capital gains tax

How to Handle the Dangers of DIY Investing

Wall Street wants you to believe that you need professional help to manage your money, but most investors prefer to go it alone. And you, can, if you dodge these pitfalls.

Viral Video Explains the Huge Gap Between the Rich and You

Considering the sort of things that usually go viral on YouTube, you might not expect a six-minute video titled "Wealth Inequality in America," to make the grade. But its powerful snapshot of the American economic landscape is grabbing attention in a way that years of pontificating pundits haven't been able to.

Tax Bills for the Rich Approach 30-Year High

With Washington gridlocked again over whether to raise their taxes, it turns out wealthy families already are paying some of their biggest federal tax bills in decades even as the rest of the population continues to pay at historically low rates.

Attaking Tax Loopholes, Obama Takes Aim at Carried Interest

On Sunday, President Obama went on the offensive against the carried interest tax rate. In a nutshell, this tax break allows super-rich hedge fund managers to sidestep a large portion of their tax bills with Wall Street slight of hand.

How the Fiscal Cliff Deal Saved Dividend Stocks

In recent years, with low interest rates devastating the returns on conservative investment options, income-hungry investors have turned more and more to dividend stocks. And had there not been a fiscal cliff deal, even that last refuge for income investors could have disappeared.

Taxing the Rich: Americans Have It Good, Compared to the French

Many of America's rich are complaining that top tax rates are rising in 2013. But, really, they should be glad the new rates will be so low. France is boosting its top tax rate from 48 percent to as high as 75 percent -- and driving some businesspeople and celebrities to bid their home country adieu.

What Every American Should Know About the Capital Gains Tax

One of the most contentious issues in the debate over how the U.S. government can increase its revenues involves the capital gains tax rate -- the rate investors pay on their profits. Here's what you need to know to understand just what both sides are arguing about.

Your Year-End Tax To-Do List: A 5-Step Plan

Nobody likes to spend the holidays thinking about taxes. But by spending a little time now, you can potentially give yourself a nice reward when your IRS refund comes next year. Here are five ways you can uncover tax savings between now and New Year's Eve.

Ellison, Oracle One-Up Everyone with a December Triple Dividend

A lot of companies have moved up their January dividends to late December this year, to help shareholders avoid a 2013 tax hike. And some of those dividends have been made extra juicy. But Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is going even bigger: He's issuing three quarters worth of dividends at once.

Companies' Last Tax Dodge of 2012: Paying December Dividends

Furniture retailer Ethan Allen Interiors this week became the latest company to move its dividend distribution up to December -- a shift that will help shareholders avoid the tax increases on such payouts that are coming in 2013. Is that good business, or bad corporate citizenship?

Year-End Tips to Trim Your 2012 Tax Tab

Year-end tax planning is trickier this time around: Unless Congress compromises, all the Bush tax cuts will expire when 2013 arrives, and many popular tax breaks that expired at the end of 2011 may not get revived. Here's how you can lower what you owe the IRS, regardless of what happens in Washington next month.

Is This Your Last Shot to Grab Investing Gains Totally Tax-Free?

When Congress passed the Bush tax cuts in 2003, they set the dividend rate and the long-term capital gains rate at just 15%. But the rate was made even lower for people in the bottom two tax brackets -- and if you qualify, you may only have a few more weeks to capitalize on that.

The Fiscal Cliff: Who Has the Most to Lose If We Fall Off

Beyond the land of presidential debates, the political arena is getting hotter. The pending economic catastrophe that is the "fiscal cliff" is drawing closer. But the broad numbers the pundits are tossing around hide some interesting truths about who'll feel the most pain if we hurtle over it.

Tax the Rich, Kill the Economy? Proof It Doesn't Work That Way

Mitt Romney says the key to getting America's growth back on track is cut taxes even further on the wealthy. But would cutting taxes on "job creators" actually do that? No -- at least not according to the data compiled by nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.