Have you bought any mutual funds this year or late last year while the market was doing its skyrocket thing? Last year it was hard to lose money. This year it has been easy.
You should be calling your mutual fund (they all have 800 numbers) to find out if and when they plan to pay their capital gains and dividends. You might say to yourself, they won't be paying anything this year because the fund is selling for less now than it did at the beginning of the year. Think again. It is very probable that the mutual fund manager took profits on many high flyers that he bought cheap last year. According to the way funds are set up those profits are taxable to holders of the mutual fund and not to the fund itself.
It is possible you bought a fund at $40 per share that is now selling at $30 per share and be hit with a 25% capital gains distribution of $10. On paper you now have a $10 per share loss and a tax bill based on the $10 per share distribution. That is adding injury to insult.
With this as a possible scenario it might be prudent to sell your fund for less than you paid for it. You should work the numbers with your accountant to see if this might reduce your tax bill. But you have to do it now. You can't wait until after the mutual fund declares its capital gains distribution. This is especially true if you have purchased any high tech or international funds during the past year. You can carry losses forward to next year to offset against profits and distributions next year.
The greatest numbers of mutual funds declare these distributions near the end of the year, usually starting in November with most of them in December. The rumors I hear are that the distributions will be early this year because of the poor performance of the majority of funds.
This applies to everyone who does not have a tax shelter of some kind such as a 401k, IRA, SEP or other similar investment vehicle.
One piece of advice I want you to heed. Don't buy any mutual funds now because they are "cheap". Wait until after they declare their capital gains and dividend distributions. You could be whacked with a big tax bill.
Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.
Copyright 2005
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com; 1-888-345-7870
no-contract cleaning service Des Plaines ..Ever notice how behavior in one area of life can... Read More
Inverted interest rates? What's that? Who cares? Even if you... Read More
Is really not as important as to how you invest... Read More
It has fallen upon the consumer to make our economy... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
There is a current movie entitled "Eternal Sunshine of the... Read More
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using... Read More
I receive emails from Morningstar. This company provides statistics and... Read More
When will the stock market stop going down and start... Read More
Starbucks earnings are up again and so is their stock... Read More
I read a comment by a forum member on another... Read More
The stock market often closes a week in the middle... Read More
Sometime in the third quarter of 1997, someone told me... Read More
Did you know you can make money (and a lot... Read More
The thinking process of the brain relating to the... Read More
If you are serious about making and keeping money by... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index... Read More
It looks like the market is ready to start up... Read More
What is the Series 7 Exam? If you... Read More
A few years back ? it seems like an eternity... Read More
Ever turn down a street, get half way and suddenly... Read More
During our travel down life's path we come to many... Read More
Every stock market investor faces one primal enemy. An enemy... Read More
Stock trading remains a very competitive field and the stock... Read More
Now that you have some money burning a hole in... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Lake Forest ..You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
We are already in it, but you can't see it.... Read More
For the year 2000 we have seen hundreds of mutual... Read More
I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More
Mutual funds and brokers are always preaching not to buy... Read More
You may have wondered why your mutual funds have been... Read More
According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More
The gleam and bright lights of Wall Street lure in... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
At some time in your life you have been on... Read More
In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at... Read More
The ABC's of Stock Trading SuccessStock trading success...why is it... Read More
Everyone who invests in the stock market wants to be... Read More
Who are the successful investors?There are those who follow the... Read More
This is a rather simple strategy with which I am... Read More
I continually hear from economists, talking heads, other market letter... Read More
Are you attracted to the idea of being in control... Read More
For weeks, no, months we have been bombarded with nothing... Read More
People are constantly asking me why is the stock market... Read More
This article describes the model of a natural relationship between... Read More
If you have a pension plan at work you will... Read More
So you're started trading, you bought some positions with your... Read More
I read a comment by a forum member on another... Read More
Now that you have some money burning a hole in... Read More
When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |