Capital Loss
A capital loss is what you have when you sell an investment for less than you paid. It isn't only bad news: losses offset capital gains dollar-for-dollar, and up to $3,000 of net loss can offset ordinary income each year, with the rest carried forward to future years.
Losses first offset capital gains of the same type, then the other type. If losses still remain, up to $3,000 a year can be deducted against ordinary income — $1,500 if married filing separately — and anything beyond that carries forward indefinitely, with no expiry. A $40,000 loss with no gains to offset therefore takes more than a decade to deduct fully, which is why harvesting is worth doing steadily rather than all at once. Losses only count when you actually sell; an investment that has merely fallen gives no deduction. The wash-sale rule disallows the loss if you buy the same or a substantially identical security within 30 days before or after the sale — the window runs in both directions, which is the part most often missed.
Put it to work
ROI Calculator
Measure the return on any investment: total gain, total return (ROI), and the annualized return (CAGR) that lets you compare deals held for different lengths of time.
Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Estimate the tax on an investment sale and what you keep — and compare the long-term rate against the far higher one that applies if you sell too soon.