Investment Objectives:
Any investment should always start with identifying its objective. Thus, the first step in the pension fund investment management system is defining the investment objectives. Pension funds are invariably long-term investments. The investment horizon in these funds is typically 25-35 years. Thus, the objective of the fund manager should be of long-term appreciation. However, having said that, the amount of safety the fund manager has to practice cannot be stressed enough. The consideration of risk and its constraints are important because it has a direct impact on the returns. As the fund's main focus is on the returns on the investments, it is very important to decide before hand what it aims to achieve by investing. Investment objectives categorize the area or a set of portfolios, that would indicate a successful investment program. Though broad statements of investment objectives are generally included in the mission statement, a list of quantifiable investment strategies for a specific period of time has to be covered in the investment objective. The plan sponsor may set the investment objective at various levels of the plan within its investment program. An efficiency investment objective can be viewed in two ways - incurring the lowest cost for performing the various functions and reducing the economic cost of the overall organization through surpluses generated in these funds.