The Board Institute Launches New Fiduciary Evaluation Tool

PHOENIX, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board Institute, Inc., in collaboration with a consortium of leading fiduciary experts, has released The Fiduciary Board Index, which allows boards of directors to both assess the strengths of their investment policies and highlight areas for improvement. The content of this unique, new evaluation and education tool was developed in collaboration with fi360, CEFEX, and Cambridge Fiduciary Services, LLC. The new product complements the existing suite of board tools offered by The Board Institute.

The Fiduciary Board Index module provides an objective and convenient online tool to help boards evaluate their performance and understand the board's duty in fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities for managing employee retirement plan investments. The Index delivers benefits to all boards of directors with responsibility for oversight of employee retirement plan investments and their investment committees. 

"Many investment committees for corporate retirement plans complain of 'fiduciary fatigue,'" said Rich Lynch, COO of fi360. "Expanded funding requirements, increased ERISA regulation, disruption of the capital markets, a multitude of new investment products, and fiduciary breach litigation all serve to challenge even the most sophisticated institutions, thereby adding to their fiduciary burden. As a result, the need to measure and demonstrate sound investment practices, governance, and oversight has never been greater."

"We are delighted to partner with these highly acclaimed authorities on fiduciary practices to bring this vital evaluation and education solution to corporations, so many of which are struggling with the volatility of their employee investments. In this highly uncertain economy, when accountability and transparency are essential, boards must be able to demonstrate their commitment to good practice," said Susan Shultz, CEO of The Board Institute. "The Fiduciary Board Index provides important benefits to boards and their investment committees, while providing benchmarking and clarity of purpose."

The Index helps companies demonstrate best practices in the face of increased media and shareholder focus on investment losses. It is completed anonymously by board members, and, at their discretion, those who work closely with the Investment Committee. It is built on a rich software engine and provides scores, variances, ranges of responses, best practices and individual comments to improve their investment fiduciary processes. The secure questionnaire takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Results are immediate, validated by leading survey experts and available on-line or in print.  

"TBI has created a unique tool for boards to evaluate themselves and their committees. We are pleased to promote the service as it encourages firms to subsequently undertake thorough fiduciary assessments," said Carlos Panksep, Managing Director of CEFEX.  "We believe firms will find this an objective first step towards achieving fiduciary excellence in their retirement plans."

"The Fiduciary Board Index module is easy-to-use and extremely thorough," says Roger Levy, Principal at Cambridge, "The summary section of the report that gives the overall scores is very comprehensive. Our ability to see the variances in responses and the pop up boxes educating us about the best practices are tremendously insightful. The actionable report sets a positive and realistic tone and presents compelling reasons to make changes. It's intelligent assessment information."

About The Board Institute

The Board Institute's customizable, easy to use evaluation and educational tools are developed in cooperation with leading governance experts and select partners, including the founder of 360 Degrees Feedback, the Foundation of Financial Executives Int'l, the Society for Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, and the Director's Network. Tools include The Board Index™, The Audit Committee Index™, The Compensation Committee Index™, The Governance Committee Index™ and The Director Index™. Reports provide scores, variances, ranges of responses, best practices, regulatory requirements and anonymous comments.  They can be administered in-house or with the help of consultants. For more information about The Board Institute, please visit www.theboardinstitute.com or contact 480-998-1081 or [email protected].

About fi360

Fi360 offers a comprehensive approach to investment fiduciary education, practice management and support that has established them as the go-to source for investment fiduciary insights. With substantiated Practices as the foundation, fi360 offers world-class fiduciary Training/Education, Tools and Resources that are essential for fiduciaries and those who provide services to fiduciaries to effectively and successfully manage their roles and responsibilities. Fi360 assists those who rely on their fiduciary education programs, professional AIF® and AIFA® designations, Web-based analytical and reporting software and resources to achieve success. For more information about fi360, please visit www.fi360.com or Twitter:@fi360.

About CEFEX

CEFEX is an independent global assessment and certification organization. It works closely with investment fiduciaries and industry experts to provide comprehensive assessment programs to improve risk management for institutional and retail investors. CEFEX certification helps determine the trustworthiness of investment fiduciaries. As a certifying organization, CEFEX provides an independent recognition of a firm's conformity to a defined Standard of Practice. It implies that a firm can demonstrate adherence to the industry's best practices, and is positioned to earn the public's trust. This registration serves investors who require assurance that their investments are being managed according to commonly accepted best practices. For more information about CEFEX, please visit www.cefex.org.

About Cambridge Fiduciary Services Group, Inc.

Cambridge Senior Executives have over 26+ years' experience in asset management and in advising clients on fiduciary responsibility and establishing a prudent investment process. Having obtained designation as an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst™ from fi360, founding members of Cambridge, Roger Levy and Ernest Liebre are equipped to perform both Fiduciary Checkups as well as formal assessments that can lead to CEFEX registration. For more information about Cambridge, please visit www.cambridgefiduciaryservices.com or contact [email protected] or (480) 735-8200.

SOURCE fi360