Pension Plan Overview

The Investment Management Division manages assets of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, the Consolidated Judicial Retirement System, the Firemen’s and Rescue Workers’ Pension Fund, the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System, the Legislative Retirement System, and the North Carolina National Guard Pension Fund.

Collectively, these systems and funds are referred to as the North Carolina Retirement System and each has a proportionate share of the Equity Fund, Fixed Income Fund, Real Estate Fund and Alternative Fund.

The North Carolina Retirement System is the 10th largest public pension fund in the country. In February 2007 credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s named North Carolina's pension fund the second strongest in the nation for the second year in a row.

While many pension plans across the country are facing funding shortages, the North Carolina Retirement System has won acclaim across the nation for its strong investment returns, sound management and high funding level. North Carolina’s pension fund had a funding ratio of 106.1 percent for the calendar year ending December 31, 2006.  The average funding ratio for public pension plans is 85.8 percent, according to the Public Fund Survey by the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.