Tax Loss Carryforward

Tax Loss Tax Loss Carryforward: What Is It and How Does It Work?

The tax loss carryforward rule allows capital losses from the sale of assets to be carried over from one year to another. In other words, an investor can use capital losses realized in the current tax year to offset gains or profits in a future tax year, assuming certain restrictions are met.

Investors can use a capital loss carryforward to minimize their tax liability when reporting capital gains from investments. Business owners can also take advantage of loss carryforward rules when deducting losses each year.

Knowing how this tax provision works and when it can be applied is important from an investment tax-savings perspective.

Key Points

•   Tax loss carryforward allows investors to offset capital losses against future gains, as well as taxable income.

•   Investors who take advantage of the tax loss carryforward rule may reduce their overall tax liability.

•   Capital loss carryforward rules prohibit violating the wash-sale rule and have limitations on deductions.

•   Net operating loss carryforward is similar to capital loss carryforward for businesses operating at a loss.

•   Losses can be carried forward indefinitely at the federal level, but capital losses must be used to offset capital gains in the same year.

What Is Tax Loss Carryforward?

Tax loss carryforward, sometimes called a capital loss carryover, is the process of carrying forward capital losses into future tax years. A capital loss occurs when you sell an asset, like a stock, for less than your adjusted basis.

Capital losses are the opposite of capital gains, which are realized when you sell an asset for more than your adjusted basis. In either case, taxes may come into play.

Adjusted basis means the cost of an asset, adjusted for various events (i.e., increases or decreases in value) through the course of ownership.

When you invest online or through a brokerage to purchase a stock or other security, knowing whether a capital gain or loss is short-term or long-term depends on how long you owned it before selling.

•   Short-term capital losses and gains occur when an asset is held for one year or less.

•   Long-term capital gains and losses are associated with assets held for longer than one year.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows certain capital losses, including losses associated with personal or business investments, to be deducted from taxable income.

There are limits on the amount that can be deducted each year, however, depending on the type of losses being reported.

For example, the IRS allows investors to deduct up to $3,000 from their taxable income if the capital loss is from the sales of assets like stocks, bonds, or real estate. If capital losses exceed $3,000 ($1,500 if you’re married, filing separately), the IRS allows investors to carry capital losses forward into future years and use them to reduce potential taxable income.

Recommended: SoFi’s Guide to Understanding Your Taxes

How Tax Loss Carryforwards Work

A tax loss carryforward generally allows you to report losses realized on assets in one tax year on a future year’s tax return. Realized losses differ from unrealized losses or gains, which are the change in an investment’s value compared to its purchase price before an investor sells it.

IRS loss carryforward rules apply to both personal and business assets. The main types of capital loss carryovers allowed by the Internal Revenue Code are capital loss carryforwards and net operating loss carryforwards.

Capital Loss Carryforward

Another way to describe the process of using capital losses to offset gains is that IRS rules allow investors to “harvest” tax losses, meaning they use capital losses to offset capital gains, assuming they don’t violate the wash-sale rule.

The wash-sale rule prohibits investors from buying substantially identical investments within the 30 days before or 30 days after the sale of a security for the purpose of tax-loss harvesting.

If capital losses are equal to capital gains, they will offset one another on your tax return, so there’d be nothing to carry over. For example, a $5,000 capital gain would cancel out a $5,000 capital loss and vice versa.

Remember that short-term capital losses must be applied to short-term gains, and long-term capital losses to long-term gains, owing to the difference in how capital gains are taxed.

However, if capital losses exceed capital gains, investors can deduct a portion of the losses from their ordinary income to reduce tax liability. Investors can deduct the lesser of $3,000 ($1,500 if married filing separately) or the total net loss shown on line 21 of Schedule D (Form 1040).

But any capital losses over $3,000 can be carried forward to future tax years, where investors can use capital losses to reduce future capital gains.

To figure out how to record a tax loss carryforward, you can use the Capital Loss Carryover Worksheet found on the IRS’ Instructions for Schedule D (Form 1040).

Recommended: A Guide to Tax-Efficient Investing

Net Operating Loss Carryforward

A net operating loss (NOL) occurs when a business has more deductions than income. Rather than posting a profit for the year, the company operates at a loss. Business owners may be able to claim a NOL deduction on their personal income taxes. Net operating loss carryforward rules work similarly to capital loss carryforward rules in that businesses can carry forward losses from one year to the next.

According to the IRS, for losses arising in tax years after December 31, 2020, the NOL deduction is limited to 80% of the excess of the business’s taxable income. To calculate net operating loss deductions for your business, you first have to omit items that could limit your loss, including:

•   Capital losses that exceed capital gains

•   Nonbusiness deductions that exceed nonbusiness income

•   Qualified business income deductions

•   The net operating loss deduction itself

These losses can be carried forward indefinitely at the federal level.

Note, however, that the rules for NOL carryforwards at the state level vary widely. Some states follow federal regulations, but others do not.

How Long Can Losses Be Carried Forward?

According to IRS tax loss carryforward rules, capital and net operating losses can be carried forward indefinitely. Note that the loss retains its short- or long-term characterization when carried forward.

It’s important to remember that capital loss carryforward rules don’t allow you to roll over losses without corresponding gains. IRS rules state that you must use capital losses to offset capital gains in the year they occur. You can only carry capital losses forward when and if they exceed your capital gains for the year.

As noted above, the IRS also requires you to use an apples-to-apples approach when applying capital losses against capital gains.

For example, you’d need to use short-term capital losses to offset short-term capital gains. You couldn’t use a short-term capital loss to balance out a long-term capital gain or a long-term capital loss to offset a short-term capital gain.

Example of Tax Loss Carryforward

Assume that you purchase 100 shares of XYZ stock at $50 each for a total of $5,000. Thirteen months after buying the shares, their value has doubled to $100 each, so you decide to sell, collecting a capital gain of $5,000.

Suppose you also hold 100 shares of ABC stock, which have decreased in value from $70 per share to $10 per share over that same period. If you decide to sell ABC stock, your capital losses will total $6,000 – the difference between the $7,000 you paid for the shares and the $1,000 you sold them for.

You could use $5,000 of the loss of ABC stock to offset the $5,000 gain associated with selling your shares in XYZ to reduce your capital gains tax. Per IRS rules, you could also apply the additional $1,000 loss to reduce your ordinary income for the year.

Now, say you also have another stock you sold for a $6,000 loss. Because you already have a $1,000 loss and there is a $3,000 limit on deductions, you could apply up to $2,000 to offset ordinary income in the current tax year, then carry the remaining $4,000 loss forward to a future tax year, per IRS rules.

This is an example of tax loss carryforward. All of this assumes that you don’t violate the wash-sale rule when timing the sale of losing stocks.

Recommended: What to Know about Paying Taxes on Stocks

The Takeaway

If you’re investing in a taxable brokerage account, it’s wise to include tax planning as part of your strategy. Selling stocks to realize capital gains could result in a larger tax bill if you’re not deducting capital losses at the same time.

With tax-loss harvesting, assuming you don’t violate the wash sale rule, it’s possible to carry forward investment losses to help reduce the tax impact of gains over time. This applies to personal as well as business gains and losses. Thus, understanding the tax loss carryforward provision may help reduce your personal and investment taxes.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).


For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.


About the author

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake has been a finance writer for nearly a decade, specializing in personal finance, investing, and small business. She is a contributor at Forbes Advisor, SmartAsset, Investopedia, The Balance, MyBankTracker, MoneyRates and CreditCards.com. Read full bio.



About the author

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake has been a finance writer for nearly a decade, specializing in personal finance, investing, and small business. She is a contributor at Forbes Advisor, SmartAsset, Investopedia, The Balance, MyBankTracker, MoneyRates and CreditCards.com. Read full bio.



Photo credit: iStock/bymuratdeniz

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.
For a full listing of the fees associated with Sofi Invest please view our fee schedule.


Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

Disclaimer: The projections or other information regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results.
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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What Is the Arms Index (TRIN)? How to Use the Indicator

What Is the Arms Index (TRIN)? How to Use the Indicator

The Arms Index or Trading Index (TRIN) is a breadth indicator used to indicate when the stock market is overbought and oversold. In simpler terms, it measures how strong or weak the market is on any given day.

Technical analyst Richard W. Arms developed the Arms Index formula in 1967 as a tool for gauging market sentiment. Investors still use TRIN indicators to track volatility and price movements. By looking for upward or downward trends in the TRIN and comparing them to other technical indicators, investors can potentially identify buy or sell signals.

Key Points

•   The Arms Index, also known as TRIN, measures stock market strength or weakness.

•   It was developed by Richard W. Arms in 1967 to gauge market sentiment.

•   TRIN calculates by dividing the Advance/Decline ratio by the Advance/Decline volume ratio.

•   A TRIN value above 1.0 suggests a bearish market, while below 1.0 indicates bullish conditions.

•   Investors use TRIN alongside other indicators to identify potential buy or sell signals.

What Is the Arms Index (TRIN)?

The Arms Index, Trading Index or TRIN for short is a breadth oscillator used to identify pricing and value trends in the stock market. Specifically, the index looks at two things: Advance Decline ratio and Advance Decline volume ratio.

The former represents the number of advancing and declining stocks while the latter represents advancing and declining stock volume.

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The TRIN Formula

TRIN = (Advancing stocks/Declining stocks) / (Composite volume of advancing stocks/Composite volume of declining stocks)

In this formula:

•   Advancing stocks refers to the number stocks trading higher

•   Declining stocks refers to the number of stocks trading lower

•   Advancing volume is the total volume of all advancing stocks

•   Declining volume is the total volume of all declining stocks

Investors use moving averages to smooth out the data and understand the relationship between the supply and demand for stocks during a given time period. The Arms Index aims to highlight bearish or bullish trends based on the relationship between the number of stocks being traded and the volume.

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How to Calculate TRIN

To calculate TRIN, you’d simply apply the formula outlined earlier. Again, it looks like this:

TRIN = (Advancing stocks/Declining stocks) / (Composite volume of advancing stocks/Composite volume of declining stocks)

Here’s what calculating TRIN might look like in action:

•   Find AD ratio by dividing the number of advancing stocks by the number of declining stocks

•   Find AD volume ratio by dividing total advancing volume by total declining volume

•   Divide AD ratio by AD volume ratio

You’d perform these calculations over a set time period, recording each figure on a graph or chart as you go. For example, you might space the calculations out every few minutes, hourly or daily. You’d then connect each data point on your graph or chart to whether the TRIN is moving up or down.

Dive Deeper: How to Calculate AD Ratio

What Does TRIN Show You?

TRIN shows you the market’s volatility and the short-term direction of prices to help investors identify buying opportunities. When reading or interpreting TRIN data, you’re looking to see if it’s above 1.0 or below 1.0. This can tell you whether the market is bearish or bullish. A reading of exactly 1.0 is considered neutral.

For example, a reading below 1.0 is common when there are strong upward trends in price movements. Meanwhile, a reading above 1.0 is typical when there’s a strong downward trend. Here’s another way to think of it. When the reading is below 1.0 that means advancing stocks are driving volume but when it’s above 1.0, declining stocks are in the driver’s seat for generating volume.

You may also look at the direction TRIN is moving. A rising TRIN could indicate a weak market, while a falling TRIN may mean the market is getting stronger. Understanding how to read the data matters when determining whether the market is overbought or oversold at any given time.

Overbought

In stock trading, overbought means a stock is selling at a price above its intrinsic value. When the market is overbought, there’s generally a bullish attitude as investors keep buying in and driving up market capitalizations.

But a sell-off can happen if market sentiment turns negative. In that case, you get a reversal and prices begin to drop, potentially pushing market capitalizations down. Investors use the Arms Index or TRIN to spot this type of price movement trend and get ahead of a reversal before it happens.

Oversold

When an asset is oversold it means it’s trading below its intrinsic value. In other words, it’s trading for less than what it’s actually worth. This scenario can happen if an asset is undervalued for an extended period of time.

When investors assume the market is oversold, that can lead to an increase in buying activity. This, in turn, can drive stock prices up.

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Example of Using TRIN

If you wanted to apply the TRIN in real time, you could do that using stock charts that illustrate technical indicators. So, say you want to track the movements of the S&P 500 Index for a single day, looking at prices in five-minute intervals. You begin calculating TRIN at 10:00 am, at which time it’s 1.10. This sends a sell signal to the market and prices begin edging down.

An hour later, you see that TRIN has dropped to 0.85 sending a buy signal. At this point, prices begin to move upward again. By following TRIN throughout the day you could see whether the upward trend looks like it will continue or whether it will eventually reverse. If you’re following the rule of “buy low, sell high“, you might want to time trades to correlate with stock price movements based on the trends forecasted by the TRIN.

How Is TRIN Different Than TICK?

The TRIN measures the spread or gap between supply and demand in the markets. The Tick Index or Tick Indicator shows the number of stocks trading on an uptick minus the number of stocks trading on a downtick. This trend indicator measures all of the stocks that trade on an exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq.

Unlike Arms Index or TRIN, the Tick indicator does not factor in volumes. Instead, Tick index aims to pinpoint extreme buying or extreme selling on an intraday basis.

Is TRIN a Good Indicator?

The TRIN has both good points and bad points when used as an investment decision-making tool. No technical analysis indicator can yield precise answers when determining the best time to buy or sell.

It’s important to keep in mind that the Trading Index is just one indicator analysts use to evaluate the stock market and stock volatility. The TRIN is most helpful when used with other indicators in order to create a more comprehensive snapshot of the markets at a particular moment in time.

Pros of TRIN

The Arms Index or TRIN closely analyzes trends between advancing and declining assets. By comparing net advances to volume, it provides a picture of price movements. Volume can be a useful indicator in itself, as higher volumes can suggest more significant shifts in stock pricing.

The TRIN is forward-looking so it can be useful in forecasting which way the market will head next. By pointing out stocks that may be overbought or oversold, the indicator can provide investors with some direction when trying to buy the bottom or sell the top to maximize profits in the market.

Cons of TRIN

If the TRIN has one big flaw it’s that it may generate inaccurate readings because of the way the index accounts for volume. Specifically, you can run into problems when advancing volume falls short of expectations.

For example, say that on a given day the number of stocks advancing significantly outpaces the number of stocks declining. Meanwhile, the same trend happens with volumes, with advancing volume outstripping declining volume. When you calculate TRIN, the numbers could effectively cancel one another out, resulting in a neutral reading.

This can make it difficult to figure out if the market is trending bearish or bullish. For that reason, it may be helpful to apply a 10-day moving average (MA) to help even out the numbers and provide a more accurate picture of pricing trends.

How Investors Can Use TRIN

Technical investors can use the TRIN to analyze the market, decide whether to buy or sell, and when to make those trades to produce the best results. When using the index, you’re looking for clear markers of strength or weakness in the markets. By gauging overall market sentiment, it may become easier to make predictions about future prices.

The TRIN is, by nature, designed to monitor short-term trading activity so it may not work as well for spotting longer term trends. But you can use it to get a feel for whether the market is leaning more on the bullish or bearish side and how likely that trend is to either continue or reverse.

The Takeaway

The Arms Index or TRIN is an important concept to understand if you’re an active day trader using technical analysis. With technical analysis, you’re trying to find trends in the near term so that you can take action to capitalize them.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

Photo credit: iStock/Delmaine Donson


About the author

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake has been a finance writer for nearly a decade, specializing in personal finance, investing, and small business. She is a contributor at Forbes Advisor, SmartAsset, Investopedia, The Balance, MyBankTracker, MoneyRates and CreditCards.com. Read full bio.



SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.
For a full listing of the fees associated with Sofi Invest please view our fee schedule.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.


Investment Risk: Diversification can help reduce some investment risk. It cannot guarantee profit, or fully protect in a down market.

Claw Promotion: Customer must fund their Active Invest account with at least $50 within 30 days of opening the account. Probability of customer receiving $1,000 is 0.028%. See full terms and conditions.

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Unit Investment Trust (UIT) Explained Easily

What Is a Unit Investment Trust (UIT)?

A unit investment trust, or UIT, is similar to a mutual fund in that it’s a type of investment company that can hold a variety of securities, like stocks and bonds, that investors can buy as redeemable units. In fact, UITs belong to the same category as mutual funds and closed-end funds, in that they pool money together from different investors.

Similarly, unit investment trusts are designed to provide capital appreciation and/or dividend income, although without active trading of the securities in the portfolio. Unit investment trusts can offer some advantages to investors compared to mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). There are, however, some potential downsides that could make them less attractive than other types of pooled investments.

Unit Investment Trust (UIT) Explained Clearly

A unit investment trust is a type of investment company that issues and invests in securities. The other two types of investment companies are open-end funds (i.e. mutual funds) and closed-end funds.

Similar to a closed-end fund, a UIT raises money from multiple investors, typically through an Initial Public Offering, or IPO. Each investor holds a unit in the trust that represents an ownership share and allows them to stake a claim to any capital appreciation or dividend income the trust generates. This type of trust can be established as a grantor trust or a regulated investment corporation.

Once the portfolio manager of a unit investment trust chooses which securities to invest in, the investment focus usually doesn’t change. That means there is typically no active investing management in terms of trading the underlying assets. The investments that a UIT chooses depend on its overall strategy and objectives. So, the risk and return profile of unit investment trusts can vary from one to another, based on the underlying holdings.

When a UIT matures, investors can do one of three things:

•  Wait for the trust to liquidate its portfolio and receive their share of the proceeds

•  Roll the investment over to a new UIT

•  Receive a like-kind distribution of stock from the trust’s underlying investments

It’s important to keep in mind that UITs are not guaranteed investments. So, it’s possible that returns could be lower than expected or even negative if the trust fails to meet its objectives.

UIT Advantages and Disadvantages

Like any investment UITs have their advantages and disadvantages. As for advantages, investors may like that UITs offer a relatively easy way to diversify their portfolios with a single investment. They’re relatively easy to understand, too, and offer a degree of transparency into their holdings, so that investors can make better decisions relating to their investing strategy.

As for disadvantages? Perhaps the most obvious is that UITs are more or less fixed investments that do not change their investment mixes in an effort to adjust to the whims of the market. Some investors may prefer a more active approach to management in an effort to increase their returns.

Types of Unit Investment Trusts

Unit investment trusts can invest in a variety of different securities, but they tend to concentrate holdings in stocks and bonds. UITs generally come in one of two forms: Stock trusts and bond trusts.

These assets are held in the trust for a set time period until the trust is dissolved. A typical holding period would be anywhere from 15 months to two years, though some UITs may have an end date that’s farther in the future.

Investors can sell their holdings back to the issuing company at any time, but they can’t trade UIT shares as they would shares of a mutual fund.


💡 Quick Tip: Look for an online brokerage with low trading commissions as well as no account minimum. Higher fees can cut into investment returns over time.

UIT vs. Mutual Fund

UITs differ from most mutual funds several ways, chiefly in that they sell a fixed number of shares or units when the UIT is first opened; and the trust has a set maturity date when the UIT is dissolved and investors can redeem their units.

As noted, a mutual fund is a company that pools money from investors and invests them in securities. There are many different types of mutual funds, including but not limited to bond funds, stock funds, blended funds, target-date funds, and index funds. Some mutual funds can be actively managed while index funds follow a passive investing strategy.

At first glance, a UIT and a mutual fund might seem like the same thing since they fall under the same investment company umbrella. And while they do have some features in common, there are other things that distinguish the two.

Recommended: Active vs Passive Investing: Key Differences

How Are UITs and Mutual Funds Similar?

UITs and mutual funds share common ground when it comes to diversification, regulation, and how they pass on capital gains or dividends to investors. A capital gain represents a gain between the price you initially paid for an investment and the price you receive when you sell it. A dividend is a percentage of an investment’s profits that are paid out to investors.

Since UITs and mutual funds are both types of investment companies, they’re subject to SEC regulation. This means they’re required to meet regular reporting requirements. While this can help to minimize the potential for fraud, investors are still encouraged to read each fund’s prospectus to ensure they understand what the fund invests in.

Recommended: How Do Dividends Work?

What Are the Differences Between UITs and Mutual Funds?

The biggest differences between UITs and mutual funds concerns their structure and management. A UIT has a set beginning when shares are issued, and an end date when it matures — while an open-end mutual fund typically allows investors to continually buy and sell shares. Additionally, a unit investment trust issues a certain number of units when the trust is created while mutual funds can issue new shares periodically.

With UITs, the underlying investments remain largely or entirely the same until they mature. Mutual funds, on the other hand, can buy and sell underlying assets as needed to stay aligned with the fund’s objectives. So, mutual funds can be more adaptable if an underlying investment doesn’t perform as expected.

