Author Description

"The worst crime a trader can make is to have made money, but then to hand it right over to the government because of a fundamental lack of knowledge of the tax laws and the strategies which can be used advantageously." —Ted Tesser. The first —and only —tax guide written exclusively for traders and investors has been thoroughly revised and expanded to arm you with the knowledge and strategies you need to thrive under current investment tax laws. Written by Ted Tesser, an active trader as well as an accountant specializing in investment-related taxation, The Trader's Tax Survival Guide helps you to exploit fully all available tax options for the highest possible return on your investments. Drawing on actual court cases, this indispensable guide covers all the bases, providing complete details on everything from getting around the 2% itemized deduction limit and preparing for an audit to planning for retirement and transferring wealth to future generations. You'll also find vital information on how the Tax Reform Acts of the past decade —including the tax code changes of 1996 and 1997 —affect you and your investments. Just as importantly, The Trader's Tax Survival Guide introduces you to Total Return Investment Planning (TRIP), a major component of Ted Tesser's extremely popular seminars on how to create and manage a successful trading business. TRIP is a simple but very effective methodology for evaluating your investments from a "total return" perspective that integrates good tax planning with good investment planning. With the basics of TRIP in place, you can then take full advantage of Tesser's invaluable tax-saving strategies, 66 specific methods for reducing your tax burden. Readers will also appreciate the chapter on the preferred tax status of "trader." Most investors (and their tax preparers) don't realize that you need not be a professional market maker working the exchange floor to claim "trader" status. Nor are they aware of the man