Pension Funds

Pooled-contributions from pension plans set up by employers, unions, or other organizations to provide for the employees' or members' retirement benefits. Pension funds are the largest investment blocks in most countries and dominate the stock markets where they invest. When managed by professional fund managers, they constitute the institutional investor category with insurance companies and investment trusts. Commonly, pension funds are exempt from capital gains tax and the earnings on their investment portfolios are either tax deferred or tax exempt.

Classifications

Open vs. closed pension funds

Open pension funds support at least one pension plan with no restriction on membership while closed pension funds support only pension plans that are limited to certain employees.

Closed pension funds are further subclassified into:
1. Single employer pension funds
2. Multi-employer pension funds
3. Related member pension funds
4. Individual pension funds

Public vs Private pension funds

A public pension fund is one that is regulated under public sector law while a private pension fund is regulated under private sector law.
In certain countries the distinction between public or government pension funds and private pension funds may be difficult to assess. In others, the distinction is made sharply in law, with very specific requirements for administration and investment. For example, local governmental bodies in the United States are subject to laws passed by the states in which those localities exist, and these laws include provisions such as defining classes of permitted investments and a minimum municipal obligation.