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The 12 Tax Tips of Christmas:
#1 Sell Assets

December 13, 2009

Holidays and taxes are the perfect package, right? OK, maybe not.

But with all the seasonal festivities to distract us, it’s easy to put off making some tax moves that could help cut your 2009 IRS bill or reduce your 2010 tax liability.

Well, Don’t Mess With Taxes wants to help.

No, we can’t suggest the perfect gift for your mother-in-law or the right outfits for all your holiday parties. But we can provide you a daily tax tip, starting today and running through Christmas Eve.

Let’s get to it!


1 partridge pear tree #1: Sell assets: Watching an investment tank is no fun, but you can at least get some relief from asset losers on your tax return.

If you have any capital gains, use the losses you took on your dog holdings to offset some of those gains.

If you have more losers than winners, get a new investment adviser. Then use up to $3,000 of that overage to reduce your ordinary income.

Some folks also might want to sell investments that have done well because they fear that the capital gains rates will be hiked before the scheduled 2011 increase.

Personally, I don’t think that’s going to happen. There’s at least an implicit contract with taxpayers that Dubya’s tax cuts will be allowed to play themselves out while the economy is trying to recover.

Plus, 2010 is an election year. I just can’t see Representatives and Senators who want to stay on Capitol Hill making a change in the capital gains rates right before folks head to the polls.

But I have talked to financial advisers who say that some of their clients are taking their gains now to lock in the 15 percent rate.

If you’re of that mindset, too, then you still have a few weeks to sell your stocks.

Whatever your motivation, be it to lock in lower rates on gains or harvest some losses, make sure you get the deal done by the rapidly approaching Dec. 31.


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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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