The cheese in your pension fund....... (companies, taxes, money, benefits)

[Grandpa Pipes]

Yes, cheese and lot's of other things besides money.

If it's a "tangible asset" then it could be in your pension fund!

Companies Substitute Tangibles, Like Cheese, for Investments - Yahoo! Finance

[oregonwoodsmoke]

It's called playing the commodities market and there is nothing new about it.

[MrWillys]

My Carpenters pension is a 2.2 billion dollar fund from Northern California with asset managers that are paid 12 million annually. We have assets in all of the 5 asset classes including commodities. I just see this as another attempt to vilify pensions. 401k's were started in the 70's as a way for the wealthy to avoid paying taxes, and was pushed to average Americans in the 80's. Reality is that 401k funds are easier to skim from than pensions.
At a time in America where we have media pushing to get rid of Social Security, pensions, medicare, and all retiree benefits we have too think who would benefit? Getting rid of these will only create future generations of poverty, and a lowering of the American quality of life with profit for a very small minority.

[EmeraldCityWanderer]

Yes, it's commodity trading. It works really well for people hedging when people need those commodities.

For the average investor speculating it would be better to take out the money and put it in coins. Then start flushing them down the toilet. The bonus is every once in awhile the toilet backs up and you feel like you have won something.