http://www.watsonwyatt.com Latest Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting Articles and News en-us Copyright 2008 Watson Wyatt Worldwide http://backend.userland.com/rss091 5/9/2008 4:25:36 PM 20 Efforts by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to encourage more disclosure of executive compensation are not making inroads with employers on one significant issue. A Watson Wyatt poll of 135 large U.S. companies shows most are reluctant to disclose performance goals for executive pay programs in their 2008 proxy statement. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18850Around ninety per cent of Defined Contribution (DC) plan members in the UK opt for the default option when choosing their investment arrangements according to an article in Watson Wyatt’s Global Investment Matters publication. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=19028The majority of respondents in a recently conducted Watson Wyatt poll, only weakly believed that investment manager’s past performance is a valuable indicator of future performance. [ASIA-PACIFIC]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=19036Gijsbert de Lange has joined Watson Wyatt, the leading global consultant, to head the firm’s structured solutions efforts in continental Europe. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18951Christopher DeMeo has joined Watson Wyatt, the leading global consultant, from Russell Investments where he was Director of Investment Strategy for that firm’s North America Institutional Investment group. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18945Global, March 31, 2008 – Roger Urwin to lead on global investment thought leadership and research [GLOBAL]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18885Companies will be required to arrange formal training for pension trustees under new regulations proposed by the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008 and expected to be approved soon. [IRELAND]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18888Although recent market downturns are holding back asset growth, U.S. retirement plans have nearly doubled in value since 1997, research by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm, has found. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18874Investment restrictions on pension funds have been loosened, allowing fund administrators to invest up to 40 percent of their assets in local and foreign stock, as well as in private investment funds. [COLOMBIA]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18881While the average U.S. household invests about 55 percent of its 401(k) or other defined contribution plan assets in common stocks, many Americans are investing all or nothing in equities. A host of factors, including education level and marital status, is contributing to these decisions, a new analysis of government data by Watson Wyatt has found. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18846Institutional pension fund assets in the 11 countries with the largest workplace retirement systems grew by about 9 percent during 2007 to more than $25 trillion. However, challenging market conditions in 2008 suggest many funds are now seeing values decline. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18847Investment returns need not be compromised if environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are taken into account, according to Watson Wyatt, the leading global consultancy. [UNITED KINGDOM]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18817UK, March 18, 2008 - Keith Jecks is to rejoin Watson Wyatt, the leading global consultant, from ABN AMRO where he was the Global Head of Pensions Advisory for the past four years. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18815Analysis Shows Some Surprising Correlations. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18767Pension funds around the world are paying on average 50%* more in fees than they were five years ago according to research by Watson Wyatt, the leading global consulting firm. [ASIA-PACIFIC]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18772In 2007, UK pension funds advised by Watson Wyatt, the leading global consultant, continued to increase their allocation to alternative assets, particularly to hedge funds, with the number of those mandates increasing by over 60% compared with the previous year. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18723Watson Wyatt has appointed Mayur Lodhia as an investment consultant in the client consulting team in London. He joins from Old Mutual Asset Managers where he was an investment structuring actuary, prior to which he was a quantitative analyst with African Harvest Fund Managers. Mayur is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18698Pension funds around the world are paying on average 50%* more in fees than they were five years ago according to research by Watson Wyatt, the leading global consulting firm. [EUROPE]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18689The subprime mortgage crisis in the United States and the declining U.S. dollar have caused market turmoil worldwide. With public officials predicting continuing volatility for the near future, investors, including pension funds, face a perplexing landscape. [UNITED STATES]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18680Leading global consulting firm Watson Wyatt, has appointed Tony Arnold as a senior investment consultant to further boost its growing Australian Investment Consulting Practice. [AUSTRALIA]http://www.watsonwyatt.com/search/parser.asp?ID=18669