Leaders from the Canadian pension fund industry gathered at the third annual Risk Management Conference to discuss this year's theme - "Managing Risk in a Future of Single-Digit-Returns." Hosted by the Canadian Investment Review and the Bonham Centre for Finance at the University of Toronto, the conference brought together key members of the plan sponsor, money management, academic, and custodial communities. The beautiful Chateau Montebello in Québec provided the setting for this year's discussions.

Focused on the single-digit future faced by investors, this year's theme reflected the reality of economic conditions today - an era of uncertainty and market volatility. Burton Malkiel from Princeton University, this year's keynote speaker, addressed the theme by arguing that the equity risk premium investors will realize in the future is likely to be very small. However, there are ways to weather the storm.

The articles that follow draw on two days of presentations designed to bring you leading-edge research, ideas and insights in the area of risk management. Together, they outline the factors plan sponsors should consider in order to effectively manage risk in a single-digit environment - what the issues are and why they are important. From topics like governance and money manager structure to specific tools and strategies, this series of articles takes a top-down approach to the subject of risk management.

Whether you are interested in absolute return strategies, fixed income, or currency, you are sure to find this year's Risk Management coverage both interesting and useful.