Meredith Despins, Nareit senior vice president for investment affairs and investor education, hosted and moderated a panel discussion titled “All About Real Estate” during the Texas Association of Public Employees Retirement Systems (TEXPERS) Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. This year’s event marks TEXPERS’ 30th anniversary, and its membership includes more than 70 of Texas’ public pension systems, collectively representing 2.3 million active and retired employees with assets totaling nearly $89 billion.
Despins was joined on the panel by representatives from Cohen & Steers, Intercontinental Real Estate Company, and USAA Real Estate. The session provided a perspective on how pension funds invest in real estate and how REITs play an important role in real estate allocations, allowing investors to efficiently position their real estate portfolios for the 21st century by improving access and control, managing risk, and optimizing performance.
Many of Texas’ public pension systems have embraced commercial real estate investment as an integral component of their pension investment portfolios, and more than half report investment through REITs as a path to real estate.
(Contact: Meredith Despins at mdespins@nareit.com)