What is the Prudent Person Rule?

The prudent person rule, as codified in Minnesota Statutes, Section 11A.09 requires all members of the Board, Investment Advisory Council, and SBI staff to "...act in good faith and ...exercise that degree of judgment and care, under circumstances then prevailing, which persons of prudence, discretion and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not for speculation, but for investment, considering the probable safety of their capital as well as the probable income to be derived therefrom." Minnesota Statutes, Section 356A.04 contains similar codification of the prudent person rule applicable to the investment of pension fund assets.