Many financial advisors use low-cost, liquid exchange traded funds in tax-loss harvesting strategies that can offset future gains and cut clients’ tax bills in the long term.
Talking about underwater positions is never fun as the end of the year approaches but realizing losses has a “silver lining,” said Rande Spiegelman, vice president of financial planning at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, in a conference call with reporters Friday.
“The good news is losses can be used to lessen the tax bill and position for next year,” he said.
Realized losses can be deducted from ordinary income by up to $3,000 a year, while any additional losses can be used in future years.
However, investors need to be aware of the “wash-sale” rule. Investors cannot claim the loss if they buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days of the sale.
This is where ETFs can help out if investors want to keep exposure to the market.
For example, an investor may be sitting on a loss this year on a financial stock, explained Michael Iachini, managing director of ETF Research at Charles Schwab Investment Advisory. The investor can sell the stock and take the loss, but they might miss any rebound rally in the financial sector over the next month.