# Medford Contributory Retirement System

Medford Contributory Retirement System is a Pension Fund based in Medford, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Medford, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Medford, MA, United States
- **Assets under management:** $200M–$300M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** medfordretirement.org

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Medford Contributory Retirement System is a public pension fund that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to employees and retirees of the City of Medford and the Medford Housing Authority. Governed by a five-member Board chaired by Rick Jordan, with Mark Minervini managing day-to-day operations as Executive Director, the system sits inside the regulatory framework of the Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC). The fund's membership consists of city workers, housing authority employees, and other participating public servants in this Boston-adjacent community. The system's investment posture reflects a small-plan pension strategy that leans into niche allocations. Public records indicate an allocation to distressed debt, which sits alongside a commitment to timber — an asset class more commonly found in larger endowment or family-office portfolios. The geographic focus is domestic, with cash and equivalents held locally in Medford. The Board operates with a lean professional structure typical of Massachusetts contributory systems of this size. The system participates in the Massachusetts Association of Contributory Retirement Systems (MACRS), the industry group that connects local pension boards to legislative and investment developments across the Commonwealth. No dedicated investment staff beyond the Executive Director role has been publicly named. Recent activity: no verifiable operational event from the last 24 months is publicly available, reflecting the low-profile cadence of a small municipal pension fund that does not aggressively publicize manager selections or mandate shifts. The structural differentiator is defined by constraint: PERAC oversight and the small-asset-base reality force a disciplined, consultant-driven approach that avoids the internal team bloat seen at larger state funds. Unlike private-sector plan sponsors that can chase scale through consolidation, the Medford system is bound by municipal charter and the demographics of a single city workforce. That makes its investment program an exercise in asset-liability matching within a narrow opportunity set.

## Sectors

- Distressed Debt
- Timber

## People

- Rick Jordan — Chairman, Medford Retirement Board
- Mark Minervini — Executive Director

## Questions

### How is the system structured under Massachusetts pension law?

It is a defined-benefit contributory retirement system established under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 32. The system is separately governed from the City of Medford's general budget, with employer and employee contributions set by statute and board policy. PERAC provides regulatory oversight, including investment guideline reviews and actuarial valuation standards.

### Does Medford Contributory Retirement System co-invest alongside other Massachusetts pension funds?

The system participates in the Massachusetts Association of Contributory Retirement Systems (MACRS), which facilitates information sharing among local retirement boards, but there is no public evidence of formal co-investment vehicles or pooled mandates with peer systems. Each board retains independent fiduciary authority over its own fund.

### How large is the Medford Contributory Retirement System?

Altss estimates the system's assets at approximately $246 million, based on prior research records. The system does not publicly disclose current AUM on its website, and no recent media report has confirmed a specific figure. This places it among the smaller municipal pension funds in Massachusetts.

### Which employers participate in the retirement system?

The City of Medford is the primary employer. The Medford Housing Authority is a named participating employer. Other units of city government — including the school department, public works, and public safety — are covered members under the Chapter 32 framework.

## Related profiles

- [Burlington Employees' Retirement System](https://altss.com/profile/burlington-employees-retirement-system)
- [OCU Pension Trust](https://altss.com/profile/ocu-pension-trust)

---

Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/medford-contributory-retirement-system

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology