As an investor, it s no news to you that saving for retirement has become a formidable challenge.

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Ronald Bruce
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2 Secure Your Retirement in Turbulent Times As an investor, it s no news to you that saving for retirement has become a formidable challenge. In today s world, uncertainties abound, asset bubbles form and pop, and volatile markets rise and then sharply correct. Tomorrow s dollar, yuan, euro, or yen is often worth less than today s, which in turn is worth less than yesterday s. Savers and retirees have been forced to watch their retirement dollars dwindle in value thanks to international currency wars aimed at spurring growth and devaluing currencies. Add to that, savers are punished by central banks zero, near-zero, and recently even negative interest rates. The challenge facing all of us who are trying to save for retirement is not limited to growing our wealth. In uncertain times like these, trying to preserve what we already have can be just as hard. A Precious Metals IRA Offers Security Where Other Investments Can t Gold and silver are money. Everything else is credit. J.P. Morgan Since you re interested in learning more about a precious metals IRA, you likely understand the important role that precious metals can play in your retirement portfolio. The fundamental weaknesses in the global economy and the complex ways in which the world is linked mean that trouble anywhere even mere words from a central banker s lips can deliver a shock everywhere instantly, imploding the value of your investments. But when you hold physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in your precious metals IRA, you strategically balance your portfolio to create a hedge against systemic shocks, the ongoing debasement of currencies, and historical cycles of bubbles and crashes. A precious metals IRA Safeguard your wealth regardless of economic turmoil Precious metals ensure future purchasing power. The price of gold, for instance, tends to move up when the price of goods and services do; thus precious metals offer a hedge against inflation. Precious metals work as a fail-safe international currency. They can be readily converted into cash the world over, in any currency. Unlike companies, precious metals cannot fail. They are tangible assets without counterparty or credit risk. Precious metals are an asset class that provides true diversification in a retirement portfolio. They limit your exposure to volatility and correction. The price of gold and other precious metals moves independently of stocks, bonds, or Treasury bills; and they tend to gain value as a safe-haven investment in times of economic uncertainty. 2

3 A properly diversified retirement portfolio should perform well across a range of conditions, including the outcome of out-of-control government debt. A precious metals IRA is a sure way to accomplish this critical goal. Until now, the only problem with a precious metals IRA was the time and trouble it took to set up. A Hard Assets Alliance Precious Metals IRA Makes It Easy At the Hard Assets Alliance, when we decided to offer a precious metals IRA, we knew it had to be the best blend of technology, security, efficiency, and cost available. In conjunction with Millennium Trust Company, we ve vastly simplified what used to be a convoluted process involving many players (take a look at the sidebar to the right). It is now a seamless experience that puts you in the driver s seat, allowing you to manage your precious metals IRA online. The Hard Assets Alliance precious metals IRA offers you the first fully integrated IRA program, combining... 99an online custodial account 9 9 access to our vast dealer network, ensuring competitive pricing 99secure domestic and international storage 99an ultra-secure purchasing platform... all in one seamless, intuitive process. Establishing a Precious Metals IRA Was Once a Major Hassle Establishing a precious metals IRA is generally a time-consuming, complex, and inefficient process. Not with the Hard Assets Alliance. We make it easy to make precious metals a part of your retirement planning through a precious metals IRA. Take a peek at how the drill usually goes. The Conventional Precious Metals IRA 1. You source a custodian 2. You arrange for your funds to be received by the custodian through one of three means: direct contribution, rollover from 401(k), 403(b), or other similar retirement account, or transfer from another IRA 3. You source a separate dealer to buy from, and you place your order 4. You source the storage facility you will use to hold your metals 5. Your dealer contacts the custodian to verify that your funds are available 6. Your custodian contacts you to verify your order 7. Your dealer places an order on your behalf and notifies the custodian 8. The custodian calls the dealer and authorizes the order 9. Your dealer ships your order to the storage facility you have chosen 10. Your storage facility verifies receipt of your metals 11. Your custodian releases funds to your dealer 12. Your metals are attributed to your IRA account The process involves three separate players custodian, dealer, and storage facility and can take up to 4-6 weeks. Plus, this process has to be repeated anytime you want to sell some quantity of your metal or buy another. 3

By bringing the custodian, dealer, and storage facility together under one roof, we provide the best of all worlds when it comes to diversifying your retirement into precious metals.

