Investment Beliefs

KEES KOEDIJK Professor of Financial Management and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. He has won several awards for his research on sustainable development. He has published extensively on finance, European integration, and monetary policy. ALFRED SLAGER Chief Investment Officer at Stork Pension Fund, and affiliated to Tilburg University, the Netherlands. His expertise includes international financial services, with a particular interest to asset management, pension fund and banking strategies. He publishes regularly on pension and investment management subjects.

• Introduction PART I: INVESTMENT BELIEFS: THE FUNDAMENTALS Think Twice about Your Investment Philosophy Uncovering Beliefs Why Pension Investors and Asset Managers Differ PART II: EXPLORING BELIEFS Inefficiencies Risk Premiums Diversification Investment Horizon The Investment Process: Impact and Focus Decisions Risk Management Investment Style Costs Organization Sustainability PART III: EMBEDDING BELIEFS How to Hit the Ground Running (Re)engineering Your Own Beliefs References

'THIS BOOK HAS MUCH TO OFFER FOR THOSE READY TO RECEIVE ITS MESSAGES. PETER DRUCKER AND JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES WOULD BE PLEASED.'- Keith Ambachtsheer'This is an impressive contribution to trustee knowledge and understanding, written in an accessible manner with thought-provoking ideas and guides for action. I strongly recommend this book to trustees and investment professionals.' Professor Gordon L. Clark, University of Oxford, UK'The authors are early narrators of an important realization in the investment world: investors need to develop and implement 'good' investment beliefs to be successful. This book is a highly readable account of the practical issues investors encounter in this area and draws from many interesting live examples. It should be required reading for trustees and investment committee members globally.' Roger Urwin FIA, Global Head of Investment Content, Investment Consulting, Towers Watson'Wonderful reading with a clear and well thought out message. Pension trustees and asset managers would be wise to carefully study the recommendations made as it will translate into enhanced performance and the avoidance of financial fiascos.' Professor Frank J. FABOZZI, Yale School of Management, USA, and Editor of The Journal of Portfolio Management'Koedijk and Slager have made a major contribution to the knowledge on investment beliefs and have become the current thought leaders on this topic. If your investment fund does nothave a clear set of investment beliefs, give this book to every member of your Investment Committee, and it soon will.' Graham Pugh, Investment Risk Management, OMERS'Sound investment beliefs are an important addition to the toolkit of trustees and their asset managers. This book is a helpful guide to make it work.' Else Bos, Chief Institutional Business and Executive Committee member PGGM'As a pension fund trustee you should focus on the important issues for your pension fund like the risk appetite, the asset allocation and the choice of investment instruments. This process of understanding, making choices and supervising implementation can be approached in a structured way by formulating and discussing the investments belief system. This book shows you the way. Koedijk and Slager do a great job in bridging the gap between academic research and everyday practice. By reading and applying it, you will greatly increase the effectiveness of your board role.' Professor Jean Frijns, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands