Each week, TEXPERS presents you with free or low-cost ways to gain insights into current trends, research, and news related to public pension management, governance, policymaking, investments, research, and retirement—all from the comfort of your office.

There's a good chance you weren't born a brilliant public pension system trustee, administrator, or vendor consultant. The skills you have acquired to get to where you are today have taken a lot of hard work and time to develop. If you want to protect the retirement funds of the hardworking men and women who work in local and state government positions, you will continually have to improve your governing, management, and investment skills throughout your career. That entails seeking out as many opportunities for professional development as possible.

Our picks for this week's online professional development:

Longevity Rates for Pension Plan Participants. Join the National Institute on Retirement Security at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, to hear about new research that examines the differences in life expectancy between defined benefit pension plan participants and the U.S. population as a whole. Click here to learn more and register for this free webinar.

Investing in Real Assets. If the topic above isn't something you are looking to increase your knowledge in, consider this free webinar on real assets hosted by Pensions & Investments news at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. For many institutional investors, real assets offer diversification benefits and return potential. Click here to learn more and to register. This webinar is a sponsored program supporting P&I.

Diversity and Race Data: What Census Changes Mean for Policymakers. Between 2010 and 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau changed how it gathers race and ethnicity information. During that time, more people than ever identified as "some other race" and as "more than one race" Learn what these changes may mean for redistricting, research and policymaking at 2 p.m. ET/1 p. CT on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in this free webinar hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Click here to learn more and register.