Introduction to Capital Stewardship
After completing this course, you will:
1. Know and apply basic investment and retirement terms
1.1 Define a term in own words
1.2 Distinguish between correct and incorrect uses of a term
1.3 Select the term that best describes an idea, action, or event
1.4 Properly use new terms in assigned projects
2. Understand the different characteristics of retirement plans
2.1 List the characteristics of defined benefit and defined contribution plans
2.2 Compare and contrast defined benefit and defined contribution plan characteristics
2.3 Explain which retirement characteristics benefit workers and which characteristics benefit employers
2.4 Identify the potential for manipulation in the use of actuarial factors
3. Understand the role of the trustees and other plan professionals
3.1 List the people involved with the administration of retirement plans and identify the role they play with respect to plan administration
3.2 List and define the fiduciary duties required by ERISA
3.3 Analyze a situation to determine whether a person is acting in a fiduciary capacity
3.4 Explore the roles trustees play when negotiating retirement provisions in a collective bargaining agreement
4. Identify ways trustees and pension activists can put capital stewardship in action
4.1 Give examples of how pension activists can:
- monitor and influence executive compensation
- encourage corporations to act in the long-term best interest of employees and other shareholders
- encourage corporations to promote ethical corporate citizenship
- nvest pension fund assets so as to create union jobs
- work globally to promote workers’ rights
4.2 Identify issues of concern to the student’s industry, service, or trade
4.3 Brainstorm ways that capital stewardship might bring about desired changes to issues of concern
4.4 Develop a proposal for pension fund activism in the student’s industry, service, or trade
For sample material from the course, click here.