

Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, Schwab recommends consultation with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, Financial Planner, or Investment Manager. This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax, legal, or investment planning advice. Rebalancing may cause investors to incur transaction costs, and when rebalancing a nonretirement account, taxable events may be created that may affect your tax liability.Įxamples provided are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to be reflective of results you can expect to achieve. Rebalancing strategies do not ensure a profit and do not protect against losses in declining markets. However, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. Data contained herein from third-party providers is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. Each investor needs to review an investment strategy for his or her own particular situation before making any investment decision.Īll expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market conditions. The investment strategies mentioned here may not be suitable for everyone. The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. Harvesting losses regularly and proactively-when you rebalance your portfolio, for instance- can save you money over the long run, effectively boosting your after-tax return. If she assumes an average annual return of 6%, reinvesting $900 each year could potentially amount to approximately $35,000 after 20 years. She could then turn around and invest her tax savings back in the market. If her combined marginal tax rate is 30%, she could receive a current income tax benefit of up to $900 ($3,000 × 30%). Sofia could use the $3,000 capital loss from XYZ to reduce her taxable income for the current year. Then, she could use the proceeds to buy shares of ZYY stock (a similar but not substantially identical stock) after determining that it's as good as or better than XYZ, given her overall investment goals and objectives. She could sell those holdings and take a $3,000 loss.

She originally purchased it for $10,000, but it's now worth only $7,000. Let's say Sofia, a single income-tax filer, holds XYZ stock. Let's take a look at how this works.Įven if you don't have capital gains to offset, tax-loss harvesting could still help you reduce your income tax liability. Assuming you're subject to a 35% marginal tax rate, the overall tax benefit of harvesting those losses could be as much as $8,050.

The leftover $2,000 loss could then be carried forward to offset income in future tax years. Your $25,000 loss would offset the full $20,000 gain from Investment A, meaning you'd owe no taxes on the gain, and you could use the remaining $5,000 loss to offset $3,000 of your ordinary income. Because you held the stock for less than a year, the gain is treated as a short-term capital gain and will be taxed at the higher ordinary-income rates rather than the lower long-term capital-gain rates, which apply to investments held for more than a year.Īt the same time, you also sell shares of another stock for a short-term capital loss of $25,000 (Investment B). Any amount over $3,000 can be carried forward to future tax years to offset income down the road.įor example, let's say you recognize a gain of $20,000 on a stock you bought less than a year ago (Investment A). In addition, if your losses are larger than the gains, you can use the remaining losses to offset up to $3,000 of your ordinary taxable income (for married couples filing separately, the limit is $1,500). If you also sell the industrial stocks that have declined in value, you could use those losses to offset the capital gains from selling the tech stocks, thereby reducing your tax liability. This is where tax-loss harvesting comes in. In the process, you end up recognizing a significant taxable gain. To realign your investments with your preferred allocation, you sell some tech stocks and use those funds to rebalance. As a result, you now have too much of your portfolio's value exposed to the tech sector. Imagine you're reviewing your portfolio, and you see that your tech holdings have risen sharply while some of your industrial stocks have dropped in value. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing.Bond Funds, Bond ETFs, and Preferred Securities.ADRs, Foreign Ordinaries & Canadian Stocks.Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ETFs.Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Mutual Funds.Benefits and Considerations of Mutual Funds.
