Solutions

Redefining Defined Benefits

We serve many of the world’s leading corporate pension plans and trustees providing customized investment solutions for their defined benefit plans.
wwd-capabilities-uk-pension_16-9_343x193.jpg
Solutions

Redefining Defined Benefits

We serve many of the world’s leading corporate pension plans and trustees providing customized investment solutions for their defined benefit plans.
wwd-capabilities-uk-pension_21-9_1840x788.jpg
Solutions

Redefining Defined Benefits

We serve many of the world’s leading corporate pension plans and trustees providing customized investment solutions for their defined benefit plans.
wwd-capabilities-uk-pension_3-1_2480x827.jpg
The Challenge at Hand

UK’s defined benefit pensions schemes at a crossroads

UK defined-benefit pension schemes are operating in an increasingly demanding environment. Improved funding has moved the endgame discussion up the agenda, yet more options exist now than ever before. At the same time, the complex regulatory framework is constantly evolving, while investment markets are uncertain and volatile. 

Every pension scheme's path is different

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to the endgame question, but the endgame strategy selected often depends upon the trustees’ strategy and strength of the sponsor covenant.

Commonly, two end game options are considered:

  • Buy-out; transferring pension obligations to an insurer
  • Run-on; retaining oversight of the scheme’s obligations and investment strategy

When run-on is preferred, trustees are actively considering how best to future proof their advisory arrangements and investment strategy.

Many schemes have partnered with a Fiduciary Manager or Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) to create a tailored delegated investment decision making model. The resulting partnership can reduce the trustee’s governance burden and ensures that risk and cost budgets are spent in an appropriate manner.

Learn more here

Incorporating sustainability

Given the long-time horizon of scheme obligations, trustees should analyse and prepare their portfolios for the risks and opportunities associated with the transition to a low-carbon, more inclusive economy. This long-term perspective puts schemes in a position to proactively assess and mitigate these risks and invest in solutions that profit from this long-term trend.

UK’s ‘Big Bang’ Pensions Revamp Could Alter the Landscape for Defined-Benefit Schemes
The UK’s defined-benefit pension funds are entering a period of change. With the government seeking to boost investment in the UK economy and interest rates starting to come down, we look at the key issues that could shape the industry in 2025 and beyond.
uk’s ‘big bang’ pensions revamp could alter the landscape for defined-benefit schemes
Our Offering



Our Approach

Client focused, award-winning expertise
We have a client-first partnership focus supported by our breadth and depth of investment and risk management capabilities. This combination has helped us gain the trust of pensions schemes globally with over £260bn in OCIO Assets under Management1 with small, medium and large clients. Our client’s successes have been recognized with industry awards including most recently Pension Age 2024 Fiduciary Management Firm of the Year2 and European Pensions Age 2024 Fiduciary Management Firm of the Year.3

End-To-End Solutions to deliver your strategy
We have the breadth of capabilities to tailor portfolio solutions that align with the scheme’s values, funding basis and investment strategy.

ESG and Sustainable Investments
With over 200 professionals dedicated to sustainable investing4, we can consistently engage with underlying portfolio holdings and integrate client sustainability priorities and objectives directly into our portfolios. For OCIO and Fiduciary management clients, this approach gives us the transparency to align each pension scheme’s investments with their specific goals.

Robust risk management
We understand how critical risk management is. Therefore, we’ve developed a risk management framework that allows us to monitor and manage risk and performance through multiple lenses, with a suite of proprietary risk management tools.

 

Breadth of Investment Expertise
Bringing together traditional and alternative investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management provides clients around the world with a dedicated partnership and focus on long-term performance.

Balance Sheet Solutions
We deliver customized balance sheet solutions including liability-driven investing and cash-flow matching for a large and diversified client base of institutional investors such as pension funds.

Sustainability and Responsible Investing
We help our clients manage risk and create value through exposure to green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked solutions, and help align portfolios with sustainability themes and goals.

External Investing
The External Investing Group (XIG) is a leading external manager platform with expertise and global scale across the risk-return spectrum. Our mission is to leverage our insight, expertise, and network to connect our investors to sought-after opportunities.

Learn more about our External Investing Group

Alternative Investing
We focus on turning global transformations into investing opportunities by combining specialized global alternatives expertise with the power of Goldman Sachs’ network and insight.

Learn more about our Alternative Investing

Working with strategic advisors
Some clients also retain strategic advisors. When that’s the case, we work collaboratively and have been very effective in meeting the goals of our mutual client.

Our risk management approach includes establishing a clear governance and reporting framework to ensure accountability when working alongside a strategic advisor.

As of March 31, 2024.

The Pension Age 2024 Fiduciary Management Firm of the Year award was awarded on 21 February, 2024 for the period December 2022 to November 2023.

The European Pensions Age 2024 Fiduciary Management Firm of the Year award was awarded on 4 July, 2024 for the period January 2023 to December 2023.

Source: Goldman Sachs Asset Management as of June, 2024

Case Study
Different Endgames for Defined Benefit Pension Schemes
The objective with a long-term, well-funded UK pension scheme client was to identify and present relevant options regarding their endgame.
Different Endgames for Defined Benefit Pension Schemes
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