The SWIB Podcast: Wisconsin Retirement System Insights

The SWIB Podcast: Wisconsin Retirement System Insights

News and insights about the complex, prudent, and disciplined investment strategies the State of Wisconsin Investment Board has put in place to help grow and protect the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System. Navigating today’s financial markets takes innovative thinking to design and implement investment strategies that control risk while generating reasonable returns. In a time when public pension funds across the country are struggling with issues related to underfunding, SWIB has helped fuel one of the only fully funded pension systems in the U.S. Join us as we talk about the importance of managing assets in a more challenging environment and optimizing cost over the long term on behalf of the more than 642,000 current and former state and local government employees and their families who rely on the WRS for some of their retirement security. SWIB is recognized as a premier investment organization because of its strong management of the trust funds of the WRS and several other smaller trust funds. SWIB has been successful in generating respectable returns to help ensure the WRS is able to meet its obligations today and in the future.

Episodes

SWIB Market Update - Q2 2025

July 17, 2025 • 11 mins
Each quarter, hear from SWIB staff about the economy, the markets, and how the Wisconsin Retirement System trust funds are impacted. Hear how SWIB is working to help the Wisconsin Retirement System remain among the nation’s most resilient pension funds – growing and protecting participants’ benefits and giving them peace of mind to focus on work, life, and the future. In this market update, we talk with SWIB’s Head of Funds Alpha ...
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34. Constructing a Real Estate Portfolio to Weather Market Volatility

June 25, 2025 • 25 mins
Over the last several years, commercial real estate has seen its share of challenges. From a global pandemic to rising interest rates and changes in trade policies, investors in commercial real estate have had to deal with sometimes extreme market volatility. Despite these challenges, commercial real estate remains an important part of a thriving U.S. economy and the investment strategy SWIB has implemented for the Wisconsin Retire...
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SWIB Market Update - Q1 2025

April 2, 2025 • 9 mins
Each quarter, hear from SWIB staff about the economy, the markets, and how the Wisconsin Retirement System trust funds are impacted. Hear how SWIB is working to help the Wisconsin Retirement System remain among the nation’s most resilient pension funds – growing and protecting participants’ benefits and giving them peace of mind to focus on work, life, and the future.
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33. Finding Strong Investment Opportunities at Home

March 26, 2025 • 21 mins
As part of its sophisticated and diverse investment strategy, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board makes investments in companies and funds across the country and around the world as part of a disciplined, prudent and innovative approach to market opportunities that ultimately benefit the Wisconsin Retirement System. But did you know that part of that strategy includes making investments right here in Wisconsin? Through its two ...
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32. A Look Back at 2024 and Ahead to 2025 with SWIB Executive Director/Chief Investment Officer Edwin Denson

January 29, 2025 • 18 mins
The financial markets in 2024 were shaped by geopolitical conflicts, a presidential election, the Federal Reserve initiating an interest rate cutting cycle, a continued bull stock market, and a U.S. economy that remained relatively strong. Many of the themes that dominated the past year are likely to continue shaping the financial markets in the year ahead. What does it all mean for SWIB and the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)? I...
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31. Small Cap Stocks Play Big Role in WRS Investment Strategy

December 11, 2024 • 20 mins
When investing in the stock market, there is a list of companies that will be familiar to even novice investors. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Walmart are just a few of the companies that grab the attention of investors and make headlines. These are large capitalization, or large cap, companies. These companies typically have a market capitalization over $15 billion. Although aggressive growth may be in the rear-view mirr...
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30. Why Bet on One Horse When You Can Back the Whole Stable, with Chase Nicholson

October 2, 2024 • 25 mins
Multi-strategy funds have become more popular over the years. But what exactly is a multi- strategy fund and how does SWIB’s implementation of a multi-strategy portfolio benefit the overall investment strategy for the Wisconsin Retirement System? In this episode of The SWIB Podcast, SWIB Senior Portfolio Manager Chase Nicholson explains what a multi-strategy portfolio is, why SWIB has the portfolio, and how that portfolio fits into...
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29. An In-Depth Look at the Economy with SWIB Head Economist and Asset & Risk CIO Todd Mattina

July 31, 2024 • 38 mins
Despite interest rates that remain high and inflation that is still above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, the U.S. stock market continues a bull run, unemployment remains relatively low, and wage growth has been steady. So, what does all that mean for investors and what will the second half of the year bring as geopolitical issues continue to grab headlines and we head into a November presidential election? In this episode of The ...
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28. The Role of Passive Strategies in SWIB's Investment Strategy

June 19, 2024 • 38 mins
SWIB has implemented a diverse and sophisticated investment strategy for the Wisconsin Retirement System, or WRS. The Core Trust Fund, the larger of the two WRS trust funds, holds investments in public equities, fixed income, real estate, and private markets. That investment strategy also includes a mix of active and passive strategies. In this episode of the SWIB Podcast, learn more about the role passive strategies like syntheti...
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27. Accessing the Private Markets Through Co-Investment