4 By bringing the custodian, dealer, and storage facility together under one roof, we provide the best of all worlds when it comes to diversifying your retirement into precious metals. You enjoy the security of precious metals and the convenience of a user-friendly interface that enables you to manage your IRA online. Easy application the paperwork required to set up your precious metals IRA whether it be for domestic or international storage takes only about 10 minutes to complete. Approval approval of your IRA account takes 48 hours or less. Simple funding you can fund your precious metals IRA through a direct contribution, a transfer from another IRA, or a rollover from your 401(k), 403(b), or other similar retirement account. The right account for you the Hard Assets Alliance offers four different types of IRA accounts: Traditional IRA While all IRAs target preparing for retirement, contributions to a traditional IRA are often tax deductible. Furthermore, any earnings distributed after the age of 59½ are tax deferred. Roth IRA Contributions to a Roth IRA generally come from taxed income and are therefore not tax deductible. However, any growth or income generated within the Roth is not taxable. Within certain guidelines, withdrawals are tax-free as well. SEP IRA The Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA is a flexible option you should consider if you are self-employed or an owner in a corporation. A SEP is essentially a Traditional IRA with certain provisions for the self-employed or owner-operators. SIMPLE IRA The Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) is in many respects an IRA set up similarly to a 401(k), allowing the employer to make contributions to the employees and their own retirement. The SIMPLE IRA provides advantages for small businesses (under 100 employees) or self-employed individuals. (As with all decisions of this nature, consult a tax professional to help you decide which plan is most advantageous for your personal circumstances.) Offshore storage available you choose if you want your metal stored in the US or in Switzerland. The process to set up offshore storage is the same as domestic storage no extra time, paperwork, or expense required! Hold Gold Eagles in your IRA and store in Zurich! 4

5 Fully allocated physical metal you own fully allocated physical metal, not just a paper promise. IRS compliance as required by the IRA, the coins or bullion you buy are held by your IRA trustee (Millennium Trust Company) and are safely stored and fully insured. You may take delivery of your precious metals anytime after you reach age 59½. Taking delivery before you reach 59½ is possible, but it is also considered a taxable distribution and is subject to an additional 10% early withdrawal penalty from the IRS. Only allowed products offered the IRS has very strict rules on what type of bullion can be purchased with an IRA account. Inadvertently buying the wrong type would disqualify your IRA account and trigger an early distribution of the entire account. The distribution would be taxable and subject to penalties. Your Hard Assets Alliance Precious Metals IRA only offers options that are approved for inclusion in IRAs. There is no room for errors! You have strategic control you choose the types of metals your IRA owns. Tax-free transactions you can buy and sell metals in your precious metals IRA without tax consequences and without having to report every transaction. Precious metals are one of the best investments to hold in an IRA because capital gains are taxed at 28% instead of the standard long-term capital gains tax rate. This means you can rebalance your precious metal portfolio as often as you wish without worrying about taxes. Our simplified process means lower costs Millennium Trust Company has a one-time fee of $25 to set up your account. After that, administrative fees are an incredibly low $100 a year. US Dollar Purchasing Power vs. Gold A look at the past shows the role precious metals, as opposed to fiat currencies, have played in preserving wealth. All past reserve currencies have seen a dramatic erosion of value over time. The US dollar, the world s current reserve currency, is no exception, as you can see in the example below. US Dollar Purchasing Power and Currency in Circulation $120 1,600 US Dollar Purchasing Power (January 1900 = $100) $100 $80 $60 $40 $20 $0 Purchasing Power of US Dollar Currency in Circulation 1,400 1,200 1, Billions of US Dollars Hard Assets Alliance Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 5

