Pioneering Portfolio Management

In his fourteen years as Yale's chief investment officer, David Swensen has revolutionised management of the university's investment portfolio. By relying on nonconventional assets, including private equity and venture capital, Swensen has achieved a remarkable annualised return of 16.2 percent, which has added more than $2 billion to Yale's endowment. With his exceptional performance record prompting many other institutional portfolio managers to emulate his approach, Dr. Swensen has long been besieged by professionals in the field to write a book articulating his philosophy and strategies of portfolio management. Pioneering Portfolio Managementprovides a road map for creating a successful investment programme. Informed by Swensen's deep knowledge of financial markets, and ranging from the broad issues of goals and investment philosophy to the strategic and tactical aspects of portfolio management - such as handling risk, selecting investment advisers, and negotiating the opportunities and pitfall in individual asset classes - the book provides a vital source of information for anyone involved in institutional investments.

Barton M. Biggs, Chairman, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Investment ManagementDavid Swensen is one of the best and most original fiduciaries of modern times. His thinking has survived the battlefields and it has worked for big money., Burton G. Malkiel, Chemical BankChairman's Professor of Economics, Princeton UniversityOne of the world's most successful institutional fund managers presents powerful insights to help us become better investors. A must-read for both institutional and serious individual investors., Jack R. Meyer, President and CEO, Harvard Management Company, Inc.A masterful work by the master himself. We at Harvard wish that David Swensen would find a new job., Peter L. Bernstein, PresidentPeter L. Bernstein, Inc.This book will be a classic: it is essential reading for all investors, great and small. David Swensen is a leader and pioneer whose words reveal a rare combination of courage, integrity, and intelligence. No one can fail to find value here., Richard C. LevinF.W. Beinecke Professor of Economics and President, Yale UniversityDavid Swensen's creative and disciplined approach to investment has given Yale the resources it needs to augment its capacity for excellence in scholarship and teaching. Those who absorb the wisdom in this book will likewise strengthen the institutions they serve.

David F. Swensen (1954–2021) was the chief investment officer of Yale University and the bestselling author of Pioneering Portfolio Management. He served on the boards of TIAA, The Brookings Institution, Carnegie Institution, and Hopkins School. At Yale, where he produced an unparalleled two-decade investment record of 16.1 percent-per-annum returns, he taught economics classes at Yale College and finance classes at Yale's School of Management.