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
recurring maid service Buffalo Grove ..As one of my regular readers you know I have... Read More
I'll bet with almost anyone that has stocks or mutual... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
In a previously written article, we expanded the use of... Read More
To become a successful trader you must have some kind... Read More
In one of my previous articles (Investing in the stock... Read More
What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More
Most stock market traders have a favorite technical indicator.The one... Read More
I go to the Money Show every year to visit... Read More
Everyone who invests in the stock market wants to be... Read More
You may have wondered why your mutual funds have been... Read More
There is so much involved in developing peak performance, that... Read More
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More
Stock trading remains a very competitive field and the stock... Read More
Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get... Read More
Did you run out to buy that duct tape yet?... Read More
If you haven't heard of the technical indicator with the... Read More
What the heck am I talking about?It is often said... Read More
'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with... Read More
Starbucks earnings are up again and so is their stock... Read More
In 1960 an engineer working for a watch company in... Read More
Using Swing Trading Strategies and Technical Analysis when Trading Stocks... Read More
If you are going to be a winner in the... Read More
Wall Street's watchword has always been diversification, but what does... Read More
premium house cleaning Glenview ..Recently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn... Read More
Everyone who follows the financial news has heard of mutual... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index... Read More
During our travel down life's path we come to many... Read More
On Friday or Saturday evening my wife gets a movie... Read More
A stock market index is a statistical measure of changes... Read More
Today's society gives special recognition to alcoholics, sexaholics, binge-aholics, shopaholics,... Read More
When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More
This is an extract of an article which was first... Read More
First let's see what protectionism is. According to Mr. Webster... Read More
If you have been watching the stock market at all... Read More
Every day I hear from the "experts" on CNBC-TV and... Read More
You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
Economists know more about how the fragments of society work... Read More
Checked your 401K lately? Going back to about a year... Read More
The ABC's of Stock Trading SuccessStock trading success...why is it... Read More
Buy high and sell low -- It's not a typo.Millions... Read More
Everybody is riding the Wall Street Roller coaster. Even if... Read More
Before we get into all the good news out there,... Read More
Whenever I see mutual fund comparisons in the trade publications... Read More
You'd have had to be living on a desert island... Read More
I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More
THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR standing firm in the... Read More
Over the past few months, several investment professionals have brought... Read More
You've decided to try your luck at trading stocks or... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |