The SWIB Podcast: Wisconsin Retirement System Insights

Presented by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board

Author: SWIB Staff

News and insights about the complex, prudent, and disciplined investment strategies the State of Wisconsin Investment Board has put in place to help grow and protect the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System. Navigating todays financial markets takes innovative thinking to design and implement investment strategies that control risk while generating reasonable returns. In a time when public pension funds across the country are struggling with issues related to underfunding, SWIB has helped fuel one of the only fully funded pension systems in the U.S. Join us as we talk about the importance of managing assets in a more challenging environment and optimizing cost over the long term on behalf of the more than 642,000 current and former state and local government employees and their families who rely on the WRS for some of their retirement security. SWIB is recognized as a premier investment organization because of its strong management of the trust funds of the WRS and several other smaller trust funds. SWIB has been successful in generating respectable returns to help ensure the WRS is able to meet its obligations today and in the future.
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37. Locked In for the Long Term: The 2026 Outlook with SWIB Executive Director/Chief Investment Officer Edwin Denson (Feb. 11, 2026)
Episode 37
Wednesday, 11 February, 2026

For long-term institutional investors like SWIB, 2025 reinforced the importance of maintaining a diversified portfolio, managing risk carefully, and staying disciplined through market cycles. Rather than reacting to short-term headlines, the focus remained on fundamentals, valuation, and the long-term objectives of the Wisconsin Retirement System. In this episode of The SWIB Podcast, we welcome back SWIB Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer Edwin Denson. We’ll look back at how global financial markets performed in 2025, a year shaped by easing inflation pressures, shifting interest-rate expectations, and continued uncertainty across economies and geopolitics. Looking ahead to 2026, we’ll discuss the themes SWIB is watching closely — from the trajectory of economic growth and monetary policy to how public and private markets may respond to evolving conditions. We’ll also talk about where opportunities may emerge, how risks are being assessed, and how SWIB positions portfolios to remain resilient in a range of possible outcomes. Edwin will share perspective on how SWIB approaches uncertainty, balances near-term market dynamics with long-term responsibilities, and continues to invest with a focus on meeting the retirement promises made to Wisconsin’s public employees and retirees.