Tax Managed Mutual Funds

Tax-efficient or 'tax managed' mutual funds may help take the sting out of your annual tax bite and can potentially be an excellent technique to investing your discretionary dollars for higher educational purposes.

Tax managed funds are typically characterized as having a low portfolio turnover rate usually 20% or less which can result in lower potential tax implications for the shareholder.

These funds are typically "growth, value-oriented" funds which place a high emphasis on buying and holding the underlying securities for longer periods of time. The securities purchased also are characterized as low-dividend producing stocks, thereby reducing or eliminating the potential for ordinary income taxation.

Lower Capital Gains Tax Incentives

Capital gains and losses are classified as long-term or short-term, depending on how long you hold the asset before you sell it.

If you hold it more than one year, your capital gain or loss is long-term.

If you hold it one year or less, your capital gain or loss is short-term.  

Net capital gain is the amount by which your net long-term capital gain is more than your net short-term capital loss.

Effect in 2013, capital gains tax rates now range from 15% to 20%.  And, the new Health Care Acts adds another 3.80%.

Hence, since investors are typically attempting to maximize gains and growth potential to offset future college expenses, it can pay to use these types of tax managed mutual funds.

Potential Disadvantages

The potential disadvantages that anl investor should be aware is the fact that the mutual fund managers may be 'enamored' with particular securities that are out of favor or under-performing market/industry standards. Further, they may be unwilling to unload a security for fear of triggering taxable gains to the shareholder because of the fund's overall objective.

In 1997, the average growth mutual fund in America had a stunning portfolio turnover rate of 89%. Although this does not necessarily mean taxable gains were triggered, it does give one a good idea or contrasting perspective to those funds whose main objective is high returns with no turnover restrictions.

Since the passage of TRA 1997, several "tax managed funds" have become available. However, there are also a handful of funds that have operated under this same objective long before it came into vogue.

Action To Take

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