Help! I'm running out of TLH equivalents

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AZK
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:49 am

Help! I'm running out of TLH equivalents

Post by AZK »

The last two weeks have given me a lot of opportunities to TLH. But now I'm starting to run out of equivalents...especially for INTL...here have been my trades...If the market keeps dropping this week, what should I do?

8/2/11

Sold VEU@47.46
Sold VBR@66.47
Bought SPY@127.34
Sold VWO@47.37
Bought JKI@74.35

8/3/11
Sold IJS@69.58
Bought RZV@37.45
Sold SCHC@28.7
Bought VSS@97.7

8/4/11
Sold VTI@62.9
Bought SPY@122.11
Sold SCHC@27.15
Sold GWX@ 28.9
Sold VXUS@46
Bought VEA@34.0
Bought VSS@92.4
Sold JKI@70.7
Bought IWN@66.24

8/8/11
Sold SPY@113.25
Bought SCHX@26.8
Sold VEA@31.5
Bought EFA@ 49.9

So basically,

For US Large: VTI -> SPY -> SCHX
For US Small: VBR/IJS -> RZV
For US Mid -> JKI -> IWN
For INTL Large -> VEU/VXUS -> VEA -> EFA
For INTL Small -> GWX/SCHC -> VSS

Where do I go next? After today I've got nice losses to harvest in US Small and US MID, It's not too hard to find and equivalent for US large, but having some difficulties coming up with US Small/Mid and INTL... ideas?

Moreover, I'm worried with all these trades and moving in and out of different indexes that I will trigger a wash sale...thoughts?

Thanks!
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ObliviousInvestor
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Post by ObliviousInvestor »

Are you dealing with a lot of gains that you want to offset? Or are you just accumulating losses? If the second, you might just want to say "that's good enough for now", wait 31 days, then see what further TLH opportunities are available at that point.
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Topic Author
AZK
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:49 am

Post by AZK »

I'm trying to build up as big a surplus of losses...so the latter... Yeah. That was what I was thinking after today...but if we have another rbd I might not be able to resist...
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indexfundfan
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Post by indexfundfan »

How about Schwab ETFs?

INTL -> SCHF (based on FTSE index)
US S -> SCHA (based on DJ index)

VG's ETFs are mostly based on MSCI or S&P.
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retiredjg
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Re: Help! I'm running out of TLH equivalents

Post by retiredjg »

AZK wrote:If the market keeps dropping this week, what should I do?
Sit on it awhile.

It is probably too late to fix right now. You have probably been selling too much too fast and you are going to have to wait for the days to catch up with you. Next time, don't sell so quickly and so often and you won't run out of TLH "partners".

Don't just sell willy nilly. Have a plan that goes at least 31 days out. If you find yourself without a suitable substitute to buy, you've gone to far ahead of a plan. Kind of like driving farther than your headlights.
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craigr
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Post by craigr »

I usually just wait 31 days. I don't want to risk getting stuck with capital gains in a fund I really don't want to hold onto for many years because I was anxious about harvesting losses. Besides, your waiting 31 days could work out in your favor than buying in quickly. It's a crapshoot so there is no right answer.
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livesoft
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Re: Help! I'm running out of TLH equivalents

Post by livesoft »

AZK wrote: For US Large: VTI -> SPY -> SCHX -> VV
For US Small: VBR/IJS -> RZV -> IWM
For US Mid -> JKI -> IWN -> You don't need mid separately -> IWM
For INTL Large -> VEU/VXUS -> VEA -> EFA -> VDMIX/vwo
For INTL Small -> GWX/SCHC -> VSS -> SCZ/EWX -> DLS/DGS
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TheEternalVortex
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Post by TheEternalVortex »

IWN is small cap value, not mid cap?
phositadc
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Post by phositadc »

BTW, beware of good faith violations. If you are trading ETFs and using unsettled funds, and you buy an ETF on day 1, see massive losses on day 2, and then sell it on day 3, you could be committing good faith violations.

I learned this a few days ago because I committed a couple myself due to massive tax loss harvesting. I didn't even know they existed before Vanguard called to explain.

Thankfully, it's relatively trivial. If you commit 3 of them in a rolling 12-month period you get put on a restriction for 90 days where you can't use unsettled funds to purchase other securities. And apparently if you get restricted for 90 days 3 separate times, you then get put on a 1-year restriction.

Anyways, maybe you already know all of that. But I didn't, and repeated tax loss harvesting can trigger violations.
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