The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System portfolio returned a 7.97 percent investment gain for the fiscal year ended June 30, IPERS reported. The result exceeded the policy benchmark return by 0.18 percent. The retirement system’s 30-year annualized return, a measure of long-term performance, is 8.72 percent, CEO Donna Mueller said in a press release. The next big indicator of IPERS’ financial health will come from the annual actuarial valuation, which will be presented to IPERS’ board on Dec. 6, she said. IPERS’ Trust Fund balance stood at $32.26 billion on June 30. IPERS’ investment earnings pay approximately 70 percent of the benefit payments.