LASERS Ranked Second Among 71 Public Pension Funds by Pensions & Investments
November 12, 2026
The Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System (LASERS) has been recognized by Pensions & Investments (P&I) as a top-performing public pension fund for the fourth consecutive year.
In its review of fiscal year 2026 returns, P&I ranked LASERS second among 71 U.S. public pension funds with $1 billion or more in investable assets.
LASERS earned an 18.7% return for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, well above the 14.3% median return of the funds P&I tracked.
Equities led the way
“Our strong investment performance this year reflects the benefits of maintaining a diversified portfolio and taking a disciplined, long-term approach to investing,” LASERS Chief Investment Officer Bobby Beale said.
“Our portfolio benefited from broad strength in equities, which returned 29.0% for the fiscal year. Emerging Market equities led the way at 48.7%, International Small Cap equities returned 31.8%, and Domestic equities returned 27.4%. Alternative assets added 8.3% and Fixed Income/Global Opportunistic assets contributed 6.4%. The results demonstrate the strength of our investment strategy and the expertise of our internal and external investment teams.”
What it means for members
Strong investment returns help secure the benefits LASERS members have earned through their public service.
LASERS pays more than $1 billion in benefits each year to retirees and beneficiaries, and much of that money is spent in communities across Louisiana.