The federal government considers anything you own or use as a capital asset, including your financial investments. In other words, it has a monetary value. If you sell these assets, the difference between the price you paid for it — adjusted to reflect valuation changes since purchase — and the sale price is a capital gain or loss.
Taxes
Tax Tips for the New Year
As the new year rolls in, it’s time to start thinking about your taxes. You may think the time has passed to alter how much you owe on your tax bill. However, there are a few steps you can take after the first of the year that may make a significant difference in what you owe the government.
Case Study: Determining the Cost of Not Implementing the DST
One of the main reasons that investors — even savvy ones — give for failing to avail themselves of the many benefits the Deferred Sales Trust (DST) offers when selling a highly appreciated asset is that they fear the up-front legal fee they will pay to establish their own DST is too substantial to be worth it. However, is this really true? Let’s use the following case study to show how paying the DST legal fee compares to paying the costs inherent in foregoing its unique benefits.
How to Calculate Your Capital Gains Tax Rate
Calculating any kind of tax, and the rate which you should apply to it, is not for the fainthearted. This is especially true of capital gains taxes. Why? Because so many factors can, and usually do, come into play when you’re dealing with capital gains. To begin with, as you already likely know, there are two types of capital gains taxes, one of which you’re sure to be liable for when you sell or otherwise dispose of an asset: long-term and short-term. Each of these has its own rate structure.
End-of-Year Tax Planning Checklist
Tax season is quickly approaching, but it’s not too late to do some end-of-year planning that may well reduce the federal and state income tax you’ll have to pay come April. But you need to act quickly. Virtually all of the following tax reduction tips from Reef Point must be implemented by December 31.