Know ‘when to hold’ and ‘when to fold’
Are you holding stocks that have appreciated in value? You’ll likely owe a sizable tax if you cash in all of your chips.
Strategy: Sell stocks after they qualify for long-term capital gain treatment. At the same time, hold onto stocks that would produce highly taxed short-term gains. Once you trigger long-term capital gains, you can reinvest the proceeds in the same or similar stock if it suits your purposes.
The maximum tax rate for a long-term gain (i.e., on the sale of stock held longer than one year) is 15% or 20% for someone in the top 39.6% tax bracket. Even better, the maximum rate is 0% if you’re in the two lowest tax brackets (the 10% and 15% tax brackets). Conversely, short-term gains are taxes at ordinary income tax rates.
Example: You acquire ABC stock acquired on July 1, 2014, for $10,000 that is now worth $18,000. In addition, you’re holding XYZ stock that you bought years ago for $10,000 that is now worth $12,000. The outlook for both stocks is about the same. You figure you will be in the 33% tax bracket in 2015. If you sell the ABC stock, you’ll realize a $8,000 capital gain. However, the gain is a short-term capital gain of, resulting in a tax bill of $2,640 (33% x $8,000).
Better approach: Sell the XYZ stock while holding the ABC stock. Thus, your $2,000 gain is a long-term capital gain, taxed at 15% for a tax of only $300. Then you can wait until July 2, 2015 to sell the ABC stock. Assuming the price stays the same, you only owe $1,200 in tax (15% of $8,000) on the second sale. Result: You’ve pocketed $2,000 more in stock sale profits this way ($10,000 – $8,000) while paying $840 less in tax ($2,640 – $300 – $1,500).
Tip: Taxes are not the only investment consideration, but should be factored into decisions.