Pension divestment: Profitable altruism is possible

Once Russian military forces began their invasion of Ukraine, it didn’t take long for the cry to rise up from Maryland political circles for the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System to divest itself of Russian assets. On Monday, there was the call from Comptroller Peter Franchot for an “immediate” divestment of Russian holdings as not to “embolden a brutal dictator and the legion of oligarchs.” And there was Gov. Larry Hogan’s letter similarly urging the pension system to divest, to demonstrate how the state stands “shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine against Russian aggression.