SmartTALK

Creating an allocation strategy that’s right for you

Asset mix is a critical factor in determining investment results. How you choose to allocate your investment dollars can be based on a number of factors, including your individual tolerance for investment risk, how many years you can invest before retirement, your life expectancy, etc. Wilshire Associates, a nationally recognized investment management firm, developed a questionnaire to help investors identify their investment style and asset allocation strategy. You may have used this questionnaire in our Investment Options Guide when you first enrolled in STRS Ohio’s defined contribution program.

Based on your answers to the questionnaire, you may have identified your investment style as conservative, moderate or aggressive. Wilshire recently updated its five potential sample portfolios that diversify holdings across general asset classes. If you would like to revisit the questionnaire to see if your current allocation matches your investment style, check out our Investment Options Guide. For more information about asset allocation, you can also call the retirement specialists at Nationwide Retirement Solutions (NRS) at 866‑332‑3342 (toll-free), Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m..

Retirement plan reselection to begin early next year for eligible members

STRS Ohio members who are enrolled in the Defined Contribution or Combined Plan and are in their fifth year of membership have an important decision to make in early 2025. They will have the one-time option to reselect their STRS Ohio retirement plan. Members eligible for this reselection period were enrolled as new STRS Ohio members between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

Members who are eligible for reselection will be notified by STRS Ohio in early 2025 and will receive personalized reselection materials that explain the plan options that are available, the deadline for making a selection and other pertinent reselection details. If you have questions regarding the reselection option or about your eligibility for this choice, call us at 888‑227‑7877 (toll-free).

Investment choice profile

This quarter’s SmartTALK profiles the STRS ACWI MSCI World ex USA Index Choice

The STRS ACWI MSCI World ex USA Index Choice is an allocation choice that is intended to closely match the return of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) ACWI ex USA Index, before fees. This investment choice is based on the share price of approximately 1,900 companies listed on stock exchanges in 22 developed and 24 emerging countries.

Companies located in Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, China and Switzerland make up about 50% of the holdings for this choice. Intermediate- and long-term performance figures for this and all allocation choices are provided on the Investment Performance Report.

Investor’s corner

Investment resources

STRS Ohio and NRS offer several helpful online resources to help you plan for a sound retirement. The NRS/STRS Ohio website offers tools and tips including:

• Secure access to your online account
• Ability to see your account balance and set allocation for future contributions
• Financial tools and calculators
• “My Interactive Retirement Planner” — a retirement planning tool that helps you assess your retirement readiness

If you do not have an account, you can register for one.