A Very Cool Tax Tool
Need help determining your tax basis? This database might help.
If you're searching for lost tax-basis information for your 2006 tax return, take heart: BasisPro, a service offered by Wolters Kluwer, will fill in the blanks of what you paid for securities you sold in 2006. All you need to know is when you bought them.
The online BasisPro database is packed with info about every corporate action -- think mergers, spinoffs and stock splits -- for every stock and mutual fund since 1950, plus all dividends since 1973. Reconstructing those basis-altering events is painful even with great records. This tool takes seconds.
BasisPro is part of the GainsKeeper.com service ($349 a quarter); it's also built into TurboTax Premier tax-preparation software. (Kiplinger's provides expert advice for TurboTax software and its Web site.)
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
To continue reading this article
please register for free
This is different from signing in to your print subscription
Why am I seeing this? Find out more here
Anne Kates Smith brings Wall Street to Main Street, with decades of experience covering investments and personal finance for real people trying to navigate fast-changing markets, preserve financial security or plan for the future. She oversees the magazine's investing coverage, authors Kiplinger’s biannual stock-market outlooks and writes the "Your Mind and Your Money" column, a take on behavioral finance and how investors can get out of their own way. Smith began her journalism career as a writer and columnist for USA Today. Prior to joining Kiplinger, she was a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report and a contributing columnist for TheStreet. Smith is a graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis, Md., the third-oldest college in America.
-
How To Use Beta in Investing
Beta is one way to measure a stock's historical volatility. Here's how it works.
By Coryanne Hicks Published
-
Key Tax Provisions That Are Expiring After 2025
The Tax Letter Unless Congress decides to act, lots of tax changes will take effect in 2026, including higher tax rates and lower standard deductions.
By Joy Taylor Published
-
Kiplinger's Tax Map for Middle-Class Families: About Our Methodology
state tax The research behind our judgments.
By David Muhlbaum Published
-
Retirees, Make These Midyear Moves to Cut Next Year's Tax Bill
Tax Breaks Save money next April by making these six hot-as-July tax moves.
By Rocky Mengle Published
-
Estimated Payments or Withholding in Retirement? Here's Some Guidance
Budgeting You generally must pay taxes throughout the year on your retirement income. But it isn't always clear whether withholding or estimated tax payments is the best way to pay.
By Rocky Mengle Published
-
How to Cut Your 2021 Tax Bill
Tax Breaks Our guidance could help you claim a higher refund or reduce the amount you owe.
By Sandra Block Published
-
Why This Tax Filing Season Could Be Ugly
Coronavirus and Your Money National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins warns the agency will continue to struggle with tight budgets and backlogs. Her advice: File electronically!
By Sandra Block Published
-
Con Artists Target People Who Owe The IRS Money
Scams In one scheme, thieves will offer to "help" you pay back taxes, only to leave you on the hook for expensive fees in addition to the taxes.
By Rivan V. Stinson Published
-
Cash-Rich States Lower Taxes
Tax Breaks The economic turnaround sparked a wave of cuts in state tax rates. But some say the efforts could backfire.
By Sandra Block Published
-
The Financial Effects of Losing a Spouse
Financial Planning Even amid grief, it's important to reassess your finances. With the loss of your spouse's income, you may find yourself in a lower tax bracket or that you qualify for new deductions or credits.
By Rocky Mengle Published