Reflections on Professional Ethics in Investment Management and Pension Fund Investment Consulting

Abstract

This article is a travelogue of sorts. The author shares with the reader two of his ethical journeys. The first part of the article describes a set of lessons derived from having interviewed 25 senior investment professionals about ethical dilemmas they faced in their careers and how they view the state of ethics in our field. The second part provides a detailed ethical analysis of a single issue: what should investment professionals do if they believe a client has an illusory understanding of his or her financial condition? The author discusses that specifically in the context of investment professionals who advise public and Taft–Hartley pension funds.