How to Invest in UITs

If you’re interested in investing with a unit investment trust, it’s possible to buy them directly from the issuer. UITs can also trade on an exchange, so you could purchase them through an online brokerage account.

Before buying a unit investment trust, however, there are a few things to consider. Specifically, look at the following when comparing UITs:

• Duration of the UIT

• Minimum investment requirement

• Underlying investments

• Investment strategy and objectives

• Fees

Also, consider the investment risks. Again, there’s no guarantee that a unit investment trust will perform as expected. And since the trust investments are fixed, your returns (or losses) more or less hinge on whether those investments do well.

It’s also important to think about how well the underlying investments match up with the other investments in your portfolio. If you’re already heavily concentrated in equities, for example, it may not make sense to choose an equity UIT since that could increase your exposure to some of the same companies. A bond UIT, on the other hand, might help to balance out your asset allocation.

Investment Costs

Don’t forget that investments often have associated costs, and they can come in a variety of forms. For instance, investors may be on the hook for broker fees, trading fees, management fees, and more. The specifics will depend on the individual investment, but investors should do some homework to see what potential investment fees they’re up against.

Unexpected Taxes

Taxes often catch investors by surprise, too. Be sure to review what types of taxes you might be on the hook for – with investments, it’s generally either income taxes or capital gains taxes – and plan accordingly.

Are UITs a Good Investment?

Whether a unit investment trust is a good investment for you personally can depend on what you need and expect a pooled investment to do for you.

If you’re an active trader, for example, then a UIT likely wouldn’t be a good fit. On the other hand, if you tend to take the longer view when investing or you prefer a buy-and-hold approach, you may find a unit investment trust fits well in your investment portfolio.

While you could benefit from capital gains distributions and dividends, keep in mind that unit investment trusts offer less flexibility than mutual funds or ETFs. Dividends, for example, can’t be reinvested the way they could with a mutual fund or index fund.

And, as discussed, investment fees are another important consideration when investing in a UIT. Since investment costs can reduce total return amounts over time, it’s important to understand all the costs associated with buying units and redeeming them when the trust matures.

Should You Consider Investing in a Unit Investment Trust?

Given their less flexible structure and set maturity date, unit investment trusts may be appealing to investors who take a longer-term approach and tend to prefer a buy-and-hold strategy.

If you’d like more flexibility with your investments, you may consider mutual funds or ETFs in place of UITs, which have a set beginning and end date and little or no active trading of the securities within the trust. You also might want to explore alternatives to trusts or funds, like cryptocurrency or investing in IPOs.


💡 Quick Tip: Did you know that opening a brokerage account typically doesn’t come with any setup costs? Often, the only requirement to open a brokerage account — aside from providing personal details — is making an initial deposit.

The Takeaway

A unit investment trust, or UIT, are investment companies that are, in many ways, similar to a mutual fund. They can hold a variety of securities, like stocks and bonds, that investors can buy as redeemable units.

Given their less flexible structure and set maturity date, unit investment trusts may be appealing to investors who take a longer-term approach and tend to prefer a buy-and-hold strategy. If you’d like more flexibility with your investments, you may consider mutual funds or ETFs in place of UITs, which have a set beginning and end date and little or no active trading of the securities within the trust.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

Are fixed unit investment trusts redeemable?

Unit investment trusts do issue redeemable shares or units, much like a mutual fund. As such, the UIT is able to purchase shares or units back from an investor at an appropriate valuation.

What is the difference between unit trust and investment trust?

A unit trust is a sort of investment fund that allows investors to pool their money for investment purposes. An investment trust is a company or entity that operates an investment fund.

Are UITs actively managed?

UITs are not actively managed, and have fixed investment holdings. Accordingly, investments are purchased at the onset, and held until the UIT matures.

Photo credit: iStock/Ridofranz


About the author

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake has been a finance writer for nearly a decade, specializing in personal finance, investing, and small business. She is a contributor at Forbes Advisor, SmartAsset, Investopedia, The Balance, MyBankTracker, MoneyRates and CreditCards.com. Read full bio.



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SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.
For a full listing of the fees associated with Sofi Invest please view our fee schedule.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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What is the VIX Volatility Index? How Investors Can Use It

What Is the VIX Volatility Index? How Investors Can Use It

The Cboe Global Markets Volatility Index, known as the VIX for short, is a tool used to measure implied volatility in the market. In simple terms, the VIX index tells investors how professional investors feel about the market at any given time.

This can be helpful for gauging and assessing risk in order to capitalize on anticipated market movements. Depending on which way the VIX is trending, it may throw off buy or sell signals to investors.

The volatility index is sometimes referred to as the “fear index” or “fear gauge” because traders rely on it as an indicator of the fearfulness of sentiment surrounding the market. While not a crystal ball, understanding the VIX and how it works can provide a useful predictor of investor behavior.

What Is the VIX Index?

The VIX Index is a real-time calculation designed to measure expected volatility in the U.S. stock market. One of the most recognized barometers of fluctuations in financial markets, the VIX measures how much volatility investing experts expect to see in the market over the next 30 days. This measurement reflects real-time quotes of S&P 500 Index (SPX) call option and put option prices.

Stock volatility represents the up and down price movements of various financial instruments that occur over a set period of time. The larger and more frequent price swings, the higher the volatility.

Implied volatility reflects market sentiment and which way it expects a security or financial instrument’s price to move.


