At the Investment Company Institute (ICI) 2023 Tax and Accounting Conference held recently in San Antonio, regulatory readiness, the swift pace of the regulatory agenda and exploring investment alternatives were key focal points of the event. Panel after panel touched on regulatory change and...
Read MoreCohen & Co has been recognized as the “Best ETF Auditor” by the ETF Express U.S. Awards for the third consecutive year.
Read MoreAsset managers have shown increasing interest in retail funds with private real estate portfolios over the last few years. Many of these funds are registered with the SEC under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as interval or tender offer funds. Placing certain asset classes, like real estate or...
Read MoreIn October 2022, the SEC adopted new rule and form amendments that, in part, required mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) managers to provide investors with a Tailored Shareholder Report (TSR). The goal is to provide a more concise and digestible format to retail investors, specific to...
Read MoreRecently, Cohen & Co participated in an ETF Bootcamp event for the investment industry, “Building a Successful ETF Business.” Our panel discussion covered many topics, ranging from reasons to enter the ETF business, including tax benefits of the ETF structure, distribution...
Read MoreOn November 2, 2022, the SEC proposed significant amendments to the liquidity risk management framework, including proposals to require swing pricing and additional public reporting. The SEC’s intent of the proposed rules is to enhance liquidity within open-end funds, excluding money market...
Read MoreIn today’s world, the ability to obtain clear, relevant and timely information is crucial to making informed decisions. This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continued its push to modernize shareholder reporting for mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), also known...
Read MoreSingle stock ETFs, which have been available in Europe since 2018, have finally made their way across the pond to the U.S. The first single stock ETFs were approved and launched in the United States in July 2022 to allow for leverage or inverse trading of a single stock. These funds typically...
Read MoreDigital assets officially joined the registered funds arena with the launch of the first Bitcoin (BTC) futures mutual fund in July 2021, and the launch of BTC futures ETFs shortly thereafter in October of the same year. This article is intended to reflect on where we’ve been and what could...
Read MoreAfter recently attending the 2022 ICI Conference in Palm Desert, we walked away with a definite sense of priorities for the industry. From rule making and implementation to cybersecurity and climate, it’s clear our evolving industry has much to sort through, and look forward to, in the near...
Read MoreTraditionally fund managers have avoided most illiquid investments due to their perceived misalignment with the Investment Company Act of 1940. However, in recent years there has been a convergence in asset classes in search of new investment opportunities. With that, we have seen an...
Read MoreAs cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, become more prevalent and developed as an asset class, the questions of if and how regulated investment companies (RICs) can gain exposure are becoming more common. In particular, there are a number of tax issues and complexities RICs and their...
Read MoreWhen deciding to enter the mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) space, one of the first critical decisions you’ll have to make is whether or not to establish your own trust or use an existing one. This significant decision should be carefully thought through, as it will affect many...
Read MoreAccording to Morningstar, over 1,000 mutual funds went through business combinations over the past three years. This was a consistent theme in 2020 and has continued into 2021, showing no signs of significant slowing even with the ongoing pandemic. Conversions from one structure to another have...
Read MoreU.S. taxpayers who invest in debt instruments not denominated in U.S. dollars are often interested in hedging the currency exposure of these types of investments. This is commonly accomplished with an investment into a forward contract, futures contract, options contract or other instrument...
Read MoreSince the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), there has been a lot of concern about the deductibility of investment advisory fees. The TCJA repealed the miscellaneous itemized deductions for individual taxpayers’ investment advisory fees for tax years 2018 through 2025. ...
Read MoreIn its latest risk alert released on February 26, 2021, the Division of Examinations (formerly known as the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations) offers its observations regarding digital asset securities after examining investment advisers, broker-dealers and transfer agents.One of...
Read MoreRegulated Investment Companies (RICs) regularly invest in entities classified as partnerships for U.S. tax purposes. It is important for RIC managers to understand the different types of partnership investments, most notably whether or not a publicly traded partnership (PTP) you may be investing...
Read MoreAs registered funds show increased interest in the digital asset market — whether they are looking to create a new ETF product or simply to gain more exposure to this asset class — a foundational understanding of this evolving space will be critical before moving forward with any type...
Read MoreThis blog was updated 2/17/21 It has been over 50 years since the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) comprehensively addressed valuation rules with respect to the fair value of investments held by registered funds. On Thursday, December 3, 2020, the SEC finalized the new Rule 2a-5 under...
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