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How investment decisions, retirement withdrawals, charitable donations, RMDs, home sales and new OBBBA provisions affect your taxes—plus strategies to reduce liability.
by AAII Staff | December 2025
This article is part of The Individual Investor’s Guide to Personal Tax Planning for 2025–2026. See all sections | Download complete PDF
Part of the complexity of the tax code is determining how taxes will be affected by certain situations. This section gives information on scenarios that may be experienced by many individual investors.
The NII tax levies a 3.8% tax on interest, dividends, capital gains, rental and royalty income, and nonqualified annuities, among other investment-related income. It applies to married couples filing jointly with MAGI above $250,000—$200,000 for single filers—for both the 2025 and 2026 tax years. (Trusts may be subject to the NII tax too.) The 0.9% additional Medicare tax applies to wages, compensation and self-employment income above the same thresholds. More information about these taxes can be found in the Health Care Reform’s Impact on Taxes box below.
The tax impact of the Affordable Care Act includes surcharges, higher limits on medical expense deductions and changes to health flexible spending account (FSA) contributions and carryovers. All of these will remain in effect unless repealed by new legislation.
A 0.9% additional Medicare tax applies to wages, compensation and self-employment income above $250,000 for married persons filing jointly and qualifying widow(er)s, $200,000 for single persons and heads of household, and $125,000 for those who are married but filing separately. The tax applies to wages that are subject to the Medicare tax and does not depend on adjusted gross income (AGI). Should the additional tax not be withheld from wages (a situation that could occur for dual-income couples or individuals working more than one job), the tax could be subject to a penalty if not paid with estimated taxes or through additional withholdings. (You can request that your employer increase the income tax withholding on your W-4.) More information about the additional Medicare tax can be found on the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc560.
A 3.8% surtax on net investment income (NII) applies to the lesser of NII or modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeding $250,000 for married persons filing jointly and qualifying widow(er)s, $200,000 for single persons and heads of household, and $125,000 for those who are married but filing separately. (These thresholds are not indexed to inflation.) Investment income subject to the tax includes, but is not limited to, taxable interest, dividends, nonqualified annuities, rents and royalties, capital gains, and passive income from partnerships. Capital gains from the sale of one’s primary residence are subject to the tax to the extent that the income exceeds the applicable home sale exclusion ($500,000 for joint filers and $250,000 for single filers). Excluded are tax-exempt interest (e.g., municipal bond interest payments), distributions from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and distributions from qualified retirement plans [e.g., 401(k) plans]. The IRS has answers to common NII surtax questions at www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Net-Investment-Income-Tax-FAQs.
Medical expenses can be deducted to the extent that they exceed 7.5% of the AGI floor. The floor applies to all individuals regardless of age. Health FSA contributions for 2025 are limited to $3,300 annually. This limit is indexed to inflation and will increase to $3,400 in 2026. At the election of their plan sponsors, employees can either carry over unused balances into the next plan year or take a grace period of up to two-and-one-half months. The carryover amount is indexed to inflation and will increase from $660 in 2025 to $680 in 2026.
Interest on loans for new passenger vehicles for personal use purchased after December 31, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, is deductible up to a limit of $10,000 per year. The deduction phases out beginning at MAGI of $200,000 for married filing jointly and $100,000 for single filers. It is completely phased out at MAGI of $250,000 for married filing jointly and $150,000 for single filers.
Final assembly of the vehicle must occur in the U.S. to qualify for the deduction. The deduction does not apply to lease financing.
The deduction can be claimed even if the standard deduction is claimed. It expires after December 31, 2028.
To be eligible for the 0%/15%/20% long-term capital gains rates, you must have owned the eligible asset for at least 12 months. The discounted 0%/15%/20% qualified dividend tax rates apply to stock dividends and require a holding period of at least 61 consecutive days during a 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. The holding period for preferred stocks is 91 consecutive days out of a 181-day period.
(There are no capital gains or dividend taxes for securities held within a retirement account, such as an IRA. See Robert Carlson’s article, “Do’s and Don’ts of IRA Investing,” in the March 2010 AAII Journal for investments that can cause an unexpected tax problem.)
Collectibles, which include gold coins and bars, are taxed at a maximum 28% rate. Mutual funds and ETFs investing in precious metals may also be subject to the collectibles tax rate. Check with the fund company if you have questions about the tax status.
If you sold a capital asset in 2025, you will need to fill out Form 8949. See the online version of this guide for details on the reporting rules.
In 2025, cash contributions can only be deducted if you itemize. The deduction limit is up to 60% of your contribution base (typically AGI).
Revised rules go into effect in 2026. Taxpayers who take the standard deduction can deduct up to $1,000 of charitable cash contributions ($2,000 for married filing jointly). Taxpayers who itemize will only be able to deduct charitable contributions to the extent that they exceed 0.5% of their contribution base. This change creates a floor below which charitable contributions provide no tax benefit for itemizers. For example, a taxpayer with $200,000 of AGI would receive no deduction for the first $1,000 of charitable contributions. Excess contributions that cannot be deducted due to the new 0.5% floor can be carried forward for up to five years, subject to meeting the floor test in future years. These new OBBBA rules will remain in effect unless changed by future legislation.
Charitable contributions of cash (regardless of the amount) to any qualified charity must be supported by a dated bank record (such as a canceled check) or a dated receipt from the charity that includes the name of the charity, date and amount of contribution.
Donations of clothing and other personal items must be in “good condition” or better in order to be deducted. Form 8283 must be filled out if your total deduction for all noncash contributions exceeds $500.
Those age 70½ or older can distribute up to $108,000 from their traditional IRA to qualified charities in 2025 ($111,000 in 2026). Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) reduce required minimum distributions (RMDs). See “For Qualified Charitable Distributions, Timing Is Everything” in the May 2024 AAII Journal for more information.
Cryptocurrency is treated as property for tax purposes. According to the IRS, “A taxpayer generally realizes capital gain or loss on the sale or exchange of virtual currency.” A gain or a loss from cryptocurrency can be realized even if it is not sold. Using a cryptocurrency you hold as a capital asset to pay for a good or service will result in a capital gain or loss being realized.
The property designation means losses on cryptocurrencies are not subject to the wash-sale rule. A loss can be realized for tax purposes even if the same cryptocurrency is repurchased within 30 days of it being disposed of.
You can make nondeductible contributions to qualified tuition plans, also known as section 529 plans. (However, the contributions may be deductible from your state income tax, depending on where you live.) These accounts, offered by states or their designees, are maintained solely for the qualified higher education expenses of a beneficiary. Distributions are tax-free, provided that they are used to pay qualified expenses.
Beginning in 2026, the annual limit for tax-free K–12 withdrawals from 529 plans will increase permanently from $10,000 to $20,000 per beneficiary. Additionally, the OBBBA expanded the definition of qualified K–12 expenses to include curriculum materials, books, online educational materials, qualified tutoring services, standardized test fees, dual enrollment fees and educational therapies for students with disabilities.
Coverdell accounts may be used to fund qualified elementary, secondary and higher education expenses. However, the amount that can be contributed is limited for higher-income taxpayers and the phaseouts are not adjusted for inflation.
IRA rollovers are restricted to one per person per year. The limitation does not apply to trustee-to-trustee transfers, meaning you can move funds from broker to broker as many times as you would like. The key is that the funds are transferred directly from one broker to another without the assets being distributed to you.
A check payable to you instead of the receiving custodian would trigger the 12-month rule.
Rollovers to or from a qualified plan [e.g., a 401(k) plan] are excluded from the rule. Roth IRA conversions are not subject to the one-year limitation, and the IRS will disregard them in terms of applying the one-rollover-per-year limitation to other rollovers. Moving funds between Roth IRAs would, however, trigger the one-year waiting period if a check is made payable to you.
There is a 60-day deadline for completing a rollover. Waivers to the deadline will be allowed if certain conditions are met, including, but not limited to, an error by the financial institution making or receiving the contribution, a misplaced distribution check, severe damage to the taxpayer’s principal residence and serious illness. Written certification to a plan administrator or IRA trustee must be submitted by the taxpayer within 30 days after being able to make the contribution to take advantage of the waiver. See IRS Revenue Procedure 2016-47 for more information.
Rollovers of pretax and aftertax contributions from defined-contribution plans [e.g., 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans] can be assigned to different accounts as long as directions are given to the plan administrator in advance of the distribution. See IRS Notice 2014-54 for more information and examples of various scenarios.
