Our Publications

Funston Advisory Services LLC is pleased to announce the publication of "One of a Kind! A Practical Guide for 21st Century Public Pension Trustees". It provides practical advice about the governance challenges faced by 21st century public pensions and is a "must read" for all fiduciaries and those interested in or affected by the governance of public pension systems. Keith Brainard, NASRA Research Director says "Public pension trustees, policymakers, and millions of public pension plan participants - working and retired - will benefit from their impressive effort."
  • Retirement security will be one of the defining issues of the 21st century. The policy and investment environment is highly complex, uncertain and rapidly changing. Tough decisions need to be made.
  • Today's fiduciary decisions will have profound, long-term impacts on members, retirees, beneficiaries, plan sponsors, taxpayers and the general public.
  • Prudent decision-making is critical.
  • Trustees and executives are asking for help in understanding what others are doing and the lessons learned so they can adapt them to their specific situations.
This handbook is written by those with deep and broad experience as trustees, executives and advisors. "One of a kind!" explains in straightforward language the duties of trustees, their roles and responsibilities as board and individually and the challenges they face. While they have much in common, they defy stereotyping and each system needs to be treated as one of a kind. The Handbook clarifies the roles of board direction and oversight and prudent delegation to executive management. It provides a practical and comprehensive perspective on leading practices and lessons learned that can be applied by each system to meet its unique requirements.

To purchase a copy of this book, click the book cover below: 
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  • "TAKING ACTION: HOW PUBLIC RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ARE RESPONDING TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC" Funston Advisory Services LLC August 2020 Available here.

  • "Part 1: Bringing Home the Investment: Building the Case for Internal Investment Management," article written by Rick Funston, Lance Ihinger, Randy Miller, Keith Bozarth, and Keith Johnson, June 2015. Available here.

  • "Part 2: Bringing Home the Investment: What Does it Take to Make Internal Management Work?," article written by Rick Funston, Lance Ihinger, Randy Miller, Keith Bozarth, and Keith Johnson, June 2015. Available here.

  • "How Can Trustees Learn to Trust? - Achieving the Right Balance in Decision-Making between the Board and Executive Management," article written by Rick Funston and Randy Miller,  March 2015. Available here.

  • "Kick-starting an Internal Risk Management Dialogue," article written by Rick Funston and Randy Miller, Pensions and Investments, September 29, 2014, p. 12. Available here.

  • "ERM 101 for Public Retirement Systems," a series of five white papers written by Rick Funston and Randy Miller, May 2014. Available here.

  • "Public Pension Governance That Works,"  white paper by Randy Miller and Rick Funston, March 2014. Available here.

  • "Public Pension Fund Governance: Alignment of Responsibility with Authority," Rick Funston, Keith Johnson, Randy Miller, and Mark Barrott, published in the August 1, 2012. P&I Plan Sponsor Digest. Available here.