2022 Endowment & Foundation Investment Trends: What All the Cool Kids Are Doing

FEG Insight Bridge

Join Greg as he sits down with Wellington Management’s Multi-Asset Strategist Cara Lafond to discuss the ins and outs of the current investment landscape for endowments and foundations (E&Fs). Cara is responsible for researching investment policy and portfolio construction and advising clients on portfolio risks and opportunities, with a focus on Endowments and Foundations.

In this episode, Cara shares the top five E&F investment trends for 2022, including how institutions are rethinking their strategic asset allocations, how institutions are gearing up to face the coming environment of rising rates and inflation, her insights on navigating public-private crossover, strategies for investing in China, and different approaches to ESG implementation. She also breaks down some of the misconceptions around endowment models, discusses how to lean into innovation, and how to determine if a manager is right for you. You won’t want to miss this episode!

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Chapters

1. 2022 Endowment & Foundation Investment Trends: What All the Cool Kids Are Doing (00:00:00)

2. Episode Overview (00:00:36)

3. Background on Cara and Wellington Management (00:01:25)

4. Cara’s top 5 E&F investment trends for 2022 (00:04:04)

5. Managing strategic asset allocation in today's environment (00:05:24)

6. What to do with fixed income in a rising rate regime? (00:09:04)

7. Navigating public-private crossover (00:11:54)

8. How to be sure you're investing in the right manager (00:15:57)

9. Leaning into innovation (00:18:26)

10. Strategies for investing in China (00:19:43)

11. Different approaches to implementing ESG in portfolio allocations (00:25:25)

12. Additional E&F investment trends to watch (00:29:52)

13. E&F trends that are really just fads (00:32:57)

14. How Cara keeps abreast of industry trends (00:34:28)