The IRS’ Rollover Chart shows the types of retirement savings accounts that funds can be rolled over from and into a different type of retirement savings account. The chart was recreated in the May 2023 AAII Journal (“The Rules Regarding Retirement Account Rollovers”).
The kiddie tax applies to children up to age 18 and could apply to children up to age 23—depending on how much earned income they have and whether or not they are full-time students.
Under the kiddie tax rules, children with 2025 or 2026 investment income above a certain amount may have part or all of their investment income taxed at their or their parent’s tax rates, whichever is higher.
In addition, the kiddie tax can apply to older children, depending on how much earned income they have and whether or not they are full-time students.
Starting in the year that your child turns 18, the kiddie tax will apply if your child’s earned income (including salaries and wages, commissions, professional fees and tips) does not exceed half of the child’s overall support.
Starting in the year your child turns 19, the kiddie tax will apply if your child is a full-time student.
The kiddie tax will stop applying in the year your child turns 24.
The kiddie tax will also not apply if your child is married filing jointly.
Under the tax code, a couple is considered married for the whole year if, on the last day of the tax year, both people are married and living together, living together in a recognized common-law marriage, married and living apart without being legally separated under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance, or separated under an interlocutory (not final) decree of divorce.
Widow(er)s are considered married for the whole year in which their spouse died and can file a joint return with their deceased spouse. For widow(er)s who remarry before the end of the same tax year, a joint return can be filed with the new spouse. The deceased spouse’s filing status would be married filing separately in this case.
Qualifying widow(er)s (“qualifying surviving spouses”) can claim joint filing status for up to two years after their spouse’s death if they do not remarry during that time frame, have paid more than half of the home costs for the year, and have a child or stepchild who both qualifies as a dependent and lives with them. Afterward, the surviving spouse may be able to claim head of household filing status.
A person’s filing status may be single if they were widowed before the start of the calendar year and did not remarry before the end of the calendar year.
A person who becomes divorced under a final decree by the last day of the year is considered to be unmarried for the whole year.
Same-sex couples are treated as being married for federal tax purposes if they were married in the U.S. or in a foreign jurisdiction whose laws authorize the marriage of individuals of the same sex. As such, same-sex spouses must file using either married filing separately or married filing jointly status (certain exceptions apply).
Those in common-law marriages are treated as being married for federal tax purposes if they are living together in a common-law marriage recognized in the state where they now live or in the state where the common-law marriage began.
Couples in domestic partnerships, civil unions or other similar formal relationships recognized but not denominated as marriage under state law are not considered to be married for federal tax purposes.
Alimony and separate maintenance payments made by divorced spouses are not deductible, and the payee spouse does not need to report these payments as income. This rule applies to divorces and legal separations executed after December 31, 2018, and to previously executed agreements modified after December 31, 2018, that expressly state that the tax-law change applies to the modification.
Taxpayers who itemize deductions can deduct (as a medical expense) the premiums they pay for Medicare Part B supplemental insurance and Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance. Those who voluntarily enrolled in Medicare and are not covered under Social Security or weren’t a government employee who paid Medicare tax can include Medicare Part A premiums in their deductible medical expenses.
The rule of thumb for how taxable income determines Medicare Part B premiums is that your MAGI from two years prior will determine your premiums for the current tax year (e.g., 2026 premiums will be determined by 2024 income). See the Medicare Part B Premiums for 2026 box in this year’s tax guide for information about premiums and the IRMAAs.
Qualified overtime compensation can be deducted up to $12,500 for single filers ($25,000 for married filing jointly). The overtime compensation must be covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and reported on Form W-2. The deduction phases out at MAGI of over $150,000 for single filers and $300,000 for married joint filers. The deduction is effective for tax-years 2025–2028 and is not indexed to inflation.
Individuals who received cash tips while working in an occupation that customarily and regularly received tips on or before December 31, 2024, can deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tips for tax-years 2025–2028. Self-employed workers cannot deduct tips that exceed their net income (without regard to this deduction) from the trade or business in which the tips were earned. The deduction can be claimed regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes or takes the standard deduction. The deduction begins to phase out at MAGI of $150,000 for single filers and $300,000 for married filing joint returns.
