SPRINGFIELD, IL – The diversified, risk-aware investment strategy employed by Teachers’ Retirement System in response to an unpredictable economy and roller-coaster markets protected System assets during the first nine months of fiscal year 2022.

At the end of the March quarter of fiscal year 2022, TRS assets totaled $66.1 billion, in line with the $66.02 billion total recorded at the end of the December quarter. TRS was able to retain value in spite of market declines, including a negative 4.6% March quarter return for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Governor JB Pritzker’s plan to appropriate more money than the minimum requirement to Illinois’ public pensions in fiscal year 2023 was praised Thursday by TRS leaders as a commitment to improve the retirement security of the state’s teachers.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The TRS Board of Trustees has given final approval to a fiscal year 2023 state government contribution to TRS of $5.89 billion. 

The TRS Board is required each year to calculate and certify the state’s annual contribution to the System for the next fiscal year. A preliminary contribution calculated in October was reviewed by the State Actuary, Cheiron, Inc., of McLean, Virginia, prior to final approval by TRS. The certified contribution is now forwarded to state officials for inclusion in the FY 2023 state budget. 

SPRINGFIELD, IL –The long-term funded ratio of Teachers’ Retirement System improved slightly during fiscal year 2021 to 42.5 percent after several years of hovering at 40 percent.

And the TRS Board of Trustees approved a state government contribution for the System of $5.89 billion for FY 2023, a 4 percent increase over the state’s $5.69 billion contribution for the current fiscal year.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Teachers’ Retirement System has engaged Lenox Park Solutions, of Austin, Texas, to help develop a standardized metric scoring tool for diversity, equity and inclusion when analyzing potential investment opportunities and monitoring existing relationships.

Founded in 2010, Lenox Park provides diversity consulting services for numerous institutional investors, businesses and money managers.

Rupnik Named TRS Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer

R. Stanley Rupnik, an 18-year veteran of TRS, was appointed June 25 as the new TRS Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) by the System’s Board of Trustees.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees have named R. Stanley Rupnik, an 18-year veteran of the System, as the new TRS Executive Director/Chief Investment Officer.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Teachers’ Retirement System closed out a challenging 2020, dominated by the economic upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a positive 7.9 percent investment return and a $57.2 billion portfolio – the largest balance in the System’s 82-year history.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees confirmed its long-standing commitment to increase diversity, equity and inclusion within its investment program by enlarging the size of the System’s Emerging Manager Program (EMP) from $750 million to $1 billion.

The increase in the size of the EMP is just one part of a multi-pronged “reimagining" of the 15-year-old program and the System’s efforts to increase diversity. Currently the EMP is composed of 17 relationships with a total TRS commitment of $724 million.