April 3, 2024 • 27 mins
Investments in the private markets is one aspect of SWIB’s diversified investment portfolio. But there are many ways to invest in the private markets. One approach that has been gathering momentum in the past decade is co-investment. In a private market context, coinvesting involves buying equity or debt in private companies alongside a private equity or private credit fund. What are the benefits of these investments and how do the...
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26. ‘It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over’: A Look Back at 2023 and Ahead to 2024 with SWIB ED/CIO Edwin Denson

January 31, 2024 • 24 mins
Yogi Berra once famously said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” That was certainly true for financial markets in 2023. Just when it looked like many of the same issues that investors faced in 2022 would hold down returns, 2023 finished strong. Despite the challenges of the past year, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board remained committed to its long-term investment strategy that aims to keep annuity adjustments and contribution ...
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25. A Look into the Housing Market and SWIB’s MBS Portfolio

November 29, 2023 • 30 mins
The U.S. economy has shown remarkable resiliency despite many industry experts saying a recession is inevitable. The same cannot be said about the housing market. Home prices continue to climb, interest rates are near record highs, and home inventory is not matching homebuyer demand. It seems like the dream of owning a home is inching further out of reach for many Americans. In this episode of The SWIB Podcast, Leo Kropywiansky, se...
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24. The State Investment Fund: Providing a Strong, Steady Economic Pillar for Wisconsin

September 21, 2023 • 17 mins
While the investment management of the fully funded Wisconsin Retirement System may be more well known, SWIB also manages several other smaller trust funds including the State Investment Fund or the SIF. The SIF is a pool of cash balances of various state and local governmental units created by state statute. In managing the SIF, SWIB works on behalf of local governments to manage approximately $3.5 billion in the Local Government ...
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23. An In-Depth Look at the Economy Midway Through 2023, with Todd Mattina

June 23, 2023 • 38 mins
As we reach the midway point of 2023, investors continue to navigate a unique set of challenges that have caused, at times, volatile financial markets. Investors face concerns from geopolitical crises and supply chain issues, to inflation and rising interest rates and the ongoing possibility of a recession. The State of Wisconsin Investment Board has worked to meet the challenges head on. But what lies ahead for the second half of ...
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22. How SWIB’s Venture Capital & Private Debt Portfolios Stay Well Positioned in Challenging Markets, with Chris Prestigiacomo

June 2, 2023 • 24 mins
Investors have been navigating challenging financial markets for the past several years. From stocks to bonds, asset classes have been impacted by high inflation, rising interest rates and the lingering effects of the pandemic. But were venture capital and private debt investments the exception? Chris Prestigiacomo oversees the state of Wisconsin investment boards, venture capital and private debt portfolios. Like other portfolio m...
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21. Finding the Best Ideas for Long-Term Success, with Susan Schmidt

March 22, 2023 • 22 mins
It's no secret that 2022 was a challenging year for the financial markets. There was nowhere to hide for investors looking to escape the volatility that impacted almost every asset class, including stocks. Following strong performance in 2021, the markets faced rising inflation that soared to 40-year highs, a series of unprecedented interest rate hikes, and fears that the country would be thrown into a recession. SWIB worked to nav...
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20. Navigating Volatile Financial Markets: A Look Back at 2022 and Ahead to 2023 with SWIB ED/CIO Edwin Denson

January 26, 2023 • 24 mins
The past year presented a unique set of challenges for investors navigating volatile financial markets. Investors faced concerns from geopolitical crises and supply chain issues, to the great resignation and the Federal Reserve raising interest rates several times in an effort to counter the highest inflation in four decades. Despite the challenges of 2022, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board remained committed to its long-term...
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19. How SWIB’s Strong Corporate Governance Program Benefits the WRS, with Sara Chandler and Tom Robinson

December 14, 2022 • 14 mins
SWIB owns stock in over 6,000 public companies across the globe at any given moment. As a shareholder, SWIB is focused on the long-term economic interests of the companies it invests in. In addition to a company's economic health, solid products, a strong customer base, and a growing market share, SWIB is also concerned about accountability, transparency, and alignment, hallmarks of a company that is doing things the right way. Bro...
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18. Peering into the Future to Keep the WRS Positioned for Success, with GRS Actuaries Jim Anderson and Brian Murphy

October 5, 2022 • 26 mins
The Wisconsin Retirement System is one of the few fully funded public pensions in the country, thanks in part to SWIB’s strong investment management. Because of the unique shared risk design of the WRS, investment returns directly impact annuity adjustments for retirees and contribution rates for employees and employers. The challenge is finding the right balance between taking enough risk to make sure the WRS is providing the bene...
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17. Mid-Year Market Update: Finding Stability in Volatility, with Edwin Denson & Leo Kropywiansky

August 31, 2022 • 35 mins
Volatility is a word that has become all too common in the last couple years when talking about the financial markets. Over the past two years, the pandemic has been a big economic story driving both monetary and fiscal policy. While the pandemic continues to create hurdles, new concerns are grabbing headlines. From supply chain issues to the great resignation, to the highest inflation rate in four decades, investors have to naviga...
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