Pension Plans Suffering from Poor Private Equity Returns

Some of the world's largest investors are suffering as a result of poor returns from private equity investments made over the past decade.

Pension funds representing public sector employees in California, Oregon and Washington have invested $53.8 billion in various private equity funds since 2000.

However, these large investors have recouped just $22.1 billion of that original investment.

In contrast, the managers of some of the larger private equity funds have fared well over the past several years:

Stephen Schwarzman, the 62-year-old co-founder and chairman of Blackstone Group LP, the biggest private-equity firm, ranked 261st on the 2009 Forbes list of the world’s richest people, with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. KKR & Co. LP co- founder Henry Kravis, 65, topped that with $3 billion, while Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein, 60, weighed in at $1.4 billion.

Source: Bloomberg

Full Story

Glossary: 
Key Phrases:
Glossary: