SMART MONEY MOVES...RELOCATE YOUR ASTROLOGY CHART BEFORE YOU INVEST IN YOUR OWN PRIVATE PARADISE....

Written by Cait Benten, Relocation Astrologer


BEFORE YOU INVEST IN YOUR OWN PRIVATE PARADISE, A…Golf Course Haven…Vineyard in Provence…Oceanfront Condominium with a Dock for Your Yacht…Sunny Tropical Island…Mountain Ski Cabin…Castle byrepparttar Sea…Panama Estate…Or Cancun Casita... STOP and CHECK YOUR LOCATION CHART!!!

You’ve worked long and hard piling up investment capital earmarked for luxury real estate, holiday escapes, and your golden retirement years. Your dreams ofrepparttar 112429 “rich and famous lifestyle” may include: playing tennis, shopping, dining in gourmet restaurants, shopping, golfing, shopping, snow skiing, shopping, relaxing poolside, shopping, being pampered in spas, shopping, ocean sailing, and more shopping. Big dreams indeed! Many of you are looking a new primary residence beyondrepparttar 112430 US. Financially successful Americans in increasing numbers are snapping up foreign listings — some properties going for bargain prices (coastal, yet mountainous, Panama has one ofrepparttar 112431 hottest buyers’ markets).

US investors are active in real estate markets all overrepparttar 112432 globe — in all climates and terrains — from Europe to New Zealand, from South America to select parts of Asia. Of course foreign relocation to most parts ofrepparttar 112433 world requires careful research into socio-economic and geo-political realities. Fortunatelyrepparttar 112434 Internet bulges with resources from Library of Congress,the United Nations, online newspapers worldwide, to realtor listings from nearly every country. You can do much of your “homework” from your comfy padded office chair!

Investors: Avoid These 5 Common Tax Mistakes

Written by David Twibell


For many investors, and even some tax professionals, sorting throughrepparttar complex IRS rules on investment taxes can be a nightmare. Pitfalls abound, andrepparttar 112428 penalties for even simple mistakes can be severe. As April 15 rolls around, keeprepparttar 112429 following five common tax mistakes in mind – and help keep a little more money in your own pocket.

1. Failing To Offset Gains

Normally, when you sell an investment for a profit, you owe a tax onrepparttar 112430 gain. One way to lower that tax burden is to also sell some of your losing investments. You can then use those losses to offset your gains.

Say you own two stocks. You have a gain of $1,000 onrepparttar 112431 first stock, and a loss of $1,000 onrepparttar 112432 second. If you sell your winning stock, you will owe tax onrepparttar 112433 $1,000 gain. But if you sell both stocks, your $1,000 gain will be offset by your $1,000 loss. That's good news from a tax standpoint, since it means you don't have to pay any taxes on either position.

Sounds like a good plan, right? Well, it is, but be aware it can get a bit complicated. Under what is commonly calledrepparttar 112434 "wash sale rule," if you repurchaserepparttar 112435 losing stock within 30 days of selling it, you can't deduct your loss. In fact, not only are you precluded from repurchasingrepparttar 112436 same stock, you are precluded from purchasing stock that is "substantially identical" to it – a vague phrase that is a constant source of confusion to investors and tax professionals alike. Finally,repparttar 112437 IRS mandates that you must match long-term and short-term gains and losses against each other first.

2. Miscalculating The Basis Of Mutual Funds

Calculating gains or losses fromrepparttar 112438 sale of an individual stock is fairly straightforward. Your basis is simplyrepparttar 112439 price you paid forrepparttar 112440 shares (including commissions), andrepparttar 112441 gain or loss isrepparttar 112442 difference between your basis andrepparttar 112443 net proceeds fromrepparttar 112444 sale. However, it gets much more complicated when dealing with mutual funds.

When calculating your basis after selling a mutual fund, it's easy to forget to factor inrepparttar 112445 dividends and capital gains distributions you reinvested inrepparttar 112446 fund. The IRS considers these distributions as taxable earnings inrepparttar 112447 year they are made. As a result, you have already paid taxes on them. By failing to add these distributions to your basis, you will end up reporting a larger gain than you received fromrepparttar 112448 sale, and ultimately paying more in taxes than necessary.

There is no easy solution to this problem, other than keeping good records and being diligent in organizing your dividend and distribution information. The extra paperwork may be a headache, but it could mean extra cash in your wallet at tax time.

3. Failing To Use Tax-managed Funds

Most investors hold their mutual funds forrepparttar 112449 long term. That's why they're often surprised when they get hit with a tax bill for short term gains realized by their funds. These gains result from sales of stock held by a fund for less than a year, and are passed on to shareholders to report on their own returns -- even if they never sold their mutual fund shares.

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