PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Alexander D. Beath AU - Sebastien Betermier AU - Chris Flynn AU - Quentin Spehner TI - The Canadian Pension Fund Model: A Quantitative Portrait AID - 10.3905/jpm.2021.1.226 DP - 2021 Mar 01 TA - The Journal of Portfolio Management PG - jpm.2021.1.226 4099 - https://pm-research.com/content/early/2021/03/01/jpm.2021.1.226.short 4100 - https://pm-research.com/content/early/2021/03/01/jpm.2021.1.226.full AB - This article presents a quantitative portrait of the Canadian pension fund model. The authors show that, between 2004 and 2018, Canadian pension funds outperformed their international peers in terms of both asset performance and liability hedging. A central factor driving this success is the implementation of a three-pillar business model that consists of (1) managing assets in-house to reduce costs, (2) redeploying resources to internal investment teams for each asset class, and (3) channeling capital toward growth assets that increase portfolio efficiency and hedge liability risks. This model works best for funds whose pension liabilities are indexed to inflation.TOPICS: Pension funds, portfolio theory, risk management, performance measurementKey Findings▪ From 2004 to 2018, Canada’s pension funds outperformed their peers in terms of investment performance and insurance against liability risks.▪ The Canadian model is cost efficient, not low cost. Canadian funds reduce costs by managing assets in-house and then redeploy resources by growing their internal capabilities and allocating more capital to strategic assets. ▪ The Canadian model works best for funds whose pension liabilities are indexed to inflation.