The plan has a long-term investment horizon and can withstand short-term market volatility. The board and BCI remain focused on holding a diversified investment portfolio that follows a disciplined, long-term approach to managing plan investments.

In the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, the College Pension Plan's investment portfolio earned a net return of 9.4 per cent, below the market benchmark of 11.9 per cent. The five-year annualized return was 8.4 per cent, meeting the market benchmark. The ten-year annualized return was 8.0 per cent, meeting the market benchmark. Returns exceeded the long-term nominal return objective of 6.0 per cent.

At fiscal year-end, the market value of the plan's investment assets was $8.7 billion, up from $7.9 billion at the end of the prior fiscal year.

A benchmark is an industry standard against which an asset's actual rate of return is compared. The College Pension Board of Trustees uses benchmarks to measure how well the investment manager is doing compared to investment performance standards.

Rates of return against performance benchmarks (as at August 31):

Annual rate of return: the change in net asset values over a year due to interest income, dividends, fees and changes in market value.

Annualized rate of return: the average annual rate of return over a multi-year period. Annualized returns tend to be less volatile than annual returns, as they smooth out the ups and downs experienced over shorter timelines.