Date: February 2026
Author: Dean Wetton Advisory (DWA)

Elevating Strategy Review

For years, trustees have worked within a familiar rhythm: a major strategy review every three years, tied to regulatory requirements for the Statement of Investment Principles (SIP). In practice, this often means that conversations focus more on manager performance than on forward-looking strategy. process to make strategy the centrepiece of trustee discussions.

As Dean Wetton explains, “Trustees don’t want to spend hours debating whether a manager beat the benchmark by half a percent. What really matters is whether the strategy is still the right one for the scheme’s long-term goals.”

This is exactly why Dean Wetton Advisory (DWA) is reshaping the review process to make strategy the centrepiece of trustee discussions.

From Reactive to Proactive Strategy

Traditional reviews risk missing critical market shifts that occur between triennial cycles. The events of 2022’s Liability-Driven Investment (LDI) crisis proved that markets can turn rapidly, leaving schemes exposed if decisions are left too long.

To counter this, DWA integrates quarterly strategy assessments into its trustee engagements, offering real-time visibility of risks and opportunities. This approach ensures trustees are never behind the curve but instead continuously positioned to adjust course.

Tools that Bring Strategy to Life

Central to this process is DWA’s Fairway Model, a comprehensive analytical framework that evaluates long‑term expected returns, historic risk, drawdowns and performance consistency across the full journey to retirement.

By benchmarking strategies against calibrated equity‑cash boundaries and using measures such as standard deviation, maximum drawdown and historic returns, the Fairway Model helps trustees assess whether their investment strategy is delivering appropriate risk‑adjusted outcomes over the short, medium and long term.

Importantly, these discussions are not based on snapshots alone: DWA draws on five years of data and projects up to 15 years ahead. This long-range view gives trustees the confidence that their strategy is robust not just for the next quarter but for the next generation of scheme members.

A Partner for Continuous Decision-Making

Trustees value DWA not only for its innovation but also for its proactive service. By enabling schemes to make timely changes as opportunities arise, DWA ensures strategies remain aligned with long-term objectives. This combination of quarterly monitoring, transparent reporting and governance-friendly tools sets DWA apart in an industry where many consultants remain locked into outdated, three-year cycles.

Conclusion

By moving beyond narrow performance reviews and leveraging tools that visualise both current positioning and long-term trajectories grounded in accumulated historical data, DWA empowers trustees to make confident, strategy-led decisions in real time – often with a longer horizon than industry peers.

The future of pension scheme governance lies not in waiting three years for a strategy update, but in embracing continuous, data-driven decision-making. By prioritising strategic foresight over reactive performance, using tools like the Fairway Model and advocating fiercely for clients in insurer negotiations, DWA is setting a new benchmark in investment consultancy.

Crucially, DWA draws on deep historical data and long-range modelling to help trustees build resilient strategies that hold firm across shifting market conditions.

For trustees seeking more than compliance – those who want clarity, control and confidence every quarter, not just every three years – DWA is ready to help.

To learn more, contact Dean Wetton Advisory at +44 20 3422 5000 or enquiry@deanwettonadvisory.com