6 From 1900 to 2012, the US dollar lost 96% of its value. At the same time, the US money supply exploded, increasing 1,400 times. The US government continues to print money at an alarming rate. The result is that each year, your paper US dollar buys you fewer and fewer goods and services. Gold, on the other hand, steadily increased in value between 1900 and $450 $400 Gold's Purchasing Power in US Dollars USD Gold Price Deflated by CPI $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $ Hard Assets Alliance 2014 In stark contrast to the US dollar, gold not only maintained its purchasing power, it increased it by nearly 100%. Precious metals have maintained their value over many centuries since the dawn of civilization. Gold is, of course, the prime example. Its price may rise or fall, but it never succumbs to the eventual erosion of value that fiat currencies are subject to. Gold could be characterized as good money as opposed to bad money which would be represented by many of today s fiat currencies. Deutsche Bank Precious Metals: A Store of Lasting Value in Uncertain Times The ongoing ability of precious metals to preserve wealth is summed up in the story of George Walton Williams, a blockade runner in Charleston, SC, during the Civil War. Like his fellow blockade runners, George Williams turned a considerable profit during this time. But unlike his fellow blockade runners, Williams declined to accept payment for his services in the Confederate currency. He insisted on payment in gold instead. 6

7 When the Confederacy fell and Confederate dollars were worth nothing at all, George Williams still possessed the wealth he had accrued, while his neighbors lost their fortunes. Who wouldn t want to be in George Williams shoes rather than his neighbors, should fiscal crises gut the value of stocks and bonds? A savvy planner, Williams put together his own precursor of today s precious metals IRA. Today, we face different circumstances than George Walton Williams, but the solution is the same: physical gold, silver, platinum, and/or palladium. (For an example of how physical gold vs. paper dollars would have fared in the 15 years from January 2000 to December 2014, see our calculation on the right.) Precious metals: A silver, gold, platinum, and/or palladium lining in the financial storm clouds wouldbe retirees face in the years ahead. $1,000 stuffed into your mattress on January 4, 2000 would have lost $276 worth of its original purchasing power by December 29, 2014 a 27.6% loss. There are few, if any, assets that offer greater stability to your portfolio than physical precious metals do. $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 (with dividends reinvested) over the same time period, would be worth $1,875 an 87.5% gain. $1,000 invested in gold during this same time would be worth $4,550 a 355% gain. In these uncertain times, they are essential. Fortunately, a precious metals IRA from the Hard Assets Alliance offers you the opportunity to invest in physical gold, silver, platinum, and/or palladium with all the tax advantages of a traditional IRA. Let us help you incorporate the security of precious metals into a truly diversified approach to realizing your goals for retirement. The Hard Assets Alliance makes investing in precious metals easy! For more information on how we can help you secure your retirement, click here. To get answers to any and all of your questions, please give us a call at We ll be happy to walk you through the details and discuss your precious metals IRA options. toll free: support@hardassetsalliance.com 7

8 Disclaimer The Hard Assets Alliance website and the SmartMetals Investor are published by Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. Information contained in such publications is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The information contained in such publications is not intended to constitute individual investment advice and is not designed to meet your personal financial situation. The opinions expressed in such publications are those of the publisher and are subject to change without notice. The information in such publications may become outdated, and there is no obligation to update any such information. Any Hard Assets Alliance publication or website and its content and images, as well as all copyright, trademark, and other rights therein, are owned by Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. No portion of any Hard Assets Alliance publication or website may be extracted or reproduced without permission of Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring any license or right under any copyright, trademark, or other right of Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of any content of any Hard Assets Alliance publication or website is prohibited and shall be considered an infringement and/or misappropriation of the proprietary rights of Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. Hard Assets Alliance, LLC reserves the right to cancel any subscription at any time. Cancellation of a subscription may result from any unauthorized use or reproduction or rebroadcast of any Hard Assets Alliance publication or website, any infringement or misappropriation of Hard Assets Alliance, LLC s proprietary rights, or any other reason determined in the sole discretion of Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. Affiliate Notice: Hard Assets Alliance has affiliate agreements in place that may include fee sharing. If you have a website or newsletter and would like to be considered for inclusion in the Hard Assets Alliance affiliate program, please contact us. Likewise, from time to time Hard Assets Alliance may engage in affiliate programs offered by other companies, though corporate policy firmly dictates that such agreements will have no influence on any product or service recommendations, nor alter the pricing that would otherwise be available in absence of such an agreement. As always, it is important that you do your own due diligence before transacting any business with any firm, for any product or service Hard Assets Alliance, LLC. 8

Important News! New IRS Rules for IRA Rollovers in 2018! How Does This Differ from the Old Rules?

Important News! New IRS Rules for IRA Rollovers in 2018! With the beginning of 2018, a new tax rule went into effect that could have a significant impact on your IRA investments. This new rule, by the