Over and above the setting up of an endowment, as you consider aligning your investment and philanthropic objectives you will need to balance all components of your asset management strategy to ensure that you achieve the ultimate objectives of:
- Preserving your capital
- Generating income (to meet your philanthropic commitments)
- Ensuring liquidity at the right time
Endowment funds are generally created to last forever, in order to sustain the existence of a particular institution. This very long-term time frame calls for portfolio construction with different weights and asset classes other than entailed with traditional investments, one that focuses more on long-term performance and less on liquidity.