Updated:
Modern Woodmen of America Employees' Retirement Plan
Founded in 1883 as a fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen of America operates a member-owned financial services organization in Rock Island, Illinois.
Modern Woodmen of America Employees' Retirement Plan
Founded in 1883 as a fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen of America operates a member-owned financial services organization in Rock Island, Illinois. President and CEO Jerry Lyphout oversees a group that provides life insurance, annuities, and retirement planning to members across the United States. The organization's retirement plan, rather than farming out all alternatives management, runs an internal alternatives portfolio managed by Adam Schwab alongside the broader investment team led by CIO Brett Van. The plan targets venture capital broadly, with no single subsector dominating its disclosures. Aaron Birkland focuses on private placements, signaling a preference for direct company stakes over fund-of-funds structures, though the full mix of fund commitments versus direct deals remains undisclosed. The portfolio's only publicly surfaced real asset is a position in the Central Park Group Real Estate Special Situations Fund LLC, a mixed-use vehicle based in Omaha. No specific venture portfolio companies have been disclosed. The investment team operates from a single location in Rock Island, with no additional global offices. Team size is not public, though four investment professionals are named: CIO Brett Van, Portfolio Manager Adam Schwab, Portfolio Manager Aaron Birkland, and CEO Jerry Lyphout. No recent operational events have been publicly reported within the last 24 months that materially alter the plan's posture. The plan's structure sets it apart: it is a pension vehicle embedded in a fraternal benefit society — a member-owned structure without shareholders — that executes direct private placements internally. This architecture combines the long-duration liability profile of a pension with a governance model driven by member benefit rather than external shareholder return, shaping a patient, internally controlled capital base.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1883
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Rock Island
Corporate office
Rock Island, IL, United States
Principals
Brett Van
Chief Investment Officer
Jerry Lyphout
President and CEO
Adam Schwab
Portfolio Manager, Pension & Alternative Assets
Aaron Birkland
Portfolio Manager, Private Placements
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions for the Modern Woodmen retirement plan?
Chief Investment Officer Brett Van oversees investment strategy. Day-to-day portfolio management for pension and alternative assets sits with Adam Schwab, while Aaron Birkland focuses on private placements. President and CEO Jerry Lyphout provides organizational leadership.
How does the plan source its venture capital and private placement deals?
The plan maintains an internally managed alternatives portfolio rather than relying solely on external gatekeepers. Its reporting structure lists a dedicated Portfolio Manager for Private Placements, suggesting proprietary sourcing or deep direct relationships. No external sourcing partners have been disclosed.
Is Modern Woodmen of America a single family office or a pension fund?
It is neither. Modern Woodmen is a fraternal benefit society — a member-owned financial services organization founded in 1883 — and its retirement plan operates as a pension fund within that structure. It has no connection to a single family's wealth.
Does the plan participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The only publicly surfaced alternative investment is the Central Park Group Real Estate Special Situations Fund, a commingled vehicle. This indicates at least some fund commitments, though the presence of a private placements portfolio manager implies a dual approach that likely includes direct company stakes.
What investment stages does the plan typically target?
The plan lists venture capital as its strategy, without specifying stage focus. Given its real estate special situations commitment and broad venture mandate, it likely targets a mix of early-stage and growth equity, but exact stage allocations remain undisclosed.
How is the Modern Woodmen retirement plan related to Modern Woodmen of America?
The retirement plan is a direct obligation of Modern Woodmen of America, the fraternal benefit society. It is not a separate legal entity but an internal function. Investment professionals are employees of the society, and the portfolio benefits from the society's member-owned governance structure.
Does Modern Woodmen maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
The organization runs Modern Woodmen of America Fraternal Programs, which coordinates community impact and member volunteering. These programs are operationally separate from the retirement plan and are funded by the fraternal society's broader revenue, not by plan assets.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on pension funds?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: