An Investing Tax Break that Survived Under the New Tax Law

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published 11 January 2018

Note: The editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and the Kiplinger Tax Letter are answering questions about the new tax law from subscribers to our free Kiplinger Today daily email. See other reader Q&As about the new tax law, or submit your own question.

Question: Can you tell if investors can still deduct what we pay in margin interest?

Answer: Yes, interest on loans used to purchase investments that throw off taxable income remains deductible by those who itemize. As in the past, such interest is deductible up to the amount of taxable investment income reported (and, in this case, investment income does not include any capital gains or qualifying dividends that enjoy favorable tax treatment).

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Although the write-off for investment interest survived the latest tax overhaul, the deduction of other investment expenses, such as investment management fees, did not. It was one of the miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% of AGI threshold that Congress killed.

McCormally retired in 2018 after more than 40 years at Kiplinger. He joined Kiplinger in 1977 as a reporter specializing in taxes, retirement, credit and other personal finance issues. He is the author and editor of many books, helped develop and improve popular tax-preparation software programs, and has written and appeared in several educational videos. In 2005, he was named Editorial Director of The Kiplinger Washington Editors, responsible for overseeing all of our publications and Web site. At the time, Editor in Chief Knight Kiplinger called McCormally "the watchdog of editorial quality, integrity and fairness in all that we do." In 2015, Kevin was named Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President.