Partners Capital Goes “Open Source” with Two Decades of Research Supporting their Institutional Investment Approach

27 November 2023

Partners Capital Goes “Open Source” with Two Decades of Research Supporting their Institutional Investment Approach

Global Outsourced Investment Office’s Intellectual Capital Library offers a robust digital library of the firm’s investment research – previously exclusive to clients – to empower investors everywhere to avoid the greatest pitfalls of institutional investing.

LONDON, Monday 27 November 2023 – Partners Capital, a leading Outsourced Investment Office (“OCIO”) managing over $50B of assets on behalf of endowments and foundations, senior investment professionals and prominent families across the globe, today announced the launch of its Intellectual Capital Library (ICL). As part of the initiative, Partners Capital has unveiled more than two decades of research and insights, spearheading the offering of “open source” information within the OCIO space. The ICL, a digital content library of institutional investment insights, is specifically designed to benefit large institutional investors who, Partners Capital believes, are in the best position to make use of this shared learning.

Stan Miranda, Founder and Chairman of Partners Capital, said, “Since our inception in 2001, we have focused on staying at the forefront of the investment industry in confronting and overcoming industry challenges, such as conflicts of interest, opaque performance evaluation and unjustifiable fees and costs. Today, we invite the institutional investing world to delve into our collective research and learning spanning over two decades. Our goal is to reach beyond the assets we directly manage and influence the broader investment world by providing open access to over 150 pieces of investment insight.”

For the first time, Partners Capital is providing public access to past editions of its annual research report, Insights, which has been published for 15 years but was previously exclusive to the firm’s clients. The report provides extensive analysis on critical macro issues and investment themes. By making this library, including Insights, available to a wider audience, the firm aims to arm all investors with the tools to avoid some of the most damaging pitfalls of investing, including tools to accurately assess asset manager performance, tools which quantify many of the more hidden risks in portfolios, and tools to measure returns on fees and expenses.

Across whitepapers, videos, reports, podcasts, case studies and articles, the library mirrors the five layers of Partners Capital’s core investment framework, including:

  • Investment Philosophy: A set of core beliefs that have guided the firm, including the Partners Capital Risk Managed Endowment Approach (PRMEA) and the DNA of great investors.
  • Macroeconomic Views: The firm’s annual evaluation of the economy, and direction on how to navigate investments through different scenarios for growth, inflation, interest rates, technology and geopolitics.
  • Portfolio Construction: The science that shapes the firm’s overall investment portfolio, across risk budgeting, illiquidity budgeting, asset allocation, investment themes and more.
  • Asset Class Investment Strategies: A set of evolving “golden rules” assigned for each asset class that is determined by the supply and demand of investment opportunities.
  • Investment Process Management: The optimal process that delivers superior results through internal processes, effective decision-making and working seamlessly with clients.

“We hope that by sharing this library, which we believe provides insight into the most advanced approach to institutional investment, we will make a meaningful contribution to the investment world and create a community of like-minded investors who will similarly share their own insights with us,” said Miranda.

This endeavour pays tribute to the visionary work of David Swensen and the seminal endowment model that he similarly shared with the world through his book, Pioneering Portfolio Management, which was the product of his own experience in managing the Yale University Endowment portfolio for over 35 years. Building upon the foundation laid in his book, the ICL enriches his legacy with Partners Capital’s founders’ learning from the firm’s broad network of institutional investors, including endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds, innovative family offices and Canadian pensions.

For more information on how global investors can leverage this intellectual property in their investment decision-making, Miranda has brought the content to life with an introductory video: Introducing The Intellectual Capital Library.