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Should You Add a Gold Fund to Your 401(k) Plan?

"Reasons to consider adding a gold fund ... Reasons not to add a gold fund ... What you should do if you wish to add a gold fund to your 401k."

Gold May Glitter, but It Doesn't Stack up as a Long-term Investment

Excerpt: Although it dipped to just under $900 late in April, it has had a tremendous run, up from $350 five years ago. What has driven these price gains? What does gold tell us about the economy's future? Should ordinary investors buy it? In fact, gold has not been a good long-term investment. The previous peak was about $850 an ounce in 1980. Anyone who had squirreled some gold coins or jewelry away in a safety deposit box back then would have made next to nothing over 28 years. Indeed, with inflation factored in, gold has lost value over that period.

U.S. Taxation of Foreign Pensions Plans with Examples

"It is very common for U.S. Taxpayers who are considered U.S. Persons for tax purposes to have worked or been employed in a foreign country and accumulated foreign employment retirement/pension over their lifetime -- or possibly invested in a personal retirement fund in a foreign country as a way to supplement their retirement income. Foreign retirement schemes are treated much differently under U.S. tax law than their U.S. retirement plan counterparts."

IRS Reporting Requirements for Foreign Retirement Plans

"One of the preliminary questions that a U.S. Taxpayer must consider in determining how to report a foreign retirement plan -- and which tax forms to file -- is whether or not the retirement plan is considered an employment retirement plan or a personal retirement plan. The U.S. government generally provides better tax treatment for employment-based retirement plans such as a 401-K equivalent than it does for personal retirement plans where the foreigner invests in foreign mutual fund-wrapped 'personal' retirement plans."

IRS Compliance Options for Malta Pension Plan Participants

"In 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Government pursued many U.S. taxpayers who they believed misinterpreted the US/Malta tax treaty -- and in some cases even went so far as initiating both civil and criminal tax investigations. As with most things involving the [IRS] and international tax, Malta pension plan participants may want to consider getting into offshore tax compliance on their own -- before they are investigated by the IRS."

The Barrick Gold Excess Fee Argument in the Tenth Circuit: Can a Court Consider a 'Concrete Discount' at the Pleadings Stage?

"The Barrick Gold case is critical because it presents a chance for the Tenth Circuit to draw a line in the sand. Are plaintiffs allowed to manufacture a factual dispute to survive the pleading stage, or can defendants use [DOL] required fee disclosures or the actual recordkeeping contract to disprove the excess recordkeeping claims? This is one of the most pivotal questions in excess fee cases." [Matney v. Barrick Gold of N. Am., Inc., No. 20-275 (D. Utah Apr. 21, 2022; on appeal to 10th Cir. No. 22-4045, oral arg. May 17, 2023)]

ICI Defends Revenue Sharing and Higher-Fee Share Classes in the Tenth Circuit Barrick Gold Case

"The Barrick Gold district court dismissed nearly every aspect of the excessive fee complaint by going outside the complaint and reviewing the trust agreement.... The Tenth Circuit now has a choice: follow the Ninth Circuit and allow plaintiff law firms to create false issues of fact with false investment and recordkeeping fees, or review the alleged excessive fees in the correct context of the trust agreement and possible credits and discounts.... The ICI brief captures the harm that has been caused by the over 400 excessive fee cases and the incoherent responses by courts in which the plausibility standard is disparately applied. " [Matney v. Barrick Gold of N. Am., Inc., No. 20-275 (D. Utah Apr. 21, 2022; recon. denied Jun. 21, 2022; on appeal to 10th Cir. No. 22-4045)]

Morningstar Removes Gold-Level Rating on PIMCO Total Return Fund and Predicts Possible Exit of 'Tens of Billions' in Assets

"[Morningstar has] lowered its rating on the Newport Beach, Calif.-based firm by two full levels, from gold to bronze, citing the departure of Bill Gross from PIMCO and the unintended consequences of that sudden exit. 'Given Bill Gross's abrupt departure, investors have focused on the possibility that out-flows could wreak havoc on the portfolio. Snap estimates of expected outflows have been all over the map, but it seems likely that outflows could total in the tens of billions of dollars,' wrote senior analyst Eric Jacobsen about PIMCO's Total Return Fund."

What's the Gold Standard for a Section 3(16) Plan Administrator?

"So, you've found a full-service 3(16) plan administrator who submits themselves to annual monitoring and states their fiduciary liability in their contract. Have you struck gold? Not so fast.... What characteristics does a full-service 3(16) plan administrator have to demonstrate to truly set the standard for the industry?"

Community Health Council Approves Vision Statement Including Developing Gold Standards for Health-Promoting Worksites

So far, some tentative gold standards that have been developed for the workplace include urging companies to have written policies that deal with drug and alcohol use or abuse and provide for treatment of those problems; to have employee wellness programs that include on-site fitness classes, training and assessments, or to provide for those to happen elsewhere; to host educational classes that deal with various health concerns; and to provide referrals for mental health counseling.