✉news BusinessPersonal Finance first seen 16 h ago, last 3 h ago, peak #17
Why Selling Stock Late in Life Can Trigger a Bigger Tax Bill
Original: Sell $400,000 of Stock at 78 to Simplify Things for the Kids and the Capital Gains Bill Is Real. Leave It to Them Instead and the Entire Bill Disappears
A personal finance argument circulating online says that an investor who sells $400,000 of stock at age 78 to simplify things for their heirs will face a real capital gains tax bill, whereas leaving the shares to inherit may erase it entirely, thanks to the step-up in cost basis at death. The claim has drawn attention for its counterintuitive framing of estate planning versus selling during one's lifetime.
Why now: The counterintuitive tax comparison between selling assets in old age and passing them on untaxed is resonating with readers planning their estates.
Evidence
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