Distributions are mandatory from traditional (meaning non-Roth) retirement accounts by December 31 once the account owner turns age 73. The required beginning date (RBD) will rise to age 75 in 2033. Those who turned 73 in 2025 will need to take their first RMDs either by December 31, 2025, or by April 1, 2026, at the latest. (Those who opt to delay until April 1, 2026, will still have to take their second RMD by December 31, 2026.)
Retirement accounts subject to RMDs include 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457(b) plans, traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension (SARSEP) IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs. RMDs are not required from Roth IRA, Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts while the owner is alive.
RMDs from defined-contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans, can be postponed beyond the RBD (age 73) for those who are still working, contributing to a defined-contribution plan and own less than 5% of the company.
According to the IRS, “Generally, an RMD is calculated for each account by dividing the prior December 31st balance of that IRA or retirement plan account by a life expectancy factor that the IRS publishes in tables in Publication 590-B, Distributions From Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).”
Married home sellers filing joint returns can exclude the first $500,000 of capital gains on the sale of a house, provided eligibility requirements are met. The exclusion is $250,000 for single filers. These exclusions are not indexed to inflation and will stay the same in 2026 as they were in 2025.
The capital gains from the sale of a home are determined not only by the difference between what you paid for the house and what you sold it for, but also by any adjustments to your cost basis. These adjustments include both certain fees and closing costs as well as many improvements made to your property. Keep receipts for improvements made, such as the replacement of a roof or all of your windows. More information can be found in IRS Publication 523.
State and local governments are required to report interest paid on tax-exempt state and local bonds on Form 1099-INT, Interest Income. This amount must be shown on your tax return. While this income is generally exempt from federal income tax under the current tax law, it is used for determining how much of Social Security income is taxable. Income from private-activity bond interest is included in AMT calculations.
The new Trump accounts introduced by the OBBBA allow savings for minors to grow on a tax-deferred basis. The accounts will be seeded by the U.S. Treasury with $1,000 for every U.S. citizen born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. Contributions of up to $5,000 can be made to Trump accounts for children under the age of 18 once accounts become available for contributions in 2026.
Contributions are not tax-deductible. No withdrawals are permitted before the beneficiary turns 18 years old. Withdrawals of contributions are tax-free, but earnings will be taxed as ordinary income. Nonqualified withdrawals made before the beneficiary turns 59½ years old also incur a 10% penalty. Withdrawals for “covered expenses”—such as college tuition, a first home purchase or certain business start-up costs—do not incur the penalty.
One ongoing scam is pig butchering. It often involves seemingly innocent text messages received from unknown parties but can also involve phone calls or other forms of contact. The intent is to start a conversation by which the scammer hopes to build trust in order to defraud you. Do not respond to text messages or phone calls from unknown parties.
You may also receive text messages such as “Your account has now been put on hold” or messages alerting you to “unusual activity.” Ignore these messages. When in doubt, contact your financial institution directly.
Scams making the IRS’ annual “Dirty Dozen” list include bogus self-employment tax credits and ghost tax preparers who charge based on the size of the refund. (Never use a preparer who refuses to sign your return.) Fake charities continue to be a common scam, especially given the natural disasters that have occurred. Look at www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search to identify qualified, legitimate charities before making a donation.
Always restrict access to your Social Security number, regularly monitor your credit reports, consider freezing your credit report, and use antivirus and firewall software on your computer. Never give personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller. Do not click on a link in emails or text messages without verifying where it is going. Better yet, type in the URL of the legitimate website you want to visit. When in doubt, end a phone call or otherwise cease communication immediately and contact the financial institution, service provider or retailer directly to see if they actually contacted you.
Filing your tax return as early as is reasonably possible can also help protect you against scamsters. For additional protection, consider signing up for an identity protection PIN at www.irs.gov/ippin. Those in their retirement years should be especially on guard, as fraudsters are targeting this demographic group. See the Protecting Yourself Against Tax Scams box below for more on how to protect yourself against fraud attempts.
The IRS continues to warn about text messages, phone calls and emails from entities posing as legitimate organizations in the tax and financial community, including the IRS, state tax agencies and tax software companies. One main type of scam is emails from fraudsters claiming to be affiliated with the IRS. They may offer a phony tax refund or threaten false tax fraud charges. Another is a text message warning about your account being placed on hold, unusual activity or something similar.
