---
product_id: 8368246
title: "Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment, Fully Revised and Updated"
brand: "david f. swensen"
price: "A$64"
currency: AUD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/8368246-pioneering-portfolio-management-an-unconventional-approach-to-institutional-investment-fully
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment, Fully Revised and Updated

**Brand:** david f. swensen
**Price:** A$64
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment, Fully Revised and Updated by david f. swensen
- **How much does it cost?** A$64 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/8368246-pioneering-portfolio-management-an-unconventional-approach-to-institutional-investment-fully)

## Best For

- david f. swensen enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted david f. swensen brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment, Fully Revised and Updated - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81X99CtxhwL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Truly unique insight into institutional portfolio management
*by J***C on April 12, 2003*

Swensen's book is a must-read for endowment managers and other institutional investors, particularly those who take a fund-of-funds approach (as does Yale, where Swensen is Chief Investment Officer). Swensen aptly lays out the investment policy that has enabled Yale to consistently outperform other U.S. endowments. As Yale's CIO, Swensen has set a target portfolio allocation that departs significantly from the still heavily U.S. equity and debt-focused strategy of most endowments. Swensen's approach includes a large allocation to asset classes that are not highly correlated to the U.S. public equity market. He outlines these "alternative" classes in his book, giving the reader an excellent view of how alternative investments can increase risk-adjusted portfolio returns.Perhaps the biggest contribution of Swensen's book, however, is the debunking of myths that still lull fiducaries into making the wrong decisions, for example when it comes to picking investment managers. Swensen advises against chasing managers who have performed well simply because of their past performance. If attributes such as personal integrity and the right fee structure are lacking, solid past performance can become a liability, not an asset. Swensen describes the example of private equity firm KKR-- after tremendous early successes, the flood of investor capital into KKR enabled the firm's partners to set up a fee structure that ensured big payoffs for themselves even if their funds underperformed. This is just one of many valuable lessons the reader will draw from Swensen's book.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Resource; Error in Table 4.4 in Kindle Version
*by T***3 on May 28, 2016*

This is an excellent resource. In the Kindle version, I believe there is an error in table 4.4. It appears the data in the columns "Third Quartile" and "Range" are switched. For example, in the row U.S. fixed income, the data for Third Quartile is 0.5% and the data under Range is 6.9%. I believe this data is switched, and should read Third Quartile = 6.9% and Range = 0.5%. I believe the same is true for the rest of the data for these two columns. My opinion is supported by the subsequent discussion in the text, where the author indicates the range between first and third quartile returns for fixed income managers is 0.5%. I could not find a forum to provide this feedback, hence it is here. I hope this information is useful.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good insights; Perhaps DS cannot see his own hubris though
*by F***. on December 5, 2007*

This is an excellent book about the workings of an institutional portfolio and the various influences pulling at investment decisions.Lots of good anecdotal stories of mis-steps by *other* institutions. I would love to hear about some mistakes that DS has made during his tenure.He deals implicitly w/ agency issues that exist in most money management situations. For a more detailed explication of agency conflicts, read, "Unconventional Success".He attributes a lot of manager success to luck. However, how much of DS's and Yale's success is due to luck? He does not subject his own performance (that of managing the managers) to any sort of benchmark.Finally, he gives very short shrift to the back-office and operational issues (1 page at the end of the book). This is the achilles heel of 80% of management firms. They cannot scale, control, and maintain quality as they grow. This is the same, "Its all in the front office" mentality that presages so many other stumbles into mediocrity (not blow ups - just a benign drift downwards in rankings). I hope this same fate does not befall DS and Yale.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment, Fully Revised and Updated
- Capital Allocators: How the world’s elite money managers lead and invest
- Private Equity Deals: Lessons in investing, dealmaking, and operations from private equity professionals

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/8368246-pioneering-portfolio-management-an-unconventional-approach-to-institutional-investment-fully](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/8368246-pioneering-portfolio-management-an-unconventional-approach-to-institutional-investment-fully)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*