💡 Quick Tip: All investments come with some degree of risk — and some are riskier than others. Before investing online, decide on your investment goals and how much risk you want to take.

How Does the VIX Work?

The VIX Index is a forward-looking trend indicator used to quantify expectations for future volatility. Cboe designed the index to estimate expected volatility by aggregating weighted prices of S&P 500 Index puts and calls over a wide range of strike prices.

In options trading, the strike price represents the price at which a trader can exercise an option. Call options give an investor the right to buy shares of an underlying security; put options give them the right to sell shares of an underlying security.

The Cboe Options Exchange (Cboe Options) calculates the VIX Index using standard SPX options and weekly SPX options listed on the exchange. Standard SPX options expire on the third Friday of every month. Weekly SPX options expire on all other Fridays. VIX index calculations include:

•   SPX options with Friday expirations

•   SPX options with more than 23 days and less than 37 days to their Friday expiration

The index weights these options to establish a constant-maturity, 30-day measure of the amount of volatility the S&P 500 Index is likely to produce. The VIX index works differently from the Black Scholes model, which estimates theoretical value for derivatives and other financial instruments based on a number of factors, including volatility, time, and the price of underlying assets.

The VIX is one of seven inputs used by CNN to determine its Fear and Greed Index.

What Does the VIX Tell You?

In securities trading, the VIX index is a measure of market sentiment. The volatility index has a negative correlation with stock market returns. If the VIX moves up that means investor fear is on the rise. The S&P 500 tends to see price drops in that scenario as investors may begin to sell off securities to hedge against expanded volatility that may be on the horizon.

On the other hand, when the VIX declines, that could signal a decline in investor fear as well. In that situation, the S&P may be experiencing lower levels of volatility and higher prices as investors buy and sell with confidence. This doesn’t necessarily mean that prices will remain high, however, as volatility is fluid and can increase or decrease sharply due to changing market conditions.

The volatility index can be read as a chart, with each day’s reading plotted out. Generally, a reading of 0 to 12 represents low volatility in the markets, while a range of 13 to 19 is normal volatility.

Once the VIX reaches 20 or above, that means you can typically expect volatility to be higher over the coming 30 days. For perspective, the VIX notched a 52-week high of 34.88 and a 52-week low of 12.73 as of August 11, 2023.

Example of VIX in Action

The beginning of 2020 saw a gradual rise in the level of concern surrounding the coronavirus and its potential to become a public health crisis. As more cases appeared in the United States, the financial markets began to react. The VIX index, which had hovered around 20 or below since January 2019, began to climb in the third week of February. By March 16, it had reached a peak of 82.69 and the Dow Jones had dropped 12.93%.

After the market crashed, the VIX began to slowly decline. By early November 2021, the volatility index was once again implying volatility on par with pre-pandemic levels, measuring 18.58 as of November 24.


💡 Quick Tip: When you’re actively investing in stocks, it’s important to ask what types of fees you might have to pay. For example, brokers may charge a flat fee for trading stocks, or require some commission for every trade. Taking the time to manage investment costs can be beneficial over the long term.

How Investors Can Trade the VIX

Investors interested in trading the VIX index have a few options for doing so. Cboe offers both VIX options and VIX futures as a starting point.

VIX options are not exactly the same as traditional stock options. They trade nearly 24 hours a day, five days a week during extended trading hours. Investors can trade a call option or put option to make speculative investments based on anticipated volatility in the markets.

Cboe introduced VIX futures in 2004 to allow investors to trade a liquid volatility product using the VIX index as a guide. The difference between options and futures lies largely in the execution.

With options trading, the investor has the right but not the obligation to buy or sell a particular investment. A futures contract, on the other hand, requires the buyer to purchase shares and the seller to sell them at an agreed-upon price.

With VIX options or VIX futures, you’re making investments based on what you expect to happen in the markets based on how the volatility index is trending. Options and futures are speculative investments that carry more risk than some other types of investments. If you’re looking for another way to trade the VIX, you might look to VIX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or volatility ETFs instead.

Volatility ETFs

Exchange-traded funds hold a basket of securities but they trade on an exchange like a stock. VIX ETFs and volatility ETFs often hold futures contracts or track the movements of a volatility index.

Choosing volatility or VIX ETFs in lieu of trading VIX options or VIX futures directly doesn’t eliminate risk. But it can help you to spread the risk out over a diverse group of investments. If you’re already trading stocks and other securities through an online brokerage account, VIX or volatility ETFs may be included as an investment option.

The Takeaway

The volatility index or VIX is a highly useful tool for measuring market sentiment. While it’s impossible to predict exactly which way the market will move, the VIX index can help with interpreting implied volatility when making investment decisions.

That’s information you can use whether you’re trading options or less risky investments such as stocks or ETFs.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).


Invest with as little as $5 with a SoFi Active Investing account.


About the author

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake has been a finance writer for nearly a decade, specializing in personal finance, investing, and small business. She is a contributor at Forbes Advisor, SmartAsset, Investopedia, The Balance, MyBankTracker, MoneyRates and CreditCards.com. Read full bio.



Photo credit: iStock/dolgachov

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.
For a full listing of the fees associated with Sofi Invest please view our fee schedule.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.


Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

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23 Ways To Make Extra Income From Home

23 Ways to Make Extra Income From Home

If you’re interested in how to make extra income from home, today there are more opportunities than ever before. Some ways to earn extra income from home include side hustles, online businesses, and remote jobs. Finding the right money-making project for you just depends on your skills, experience, and interests.

We’re sharing some of the most popular ideas for how to bring in extra income from home in 2024 and beyond.

How to Make Extra Income From Home

There are a variety of ways to make extra income from home, many of which allow you to use the skills you already have. Others may require a little training or research to get started before you can begin earning supplemental income.

When comparing side hustles, business ideas, and work-from-home second jobs for extra income, consider:

•   How much time is required to make money

•   Typical earnings and how much you can expect to make

•   What, if anything, might be required to get started

Timing can also influence the types of ideas you explore for making extra income from home. For example, if you need to make a quick $1,000, then selling things around the house can put cash in your pocket faster than starting an online business. If you need a little help staying on top of your side-hustle earnings, a money tracker app like SoFi’s can help.

And remember, the benefits of a side hustle go beyond making extra income. Side gigs can be a creative outlet, source of fulfillment, or a stepping stone to a new career. With that in mind, here are 23 of the best extra income ideas from home.

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1. Tutor

Tutoring can be a fulfilling way to make extra income from home for stay-at-home parents or students. There are numerous websites that connect tutors with students who need help with their school work. You can also offer tutoring to students locally in your home to make extra income.

2. Online Teacher

Teaching online is another popular work-from-home extra income idea. While tutoring may involve working with a single student one-on-one, you might teach multiple students online at the same time. For example, anyone can sign up to teach K-12 classes live via Zoom on Outschool.com. You don’t need a teaching degree or previous experience, though you will need to be able to pass a background check.

3. Course Creator

Course creation is one of the best passive income ideas for people who like teaching but don’t want to do it all the time. Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Teachable allow you to create and upload virtual courses then sell them to people online. These types of platforms charge fees to host your course, but if you come up with a popular topic or idea, you can earn money from teaching online.

4. Sell Artwork and Designs Online

Selling artwork and designs can be a great way to earn residual income from home. For example, you can create unique designs and license them to a platform like Canva or Creative Fabrica. You earn money as people purchase licensing rights to use your designs.

Recommended: Should I Sell My House Now or Wait?

5. Online Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is an in-demand skill, and if you’re experienced at tracking accounts and managing financial statements, this can be a reliable way to make extra income from home. It’s possible to find virtual bookkeeping jobs online with companies that are interested in outsourcing their bookkeeping and payroll.

6. Low-Content Book Publishing

Low-content books are books that have little to no content inside. Composition notebooks and blank journals are two prime examples of low-content books. If you have a knack for design, you can create low-content books and upload them to a self-publishing platform like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Amazon lists your books for sale and handles the printing and shipping for you. Meanwhile, you earn royalties for each unit sold.

7. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another option for earning residual income or passive income from home. Affiliate marketing simply means recommending products or services and linking to a sales portal. If someone purchases the product or service through your link, you earn a commission. You can try affiliate marketing through a blog or social media channels such as Instagram or Twitter. Just keep in mind that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has specific disclosure rules influencers are required to follow.

8. Copywrite or Edit

Copywriting is another high-demand skill as companies and businesses are often willing to pay good money for website or marketing copy. Editing is also something you might consider doing to make extra income from home if you’re skilled at writing and have a good eye for detail.

9. Data Entry

Work-from-home extra-income jobs in data entry might appeal to you if you’re good at typing and you know your way around databases or spreadsheets. It’s possible to find remote data entry jobs by searching job boards like Indeed.com or FlexJobs.

10. Start a YouTube Channel

YouTube is one of the most visible social media platforms. You might consider starting your own channel as a way to make extra income without leaving the house. To get started, you’ll need a decent camera and a great idea for content, and you’ll need to meet YouTube’s minimum requirements to monetize your channel with ads. You can also make money with a YouTube channel by selling digital products, creating sponsored content, and affiliate marketing.

11. Freelance Your Skills

Freelancing can span a wide range of work from home jobs for extra income. For example, you might work as a freelance photographer, website developer, or project manager. The great thing about freelancing is that you can apply skills that you already possess to make money while potentially increasing your income even more by learning new skills along the way.

12. Sell Your Photos

If you’re great with a camera, selling your photography is another idea for how to make extra income from home. Sites like Shutterstock, Foap, and SmugMug allow amateur and professional photographers to list photos for sale and earn money by selling licensing rights. You can study a range of websites that sell pictures to get an idea of which subjects are most popular and in-demand.

Recommended: Does Net Worth Include Home Equity?

13. Print on Demand

Print-on-demand is a terrific way to make passive income from home. With print-on-demand, you create unique designs and upload them to a POD shop. When someone buys an item, such as a coffee mug or tote bag, the POD shop prints your design onto it and ships it out to the customer. If you’re looking for a place to get started with print on demand, Redbubble, Society6, and Printify are a few sites you might consider.

14. Online Transcription

Transcriptionists make money by transcribing digital files into written or typed documents. Online transcription jobs can be a good way to put your typing skills to use, and there are even remote work opportunities out there for beginners. You may need to purchase special transcription software to start this work-from-home idea, but with the right gigs, you can easily make a part-time income from home.

