Views from USS

29 November 2021

There is no silver bullet in the UK’s pension dispute

Passions are running high in the debate over UK university pensions. This is wholly understandable: pensions are an important influence on the financial security of members and their families and on the financial stability of many academic institutions. We all wish to provide the best possible outcome, but we must deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it would be.

16 November 2021

Progressing our journey to Net Zero - the next steps

USS announced its Net Zero ambitions in May this year. Simon Pilcher, CEO of the wholly-owned investment subsidiary, USS Investment Management, explains what has happened since.

4 November 2021

USS responds to Primary Markets Effectiveness Review consultation

As we have highlighted in the past, USS would be strongly opposed to proposals which could dilute key investor protections and shareholder rights and set a precedent which could lead to unintended consequences for investors in the UK market. USS calls for the retention of the UK’s listing rules on dual class voting structures and free float thresholds and that the principle of one-share, one-vote is protected.

22 July 2021

Explaining our central projections for future investment returns

We are currently holding a full valuation to establish how we plan to pay the benefits promised to our members over the coming decades. To the extent we plan to rely on uncertain investment returns, the process involves trying to predict how financial markets might perform over time.

22 July 2021

Investment strategy effectiveness and the 2020 valuation

Reflecting the long-term nature of the pension arrangements of our members, we take a long-term approach to investment strategy. The overall balance of our investments in the defined benefit (DB) section reflects the primary objective of any DB pension: to provide members with a set inflation-linked income for life in retirement, regardless of what happens to the economy in the future.

14 July 2021

How USS is committing more to green energy

In early May, USS announced its first investment in solar energy. Mike Powell, Head of Private Markets, explains why renewable energy is a growing area of focus for investment.

4 May 2021

Ambition to go net zero

Climate change is one of, if not the most significant challenge facing our society today, says David Russell, Head of Responsible Investment at USS. Here he explains what we are doing about it.

1 March 2021

The difference between our expected investment returns and our prudent assumptions

We are currently holding a full valuation to investigate if and how we can expect to have enough money to pay the benefits promised to our members over the coming decades. To the extent that we plan to rely on investment returns to pay our members’ benefits, the process involves trying to predict how financial markets might perform over time.

25 February 2021

Update on some exciting new changes to the Investment Builder

The ability to innovate is one of the key benefits of an internal team and we take this seriously as we strive to create the best possible products for our members.