Never respond to either type of message, click on a link in those messages or share personal information such as your Social Security number. Criminals often seek to obtain such information to file false returns under the victims’ identities in order to receive refunds. When the victim later tries to file a legitimate return, it can be rejected by the IRS.
Many other scams are also occurring, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself:
If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft or financial fraud, act immediately. Call your banks, brokerage firms, credit card companies, the major credit bureaus and, in the case of tax fraud, the IRS. If your Social Security number is compromised, fill out IRS Form 14039 and continue to file your taxes as you normally would.
Though the tax legislation passed since 2010, including both SECURE Acts, provided clarity and made some refinements, 2025’s OBBBA had a much bigger and broader impact on the tax code. This included making many of the temporary provisions in the TCJA permanent.
While we can’t predict what changes future legislation will bring, here are traditional strategies that can help keep your tax bill down. It is important, however, to keep in mind that your goals and risk tolerance, not just the income tax impact of an investment, should drive your investment decisions.
If you owed more than expected or received a larger-than-expected refund for the 2024 tax year, consider adjusting your withholding amount. The IRS’ Tax Withholding Estimator can help you run the numbers. Make note of any changes in your income for this year that may not be repeated in future years.
The same logic applies to estimated taxes. If you found yourself underpaying or receiving a large refund, use the aforementioned calculator to determine what adjustments you should make to your estimated tax payments.
In order to qualify for the reduced 0% or 15% (20% for higher earners) tax rate on qualified dividends for common and preferred stocks, a holding period must be satisfied. Specifically, common stocks must be owned for more than 60 days during the 121-day period that begins 60 days before the ex-dividend date. (The holding period is more than 90 days out of a 181-day period for preferred stocks with dividends attributable to periods aggregating more than 366 days.) The ex-dividend date is generally the same as the record date.
Not all dividends are qualified. Qualified dividends are paid by common and preferred stocks. Distributions from a real estate investment trust (REIT) or master limited partnership (MLP) do not qualify for the discounted tax rate. Contact the investor relations department of the specific company if you have questions about the tax treatment.
Increasing retirement savings makes sense from a financial planning standpoint and, depending on your adjusted income, may reduce your tax bill. You have until April 15, 2026, to make an IRA contribution for the 2025 tax year. See the The Tax Impact of Investing for and in Retirement box below for annual contribution limits to various types of retirement plans.
There are three big birthdays you should be aware of. At age 50, the maximum amount allowed to be contributed to retirement savings accounts increases (“catch-up contributions”), with a larger Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b) and Roth SIMPLE IRA catch-up starting in 2025 for those ages 60 through 63. At age 59½, you can take withdrawals from all retirement accounts without incurring the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Finally, once you reach age 73, you must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs). There is no age limit on making contributions to an IRA, but you must have earned income to contribute.
The tax code incentivizes saving for retirement. Workers can contribute up to $23,500 in 2025 and $24,500 in 2026 to a defined-contribution plan [e.g., a 401(k) plan]. A higher limit of $31,000 in 2025 and $32,500 in 2026 exists for workers age 50 or older. Individuals with earned income can contribute up to $7,000 ($8,000 for those 50 or older) to a traditional IRA in 2025 and $7,500 ($8,600 for those 50 or older) in 2026. The limitations for deducting for these traditional IRA contributions are subject to income phaseouts; phaseouts are higher for those who do not participate in a 401(k) plan but their spouses do. Contributions to a tax-deferred retirement savings account reduce adjusted gross income (AGI), and thereby your tax liability, as long as they are within the designated limits.
Contributions to Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k) plans are not tax-deductible. Like traditional IRAs, up to 7,000 ($8,000 for those 50 or older) in 2025 and $7,500 ($8,600 for those 50 or older) in 2026 can be contributed to a Roth IRA. The maximum contribution to a Roth IRA is subject to AGI limits of $236,000 for married couples filing jointly and $150,000 for singles in 2025. (The limits will increase to $242,000 and $153,000, respectively, in 2026.)
Contributions to IRAs and Roth IRAs for the 2025 tax year can be made as late as April 15, 2026. When making a contribution for the previous calendar year, ensure your broker registers the deposit correctly.
Withdrawals from retirement accounts are considered to be taxable income unless taken from a Roth IRA, a Roth 401(k) or similar types of accounts.
