During the first three months of 2015, NAREIT conducted 139 meetings with many of the largest and most influential investment organizations within the institutional investment marketplace, primarily in the U.S., but also in Mexico. Collectively, these entities represent more than $17 trillion in assets under management or advisement.
The 139 meetings were held with organizations across all targeted investment cohorts, including:
- 33 with prominent domestic and international pension, retirement, and sovereign wealth funds representing more than $568 billion in assets;
- 8 with investment consultants having assets under advisement of more than $3 trillion;
- 62 with investment managers representing close to $13 trillion of assets under management through global and domestic products for the institutional and retail investor markets; and
- 36 meetings with other organizations and associations active in the investment management and retirement industry.
A focus for many of the meetings continues to be research that NAREIT sponsored with Wilshire Associates on the role of U.S. REITs and global listed real estate securities within target-date funds. These are the most rapidly growing investment products in most 401(k) accounts and other tax-advantaged savings plans within the $7 trillion defined contribution (DC) market. The investment managers with which NAREIT met this year collectively control almost seventy percent of target-date fund assets. Of our 62 meetings with managers thus far, 14 were with firms among the top 25 firms with respect to target-date fund assets under management.
NAREIT also participated in 11 institutional investment conferences during the first quarter of the year.
Additionally, NAREIT senior executives traveled to China in March to meet with government, investment and market organizations in Beijing and to speak at the 2015 China Wealth Management Forum in Hangzhou. The NAREIT team consisted of Steve Wechsler, president and CEO; Mike Grupe, executive vice president for research and investor outreach; and Bonnie Gottlieb, senior vice president for industry and member affairs.
Contact: Kurt Walten at kwalten@nareit.com