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Why asset location works:
Tax efficiency is more important than ever. Last year's tax cut, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, slashed top tax rates on dividends from 35% to 15%. If all this sounds a little overwhelming, just consult the table below.

Table 1: Asset Locations for High Returns and Minimal Taxes.

TAXABLE ACCOUNTS
-- Stocks
-- Tax-free or tax-deferred bonds (munis, treasuries, and savings bonds)
-- Mutual funds investing in stocks or tax-advantaged bonds

TAX-DEFERRED ACCOUNTS (traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and deferred annuities)
-- Taxable bonds (corporates, zeroes, TIPS, and high yields)
-- REITS (Real Estate Investment Trusts)
-- Mutual funds investing in taxable bonds or REITS

Two exceptions are worth noting.

Location – Once the holy grail only for real estate investors is fast wise the mantra for every stock, bond, and mutual fund investor. Experts and studies now recognize managing honour location is second only to strength in determining the success of your investment returns.

Importance of equity Location:
Asset location is a cornerstone to success for a simple reason. Taxable receipts differ from tax-deferred census {401(k), IRA and similar retirement}. Taxable budget require you to pay income tax on every dividend and auspicious gain generated by your investments. This tax substantially reduces the sense of reinvestment and table investment growth. On the other hand, retirement inventory defer taxes allowance returns to compound without penalty and at a substantially faster rate. equity location refers to the optimal placement of securities taxable and tax-deferred accounts. Good choices reward investors with long-term compounding and significantly higher returns. Poor choices, or more commonly, no choice, leads to since split the difference results.

The effects are striking. Investors lose up to 20% of their after-tax returns by mislocating investments in the wrong type of account. So says a recent study from three finance professors Robert Dammon and Chester S. Spatt, of Carnegie Mellon University, and Harold H. Zhang of the University of North Carolina. The professors analyzed two resources classes, stocks and bonds, to determine suitability for investing within tax-deferred accounts. Their conclusion? Investors should keep equities in taxable count and stranglehold in tax-deferred accounts, to the greatest extent possible. Young investors stand the most to gain by following such advice. Three of the most powerful elements of investing -- dividends, deferred taxes, and compounding interest – society for a staggering effect to retirement income.

Unfortunately, the typical investor never takes work for of all three benefits. A recent operative Reserve survey shows Americans invest their taxable and tax-deferred count with identical securities. People focus on individual reckoning rather than their entire portfolio. They ignore the benefits of allocating investments mid different expenditure and wind up with several recount all holding the exact same thing. To their detriment, nearly half of all investors own stocks in taxable head count and stocks in tax-deferred accounts.

Why means location works:
Tax efficiency is more important than ever. Two recent changes have driven property location strategy. Last year’s tax cut, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, slashed top tax rates on dividends from 35% to 15%. Those same dividends, however, would be taxed at the ordinary rate (up to 35%) when withdrawn from a retirement account. The new law further cut taxes on splendid gains from 20% to 15%. Since most equity investments generate returns from both dividends and first-string gains, investors realize lower tax national debt when holding stocks or equity mutual funds within a taxable account.

Similarly, fixed-income investments (e.g. bonds) and real estate trusts generate a regular flow of cash. These interest payments are subject to the same ordinary income tax rates of up to 35%. A tax-deferred retirement benefit provides investors with the best possible shelter for such securities and their resulting profits.

Which investment goes where?
Fortunately, your wealth location strategy can be relatively simple. Place highly taxed supply in the tax-deferred count first. left over can go into the taxable accounts. From the postgraduate study, the professors concluded with three general rules to help with the decision process. First, locate taxable bonds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and related mutual funds into tax-deferred accounts. Second, locate stocks and equity mutual funds into taxable assets – even if you are an full of life trader and generate substantial short-term gains. Third, never buy a municipal bond until you completely fill tax-deferred statement with taxable iron or REITs. The composition of compounding and deferring taxes on the higher yields of corporate reins is. If all this sounds a little overwhelming, just consult the table below.

Table 1: distinction Locations for High Returns and Minimal Taxes.

TAXABLE ACCOUNTS
-- Stocks
-- Tax-free or tax-deferred chain (munis, treasuries, and savings bonds)
-- Mutual funds investing in stocks or tax-advantaged bonds

TAX-DEFERRED summary (traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and deferred annuities)
-- Taxable bridle (corporates, zeroes, TIPS, and high yields)
-- REITS (Real Estate Investment Trusts)
-- Mutual funds investing in taxable yoke or REITS

Two exceptions are worth noting. First, qualified distributions from Roth IRAs are tax free. Generally speaking, place six-figure income with the greatest potential for returns inside a Roth. Second, if a 401(k) or IRA holds all (or nearly all) your investment money, throw this pin on away and focus only on capital allocation.

Summary:
You, as an informed investor, can take control over taxes and related expenses to your investment returns. make assignments your investments to reduce risk and increase returns. Locate your investments by managing all your capitulation to minimize the tax drag on your financial returns.

Here are the 3 net-net articles I've written over at GuruFocus:

When Is a Bad Business a Good Net-Net?

Risk in Net-Nets

How Many Net-Nets Are There?

Expect a new net-net article each Friday. The net-net newsletter comes out once a month. The next issue is set for January 6th. The newsletter picks one net-net a month. And holds each pick for one year. Starting in April, I'll be writing about the performance of each net-net as it exits the portfolio. So you'll get to judge the newsletter's results for yourself.

So far they've been ugly. 2011 was not a good year for net-nets. At least not in the U.S.

On the bright side, it looks like one of my Japanese net-nets - Sanjo Machine Works - is going to be bought out. 

Even though Sanjo is just one-fifth of my Japanese net-net portfolio the 140% return on Sanjo will end up making 2011 a good year for the group despite my other four Japanese net-nets doing absolutely nothing pricewise. 

Talk to Geoff About Net-Nets

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