15. Get Paid to Proofread

Proofreaders review written documents for spelling errors, grammatical errors, and typos. The work that they do is similar to copyeditors though it’s more focused on finding flaws in the mechanics of a piece of writing, rather than issues with tone or flow. Remote-work job boards can be a good place to begin looking for proofreading jobs for beginners.

16. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants help business owners run their companies. You might do a variety of things as a VA, including managing email, setting appointments, keeping track of scheduling changes, posting social media content, or copywriting. This is another low-cost side hustle you can start from home as long as you have an internet connection and a laptop.

17. Start a Blog

Blogging is not necessarily a way to get rich quick, but it can be a way of making extra money from home. There are different ways blogs can earn money, including ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, product sales, and services. If you’re interested in starting a blog, you might want to spend some time on YouTube checking out tutorials to see what you’ll need to get up and running.

18. Get Paid to Chat

Remote chat operator jobs and remote customer support jobs are a fun way to put your people skills to work while earning extra income from home. Plenty of companies hire people to handle customer support via live chat or by phone from the comfort of their own home. This can be a good flexible job option for a stay-at-home parent.

19. Pet Sit

Pet sitting might be a perfect way to earn extra income from home if you love cats or dogs. You can advertise your services locally as a pet-sitter or dog walker, and make money according to a schedule that works for you.

Recommended: What Credit Score is Needed to Buy a Car?

20. Earn Cash Back From Shopping Apps

Cash back apps pay you back a percentage of what you spend, either in cash or points that can be redeemed for cash or gift cards. For example, you might use a cash back app to earn 5% back when shopping for clothes at your favorite online retailer. Cash back apps are an easy way to make extra income from home doing things that you’re already spending time on.

21. Babysit in Your Home

In addition to pet-sitting, you might consider offering child care or senior care services in your home. If you’re planning to keep multiple children in your home, you’ll want to first check your state’s laws. Once you reach a certain number of children, you might be considered a daycare, which means you’ll need to get licensed and be regulated by the state.

22. Grow a Garden

Gardening can be a relaxing hobby, but it also has potential to be an excellent way to make extra income from home. You can sell the fruits and veggies that you grow at your local farmer’s market or to people in your neighborhood. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to branch out and raise chickens so you can sell fresh eggs for supplemental income.

23. Bake or Prep Meals

If you love to bake or are a pro at meal planning, you might be able to monetize those hobbies and skills to earn money at home. For example, you can sell your homemade baked goods at your local farmer’s market or craft fair, or to local restaurants. You can also sell readymade meals to busy parents and seniors who need a little help with cooking. Just be sure to check any regulations regarding home kitchens that might apply where you live.

Reporting Extra Income on Your Taxes

Finding ways to make extra income from home can offer some financial breathing room, but it’s important to consider the tax consequences. IRS rules require you to report side hustle income or money earned in the gig economy on your taxes, even if you make money at home. Generally, there are two rules to know about reporting extra income:

•   Form 1099 must be issued when gig earnings exceed $600.

•   Gig workers may be required to pay estimated quarterly taxes.

Unless you’re specifically hired as an employee of a company that you’re doing work for, then the IRS considers you to be an independent contractor. You’ll need to keep track of all your earnings throughout the year and make sure you’re reporting them accurately on your taxes when you file.

You’ll also want to include receipts for any expenses you might be able to deduct. For example, if you’re making extra income from home as a freelance writer and you need to buy a new laptop, you may be able to write that off as a business expense. Or you may be able to deduct home office expenses.

Downloading a free budget app can make it easier to keep track of your business or side gig expenses. If you’re unsure how to handle a tax return with extra income, you may want to talk to a tax professional.

The Takeaway

Making extra income is one of the main benefits of a side hustle, though you may also want to start a second job as a creative outlet. Today, there are many flexible work-from-home gigs for all sorts of skill sets and backgrounds. Some require training or certification, but many can be started with just a laptop and dream. Ideally, you can leverage a hobby or passion into a side job, such as meal-prep, pet-sitting, childcare, design and photography, and more.

Take control of your finances with SoFi. With our financial insights and credit score monitoring tools, you can view all of your accounts in one convenient dashboard. From there, you can see your various balances, spending breakdowns, and credit score. Plus you can easily set up budgets and discover valuable financial insights — all at no cost.

SoFi helps you stay on top of your finances.

FAQ

How can I make an extra $1,000 a month?

Some of the best ways to make an extra $1,000 a month are freelancing, blogging, monetizing a YouTube channel, and selling digital products. These are all extra income jobs that you can do entirely online. You may also be able to make an extra $1,000 a month by pet-sitting, making homemade baked goods, or selling things around the house you no longer need.

What can I do for an extra income?

There are lots of different ways to make extra income. You could start by increasing your hours at work if you get paid on an hourly basis. Or you might negotiate a pay raise at your current job. You can also get a second job, start a side hustle, get paid to do gig work, or start an online business.

What is a good side hustle?

The best side hustle for you is the one that works for your schedule and allows you to use the skills you have to make a good income. That said, good side hustle options include freelancing, editing and copywriting, blogging, and taking surveys online for cash or gift cards.


About the author

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake has been a finance writer for nearly a decade, specializing in personal finance, investing, and small business. She is a contributor at Forbes Advisor, SmartAsset, Investopedia, The Balance, MyBankTracker, MoneyRates and CreditCards.com. Read full bio.



Photo credit: iStock/Alessandro Biascioli

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Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

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