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TRS Posts Requests for Proposals for Investment Consulting Services

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – Teachers’ Retirement System has issued two formal “request for proposals” seeking firms to provide consulting services designed to help the System make prudent investment management decisions. Illinois law requires TRS to issue an RFP for any investment consulting services at a minimum of every five years.

TRS Earns an 8.45% Rate of Investment Return in Fiscal Year 2018

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – Teachers’ Retirement System investments generated a positive 8.45 percent rate of return, net of fees, during fiscal year 2018 – a return that exceeded the System’s custom investment benchmark of 8.19 percent.

TRS ended FY 2018 on June 30 with $51.5 billion in assets, an increase of 4.2 percent during the year. Gross of fees, the TRS return for FY 2018 was 9.17 percent. TRS long-term investment returns continue to exceed the System’s goal of 7 percent. For FY 2018, the 30-year net of fees return was 8.4 percent; and 9.2 percent for 40 years.

TRS Engages Aksia as an Investment Consultant

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees today approved the engagement of Aksia, LLC as its consultant to help the System’s investment staff administer potential investments in the private debt/credit sector of the $11.9 billion Income Portfolio.

The contract with Aksia will be for five years. The firm is the first consultant for the System dedicated to private debt/credit opportunities.

During the Board’s regularly-scheduled August meeting, the following actions within the $51.3 billion TRS investment portfolio were reported:

TRS Finalizes $4.47 Billion State Contribution For Fiscal Year 2019

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees has given final approval to a $4.466 billion state contribution to the System for fiscal year 2019.

The FY 2019 state contribution falls short of the amount of money that actuaries calculate would “fully fund” the cost of TRS pensions during the year. The FY 2019 contribution is $2.9 billion below the full funding amount of $7.4 billion.

TRS Sets the State's Preliminary FY19 Contribution at $4.47 Billion

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees has given preliminary approval to a $4.466 billion state contribution to the System for fiscal year 2019, a 9.05 percent increase over the current year’s contribution.

Adhering to recently enacted state laws, the trustees also revised the FY 2018 state contribution for TRS upwards from $4.034 billion to $4.095 billion. In August a new state law shifted more of the pension costs of federally-funded teachers’ salaries from local school districts to state government.

TRS Earns a 12.6% Rate of Investment Return for Fiscal Year 2017

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – Teachers’ Retirement System investments generated a positive 12.6 percent rate of return, net of fees, during fiscal year 2017 – a return that exceeded the System’s custom investment benchmark of 11.4 percent.

TRS ended FY 2017 on June 30 with $49.4 billion in assets. Gross of fees, the TRS return for FY 2017 was 13.3 percent. Total investment income, net of fees, was $5.5 billion. The 30-year investment return for TRS currently is 8.1 percent, net of fees, which exceeds the System’s long-term investment goal of 7 percent.

Tier 3 Planning Underway

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Springfield, IL - Teachers’ Retirement System has begun the complicated process of creating a new Tier 3 “hybrid” benefit structure for future members, in compliance with a new state law enacted in July by the General Assembly.

Based on preliminary planning conducted over the last few months, TRS anticipates that the earliest date that Tier 3 may be implemented for members is July 1, 2019. The TRS Board will establish the final implementation date of the Tier 3 plan.

TRS Follows New Law and Lowers the State's FY2018 Contribution by $531 Million

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees this week reduced the State of Illinois’ annual funding contribution to the System for fiscal year 2018 by $530.8 million; reluctantly adhering to a new law that changes the statutory pension funding formula.

The revised state contribution for TRS is now $4.034 billion. The previous FY 2018 contribution, certified by the TRS Board last October, was $4.564 billion.