RMDs are required from most non-Roth retirement accounts. The current required beginning date (RBD) is age 73. (The RBD will rise to 75 for those who attain age 74 after December 31, 2032.)
The first RMD can be taken as late as April 1 of the calendar year following the year you turned age 73 (75), though the second RMD must be taken by December 31 of that same year. The percentage of retirement savings subject to the RMD increases every year. Roth IRAs are exempt from RMDs, as are Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) plans. Those who are still working, contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan and own less than 5% of the company they work for can delay the first RMD from a defined-contribution plan until April after the year they retire.
A discussion of all the tax aspects of investing for and in retirement is beyond the scope of this guide. Those seeking greater detail should read IRS Publications 590-A and -B on Individual Retirement Arrangements.
You have the option of converting all or part of your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, regardless of your AGI. Roth IRAs can provide certain advantages: The converted assets can be withdrawn tax-free at any time, and future earnings are also tax-free (with some limitations) to both you and your heirs. Withdrawals do not impact how much of Social Security benefits are taxed, nor do they count as income for determining Medicare premiums. Additionally, Roth IRA owners are not required to take any minimum distributions in retirement. The downsides, however, are that the conversion amount is taxable in the year it occurs, it can increase the amount of Social Security benefits taxed in the year of conversion and it can increase Medicare premiums two years out.
While the benefits of a Roth IRA conversion could be considerable, taxpayers must carefully weigh the up-front tax costs against the long-term tax advantages. For more on this, see “The Importance of Considering Marginal Taxes When Taking Withdrawals” by William Reichenstein and William Meyer in the September 2023 AAII Journal, as well as “Roth Versus Traditional IRA” in the December 2019 AAII Journal. You may also want to consult a tax professional.
Once a Roth IRA conversion is completed, it cannot be undone (a “recharacterization”).
You cannot convert RMDs from your traditional IRA for a particular year (including the calendar year in which you reach age 73) to a Roth IRA. IRS Publication 590-A explains the rules for Roth IRA conversions, and Publication 590-B covers the rules for RMDs.
Selecting tax-aware managers of mutual funds may be important to maximizing your aftertax rate of return in your taxable investment portfolio.
You may choose when to sell specific shares of the fund and may, therefore, create long-term versus short-term capital gains, as long as you notify the fund family or your broker in writing with specific instructions. But you don’t control the investments within the fund.
Should an equity manager fail to extend the holding period on a stock, it could cost you as much as 17.0% of your gain (37.0% ordinary rate for short-term capital gains versus the 20.0% long-term capital gains rate) between now and the end of 2025.
Some mutual fund distributions can be treated as qualified dividends and are therefore eligible for the reduced tax rate, while others will not qualify. Dividends paid by stocks held by the fund and passed through to the shareholder are eligible for the qualified dividend tax treatment. However, capital gains distributions and interest from bonds are not. These payments are reported on Form 1099, which specifies the type of distribution.
More about mutual fund distributions can be found in Tax Rules for Your Personal Investments in this year’s tax guide.
If you are receiving Social Security benefits, you may have to pay taxes on them if your combined income (primarily your AGI plus any tax-exempt interest income plus half of your Social Security benefits) exceeds certain levels (see the Social Security Earnings Thresholds box in the Key Tax Numbers for 2025 and 2026 article).
To protect your benefits, watch the amount of interest you receive from municipal bonds, since this amount is included in your MAGI when determining the Social Security benefit taxability. In addition, you may want to delay discretionary taxable distributions from a retirement plan or IRA.
Interest from tax-free municipal bonds is generally exempt from federal income taxes, unlike the interest from taxable bonds, which is taxed as income. Like any bond, credit quality matters, as you want to ensure that the issuer will not default. Changing yields can also alter the aftertax yield advantage, making municipal bonds more or less attractive compared to taxable bonds.
Additionally, private-activity bonds (a type of tax-free bond) could increase your exposure to the AMT since their interest income is taxable for purposes of the AMT. Check with the bond issuer to find out the bond’s tax status.
You should review your bond and money market accounts to make sure that you are earning the highest aftertax return. But don’t forget to consider the state tax implications of switching from tax-free to taxable bonds before making any final portfolio decisions.
