Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Discuss all general (i.e. non-personal) investing questions and issues, investing news, and theory.
Post Reply

In percentage terms, what is your current largest unrealized LOSS for a TOTAL position?

0% to -5% (I'm very lucky or I TLH often)
33
57%
-5% to -10%
5
9%
-10% to -25%
5
9%
-25% to -50%
5
9%
-50% to -75%
4
7%
-75% to -99%
3
5%
worse than -99% and it still doesn't count as worthless :(
3
5%
 
Total votes: 58

Topic Author
xerty24
Posts: 4827
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 3:43 pm

Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by xerty24 »

I'm curious how large losses people have in their present holdings. If you have a large loss, perhaps you can say a little about your thoughts on keeping the position.
No excuses, no regrets.
DSInvestor
Posts: 11647
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:42 am

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by DSInvestor »

No unrealized losses in any position. I TLHd in Nov 2008 and again in Mar 2009.
Wiki
User avatar
nvboglehead
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:44 am

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by nvboglehead »

I also don't have any significant losses at this time, as I enthusiastically tax loss harvest, "making lemonade out of lemons". Vanguard is a great place for this as there are so many similar indexes, which allows one to realize the loss, buy a sightly different fund and stay invested.

Dale
Learn from the Bogleheads! Do you want to work for your money or have your money work for you?
User avatar
mhc
Posts: 5240
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:18 pm
Location: NoCo

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by mhc »

nvboglehead wrote:I also don't have any significant losses at this time, as I enthusiastically tax loss harvest, "making lemonade out of lemons". Vanguard is a great place for this as there are so many similar indexes, which allows one to realize the loss, buy a sightly different fund and stay invested.

Dale
+1

Vanguard makes it so easy to TLH. Saved me a lot on taxes last year.
52% TSM, 23% TISM, 24.5% TBM, 0.5% cash
User avatar
Dale_G
Posts: 3466
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:43 pm
Location: Central Florida - on the grown up side of 85

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by Dale_G »

I checked -25% to -50%. Of course, that is my home, which is down by about 1/3rd from the price I paid in 2003. :mrgreen: My investments on the other hand are all well into positive territory. :D

Dale
Volatility is my friend
chipmonk
Posts: 636
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:32 pm
Location: PDX

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by chipmonk »

xerty24 wrote:I'm curious how large losses people have in their present holdings. If you have a large loss, perhaps you can say a little about your thoughts on keeping the position.
Other than my employee stock shares, I don't hold any taxable investments without good TLH partners. So I try to TLH whenever I notice I have a loss, and whenever tax (wash sale) and practical (Vanguard short-term trading policy or redemption fees) considerations don't preclude my doing so. I did my first ever round of TLH-ing last summer and, while I didn't quite call the bottom, managed to take capital losses of about 12% of my total stock portfolio, without changing my asset allocation. I built up a capital loss carryover of about 20k and saved a bunch in taxes; I count it as the most immediately and obviously valuable lesson I've learned from the Bogleheads.
patrick
Posts: 2589
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:39 am
Location: Mega-City One

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by patrick »

My largest unrealized loss for a whole position is around 0.2% right now. However this is mainly due to stocks being near their all time highs rather than aggressive tax loss harvesting (especially since the majority of my assets are in tax advantaged accounts anyway).
livesoft
Posts: 85971
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by livesoft »

I have a few positions with a 12% or so loss. They are in tax-advantaged accounts and cannot be tax-loss harvested.

For example, I have one (1) share of DGS in a Roth IRA with a 12% loss. I only purchased one share because that's all the cash that was available in that account at the time, so rather than let $54 sit in the cash sweep account, I bought one share of DGS.
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
Fclevz
Posts: 651
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:28 am

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by Fclevz »

I chose 0% to -5% (I'm very lucky or I TLH often), but I wondered if this poll is aimed toward newer investors. I have no unrealized losses. However, I'm neither lucky nor do I tax-loss-harvest; I'm simply a long-term investor and have held my positions long enough that even a 2008-type event didn't put me into a loss position. :D

Cheers,
Fred
User avatar
Random Musings
Posts: 6756
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:24 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by Random Musings »

I tax loss harvest, so low of course. House is fine, I'm ignoring the cars which just keep on depreciating.

RM
I figure the odds be fifty-fifty I just might have something to say. FZ
User avatar
jasonlitka
Posts: 270
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:30 am
Contact:

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by jasonlitka »

Does my house count? If so, I'm down 10-15% based on what I paid a few years back.
Jason Litka
User avatar
grabiner
Advisory Board
Posts: 35265
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:58 pm
Location: Columbia, MD

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by grabiner »

My only loss position is a 3% loss on Vanguard Global Real Estate in my Roth IRA, because I bought most of my shares when the fund opened in late 2010 (selling half my REIT Index) and it is down slightly from then.

I have no loss on any lots in my taxable accounts because everything is up since the last time I harvested.
Wiki David Grabiner
User avatar
Taylor Larimore
Posts: 32839
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Miami FL

Stay-the-course works

Post by Taylor Larimore »

Xerty:

All our funds have been held for many years. As a result, all our taxable funds have significant capital gains.

Stay-the-course works!

Best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
User avatar
kwyjibo
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:44 pm

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by kwyjibo »

Dale_G wrote:I checked -25% to -50%. Of course, that is my home

Dang.

I didn't think about home price, then I need to change mine to -25% also.
Last edited by kwyjibo on Wed Jun 26, 2013 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Easy Rhino
Posts: 3278
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:13 am
Location: San Diego

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by Easy Rhino »

-71%. I bought a few share of Cisco in 2000 near the peak. Fortunately it was a small dollar amount, so I hold onto it as a badge of shame.
User avatar
FrugalInvestor
Posts: 6213
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:20 pm

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by FrugalInvestor »

I have none. I tax loss harvested once during the big downturn and am hoping to never have the opportunity again.
Have a plan, stay the course and simplify. Then ignore the noise!
epilnk
Posts: 2717
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 7:05 pm

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by epilnk »

Lucky us: I haven't had access to tax sheltered accounts since before 2008 so we have to save in taxable, and my husband's 401k is so lousy I allocated 100% to the one acceptable bond index offered.
Topic Author
xerty24
Posts: 4827
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 3:43 pm

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by xerty24 »

Thank you all for your answers. I must admit that I hold an individual stock with a loss of around 30% presently. I am still hoping for it to recover, but if that fails to materialize, I will be selling it for the tax loss before the end of this year.
No excuses, no regrets.
madbrain
Posts: 6502
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by madbrain »

Only a small loss in my TBM position.
Tuxx
Posts: 863
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:19 am

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by Tuxx »

ADVDX down 22.3%.

It's going to come back...... :annoyed
User avatar
Taylor Larimore
Posts: 32839
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Miami FL

When you own a lemon--make lemonade.

Post by Taylor Larimore »

Tuxx wrote:ADVDX down 22.3%.

It's going to come back...... :annoyed
Tuxx:

If ADVDX is in a taxable account, you should almost certainly sell it immediately for the tax-loss benefit.

If you still want it after 30 days -- buy it back.

Best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
winterescape
Posts: 265
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 2:53 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by winterescape »

FrugalInvestor wrote:I have none. I tax loss harvested once during the big downturn and am hoping to never have the opportunity again.
+1
SteveRB
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 7:55 am

Re: Poll: What is your current largest unrealized loss?

Post by SteveRB »

ishares MSCI EMU (European Union) index
Post Reply