Much of the discussion around investing involves managing costs. Taxes need to be part of that talk. Like fees and expenses, dividend and capital gains tax eats away at your returns.
Any time your investments make money, taxes aren’t far behind. To make it easy on us, Congress whipped up a simple complex tax code for income, dividend, and capital gains tax rates. Lucky for us, that tax code can change on a whim, making it worth staying updated on.
Before we go any further, dividend and capital gains tax are for money invested through taxable accounts only. Taxes on investments are a moot point when dealing with retirement and other tax advantaged accounts. You can buy and sell all day without worrying about the tax consequences, though I don’t recommend it. Continue Reading…