The spread between capital gains and ordinary income rates has important implications with respect to your asset allocation between taxable and tax-deferred (retirement) accounts.
For example, from a tax perspective, holding individual stocks in tax-deferred accounts and bonds in taxable accounts could be expensive because the long-term gains resulting from stocks held in tax-deferred plans such as IRAs or 401(k) plans will be taxed at ordinary rates when taken as a distribution. By reversing that structure, taxable bonds and other tax-inefficient assets will be shielded from taxation in the deferred accounts, while equities will enjoy the reduced rates for capital gains in personal accounts.
Tax-free municipal bonds should remain outside of retirement accounts. Individuals should also consider the cost of commissions and taxes, current cash flow needs, and the 0.9% additional Medicare tax and 3.8% NII surtax before making any investment moves between taxable and tax-deferred accounts.
Deferring income that is taxed at higher ordinary tax rates makes sense. Most taxpayers will pay long-term capital gains tax rates of 0% or 15%. For married couples filing jointly with income above $600,050 and single filers with income above $533,400 in 2025, the long-term capital gains rate is 20%. In 2026, the 20% long-term capital gains tax rate will apply to married couples filing jointly and single filers with incomes above $613,700 and $545,500, respectively.
Short-term capital gains, in contrast, are taxed at ordinary income tax rates of up to 37% in 2025 and 2026.
The 3.8% NII surtax applies to taxpayers with income above the $250,000/$200,000 married filing jointly/single thresholds. This tax applies to both short- and long-term capital gains, as well as taxable interest, dividends, nonqualified annuities, rents and royalties, and passive income from partnerships. The NII surtax is not indexed to inflation, and the $250,000/$200,000 thresholds are effective for both 2025 and 2026.
Similar rules apply to qualified dividends. For married couples filing jointly with income above $600,050 and single filers with income above $533,400, in 2025, dividends are taxed at 20%. In 2026, the 20% qualified dividend tax rate will apply to married couples filing jointly and single filers with incomes above $613,700 and $545,500, respectively.
Though tax considerations should never be the primary reason for selling a security, if you have large positions in either gifted or inherited stocks, or stocks received from the sale of a business, you should consider whether it makes sense to sell shares over a period of time to take advantage of the long-term capital gains rates and use the proceeds from selling the stock to diversify your portfolio.
While tax considerations should not drive your investment decision, you can take advantage of losses in holdings that you would prefer to either sell or reduce from an investment standpoint.
Capital losses first reduce capital gains: Long-term losses reduce long-term gains first, and short-term losses reduce short-term gains first. Any long-term losses left over reduce short-term gains, and vice versa. If you still have losses remaining after offsetting capital gains, you can reduce your “ordinary” income by up to $3,000. Losses not used this year can be carried forward to future years until they are used up. See “Capital Pains: Rules for Capital Losses” by Julian Block in the September 2010 AAII Journal.
When planning, make sure you don’t run afoul of the wash-sale rules. If you sell a stock or security at a loss and then acquire a substantially identical security during the 30-day period prior to or the 30-day period following the sale, the loss will be disallowed. If your loss is disallowed by the wash-sale rule, you can increase the cost basis of the new position of the substantially identical security by the amount of the disallowed loss. The holding period for the new position is also adjusted to include the holding period of the position sold at the disallowed loss. However, you cannot adjust the cost basis or holding period if you acquire the investment in an IRA or Roth IRA. For more information, see “Keeping Transactions Clean From the Wash-Sale Rules” by R. Kevin Trout in the December 2014 AAII Journal.
It is important to remember that taxes should not be the primary driver of your investment decisions. Taxes do, however, play a role in wealth management. As the tax code continues to evolve, everyone should consider how the changes directly affect their overall tax and investing strategies.
Charles Rotblut leads this practical video master class designed to help investors keep more of what they earn through tax-efficient strategies that go beyond a single filing season.
Across seven one-hour sessions, you’ll learn how to build a tax-planning road map, reduce taxes on investments, plan Roth conversions, manage Medicare costs and protect your heirs. You’ll also get interactive worksheets, downloadable resources, case studies and lifetime access to all seminar materials.
PRICE: $199
Portfolio Strategies
MARK K from PA posted 7 months ago:
J M from NJ posted 7 months ago:
J M from NJ posted 7 months ago:
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