualify for candidacy, you must go to the Voter Registration & Elections office at 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA 30030. Qualification applications will be completed onsite from 8:30 am to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, beginning December 5, 2011.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
What a crock of sh-t this is.....here is an idea how about the Board of Crooks honor our nomination of Joe Hardy from the last so called election to the pension board.
This message is only for those that are concerned with the direction in which Dekalb County is going. Let’s rally together and vote Gregory Adams for CEO July 2012. He is someone that is concerned with the direction in which the county is going. He is someone who cares for the people and not afraid to hear the cries of those that is negatively impacted through the lack of strong leadership. Gregory Adams, a former Dekalb Police Officer, knows firsthand how police officers feel unappreciated and mistreated. He has heard and is listening to the voice of citizens of the county on how property taxes have gone up and so has crime, but it is apparent that the power to be is no power at all. Gregory Adams will Rebuild, Unite and Navigate Dekalb County to a more progressive County. So, here is the question. R-U-N (Are- You- In) for a better Dekalb? If so, Vote Gregory Adams Dekalb County CEO 2012 RUN for a better Dekalb.
Word on the street is, this guy is really, really thinking hard about the public safety. Do you know his website or do he have one?
His website is www.gregoryadamsforceo.com. He really is concerned about public safety because he is a former DeKalb County Officer. From what I hear, he wants to help give life back to the force, uplift the officers. He hates the way DeKalb Officers are treated. I mean let's be real, instead of running his mouth and complaining like so many, he at least is attempting to take on a position that can bring about some change for our fellow officers. Why not support him?
Why would you say that? Can you tell me why so that I know how to cast my vote? He is a cool dude from what I know about him from others.
The best thing that could happen to Dekalb is for about 6 more cities to form covering the unincorporated parts and disbanding the Dekald PD. This would severely limit the power of the county govt crooks just like it did to Fultons BOC when JC, Milton, Sandy Springs, ChatHills formed up their own agencies. Things are much better in Fulton fiscally becuase of it.
Imagine if your pension investment gains depended on DeKalb businesses and government. How far would wing shacks and car washes get you? They will NEVER get it together and be self sufficient so SERIOUSLY, move on.
True, they think successful business equates to how many people they can cheat.
This is from Barron's Magazine. I wonder if our boy's are trying to get our pension a better deal?
Fund of Information | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011 Pension Funds Strike Back
By JACK WILLOUGHBY |
After years of poor hedge-fund performance, some pension managers are demanding better terms, including lower fees.
The Pashas of the hedge-fund universe have failed to deliver that extra return for which they are so amply compensated, year in and year out. In the first nine months of this year, for example, the HFRI Equity (Total) index was down 5.3%, compared with a 1.3% gain for the S&P 500, according to Hedge Fund Research. Slowly, top pension funds are beginning to push back, insisting that hedge funds align fees more fairly with performance.
"I am confident that most institutional investors are at least trying to negotiate, not just fees, but legal terms and fund-governance issues," says Larry Powell, deputy chief investment officer of the Utah Retirement Systems, which has about $20 billion under management.
Until recently, the rule of thumb for hedge-fund fees was 2% annually of assets under management and 20% of profits. Investors could withdraw money quarterly. But since 2008, the two and 20 rule has been under siege. "Frankly, I am not sure where the two and 20 number emanated from, as I have almost never paid two and 20, certainly not since 2008," said Powell. "I think the compensation structure has changed in the industry from one size fits all, to one of customization."
Powell and the Utah Retirement Systems have been in the forefront of the push to better square fees with performance. "I don't think anyone is quite as aggressive as we have been. Even at the height of the hedge-fund mania in 2006 and 2007, I was negotiating and receiving concessions from managers on both fees and legal terms." The poor absolute performance and shenanigans that took place in 2008, Powell says, were the catalysts he needed to institutionalize the alignment of interest between pension fund managers and hedge funds.
A SIDE ISSUE THAT HAS ARISEN in discussions among institutions is the possible issuance of special options on appreciation rights, which might vest over the life of a hedge fund's investments. These would more closely match fees with long-term investment results, rather than annual results. After all, if a hedge fund invests in, say, a contract that won't produce a return for five years, should investors be charged a fee in every one of those years? The Internal Revenue Service has yet to sanction such a move.
There has been no reduction in fees across the board, thanks to strong bargaining by the largest funds, says Nadia Papagiannis, senior hedge-fund analyst with Morningstar, the fund-tracking firm. But the average, she notes, is now below two and 20, and some big hedge funds have addressed the concerns of pension managers by giving concessions allowing for easier exits. For example, some funds that had one-year lockups have changed to quarterly lockups with special charges. Redemption charges—up to 2% of assets—would become applicable if the money were redeemed prior to an agreed-upon length of the investment.
Institutions are able to flex their muscles for another reason. They now represent almost 60% of the new investment in hedge funds, up from about 50% prior to the meltdown. That said, not all pension funds are pushing for better terms. "Unfortunately, many investors are performance chasers and rely almost exclusively on past performance, assuming it will persist in perpetuity," says Powell. "There are a lot of smart investors; however, there are a lot more dumb ones."
Do we have this level of governance on our pension?
NYC is Pension Model for 21st Century?
Published: Wednesday, 21 Dec 2011
New York City is attempting to restructure the governance of its pension plans, which have more than $100 billion under management.
Since the economic crisis began, the media has focused its attention on the underfunding of public pension plans, while the governance of public pension plans has received scant attention.
However, it is the governance of public pension plans that needs to be restructured to assure that pension funds are being appropriately invested and protected.
New York City has five primary pension plans. There are five boards, 58 trustees and, together, the trustees have 66 votes.
The boards, with the help of 10 consultants, determine which asset managers to invest New York City’s pension funds with, and those 362 asset managers then invest the pension money.
New York City has little visibility into which investments the money is placed and where there is the greatest exposure to risk. If, for instance, significant amounts are invested in European bonds and Europe implodes, New York City’s pension plans would suffer.
New York City studied the best investing models to bring the governance of its pension funds into the 21st Century.
For instance, New York City looked to Ontario’s Teachers’ pension funds, which is known to be top of its class, and observed that 95% of its investment decisions are made by professional investment managers.
With Ontario’s Teachers and other best-in-class pension systems mind, New York City is proposing to completely restructure the management of its pension funds.
Rather than 5 boards and 58 trustees, the proposal will bring together the 5 pension plans under one roof to be managed by professional investors and a non-partisan staff.
If approved, New York City will take the politics out of its pension plans and will streamline the asset management process. This restructuring is critical as the pension money needs to be protected and have the greatest opportunity to realize a reasonable rate of return.
In today’s economic environment, when taxpayers are feeling the stress of the economy, it is time to apply best of class governance techniques to New York City’s pension system.
Vote ROGER PICKENS for retiree representative. He is the best canidate for the position and will represent retirees the best. This is not Roger Pickens writing this. I just want someone who will fight for retirees on the board and I think he is the best choice.
from a retired DKPD
Post a Comment