Speaking of Taxes: Now is the time to start farming for losses

If you've generated a lot of realized gains this year from your investments in stocks, check to see what you may be holding on to at a loss and consider dumping it. Keep in mind the Wash Sale Rule if you are thinking of buying it back.
Wash Sales
You cannot deduct losses from sales or trades of stock or securities in a wash sale. A wash sale occurs when you sell or trade stock or securities at a loss and within 30 days before or after the sale you:
*Buy substantially identical stock or securities,
*Acquire substantially identical stock or securities in a fully taxable trade, or
*Acquire a contract or option to buy substantially identical stock or securities.
If you sell stock and your spouse or a corporation you control buys substantially identical stock, you also have a wash sale. If your loss was disallowed because of the wash sale rules, add the disallowed loss to the cost of the new stock or securities. The result is your basis in the new stock or securities. This adjustment postpones the loss deduction until the disposition of the new stock or securities. Your holding period for the new stock or securities begins on the same day as the holding period of the stock or securities sold. Special rules apply to options, futures, and warrants. As always, talk to your CPA or tax advisor before making any moves.
Example 1
You buy 100 shares of X stock for $1,000. You sell these shares for $750 and within 30 days from the sale you buy 100 shares of the same stock for $800. Because you bought substantially identical stock, you cannot deduct your loss of $250 on the sale. However, you add the disallowed loss of $250 to the cost of the new stock, $800, to obtain your basis in the new stock, which is $1,050.
Example 2
You are an employee of a corporation that has an incentive pay plan. Under this plan, you are given 10 shares of the corporation's stock as a bonus award. You include the fair market value of the stock in your gross income as additional pay. You later sell these shares at a loss. If you receive another bonus award of substantially identical stock within 30 days of the sale, you cannot deduct your loss on the sale.