Knowledge Center

Taxes

Taxes

Tax Information for Brokerage Accounts

Find out what's new for this year's taxes. Plus, access your current and historical tax information online by visiting the Tax Statements section of your account history.

Tax Information for Retirement Accounts

These FAQs address Scottrade's completion of IRS tax forms for retirement accounts. Scottrade does not provide tax, legal or investment advice.

Taxes & Earnings

The U.S. tax system is complicated and the rules surrounding it change frequently. The majority of the time, however, how you're taxed is based on the source of your income.

Tax-Deferred Investing

Investing in a tax-deferred retirement account allows you to postpone paying taxes on your earnings.

Tax-Efficient Investing

You can purchase taxable investments, but minimize the amount of tax you pay by purchasing a tax-efficient mutual fund. A tax-efficient fund can reduce your taxes by decreasing the income earnings and capital gains distributed to their shareholders.

Alternative Minimum Tax

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) was designed to ensure that those who are eligible for special tax deductions and credits still pay a minimum amount of taxes to the government.

Municipal Bonds & Taxes

The old adage is there are two things certain in life: death and taxes.While this is certainly true, there are ways to invest without increasing your tax burden.

Borrowing to Buy a Tax-Exempt Bond

Taxpayers may, in some instances, claim an interest deduction for debt that is incurred to purchase or carry investments.

Wash Sale Rules

The IRS created the "wash sale" rule to prevent investors from recognizing artificial losses by first selling a security for a loss and then repurchasing the same security within a short period of time.

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The information and content provided in the Scottrade® Knowledge Center is for informational and/or educational purposes only. The information presented or discussed is not, and should not be considered, a recommendation or an offer of, or solicitation of an offer by, Scottrade or its affiliates to buy, sell or hold any security or other financial product or an endorsement or affirmation of any specific investment strategy. You are fully responsible for your investment decisions. Your choice to engage in a particular investment or investment strategy should be based solely on your own research and evaluation of the risks involved, your financial circumstances and your investment objectives. Scottrade, Inc. and its affiliates are not offering or providing, and will not offer or provide, any advice, opinion or recommendation of the suitability, value or profitability of any particular investment or investment strategy.

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Scottrade is the "Highest in Investor Satisfaction with Self-Directed Services."

Scottrade received the highest numerical score among self-directed investing service providers in the proprietary J.D. Power & Associates 2013 Self-Directed Investor Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on responses from 3,619 investors measuring 10 providers and measures satisfaction of self-directed investors. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in January-February 2013. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

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Scottrade, Inc. and Scottrade Bank are separate but affiliated companies and are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Scottrade Financial Services, Inc. Brokerage products and services offered by Scottrade, Inc. - Member FINRA and SIPC. Deposit products and services offered by Scottrade Bank, Member FDIC.

Brokerage Products Not FDIC-Insured - Not Bank Guaranteed - May Lose Value.

Online market and limit stock trades are just $7 for stocks priced $1 and above. Additional charges may apply for stocks priced under $1, mutual fund, and option transactions. Detailed information on our fees can be found in the Explanation of Fees (PDF).

You must have $500 in equity in an Individual, Joint, Trust, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or SEP IRA account with Scottrade to be eligible for a Scottrade Bank® account. In this instance, equity is defined as Total Brokerage Account Value minus Recent Brokerage Deposits on Hold.

Scottrade does not charge setup, inactivity or annual maintenance fees. Applicable transaction fees still apply.

Scottrade does not provide tax advice. The material provided is for informational purposes only. Please consult your tax, or legal, advisor for questions concerning your personal tax or financial situation.

Select investments are commission free to those using Scottrade's online platforms. Other fees and charges may apply.

Any specific securities, or types of securities, used as examples are for demonstration purposes only. None of the information provided should be considered a recommendation or solicitation to invest in, or liquidate, a particular security or type of security.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, charges, expense, and unique risk profile of an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) carefully before investing. Leveraged and Inverse ETFs may not be suitable for all investors and may increase exposure to volatility through the use of leverage, short sales of securities, derivatives and other complex investment strategies. These funds' performance will likely be significantly different than their benchmark over periods of more than one day, and their performance over time may in fact trend opposite of their benchmark. Investors should monitor these holdings, consistent with their strategies, as frequently as daily. A prospectus contains this and other information about the ETF and should be obtained from the issuer. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a mutual fund carefully before investing. A mutual fund's prospectus contains this and other information about the mutual fund. Prospectuses may be ordered through Scottrade.com or through a Scottrade branch office. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. No transaction fee (NTF) funds are subject to the terms and conditions of the NTF funds program. Scottrade is compensated by the funds participating in the NTF program through recordkeeping, shareholder, or SEC 12b-1 fees.

Margin trading involves interest charges and risks, including the potential to lose more than deposited or the need to deposit additional collateral in a falling market. The Margin Disclosure Statement and Agreement (PDF) is available for download, or it is available at one of our branch offices. It contains information on our lending policies, interest charges, and the risks associated with margin accounts.

Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Detailed information on our policies and the risks associated with options can be found in the Scottrade Options Application and Agreement, Brokerage Account Agreement, and by downloading the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options and Supplements (PDF) from The Options Clearing Corporation, or by requesting a copy from a Scottrade branch office. Supporting documentation for any claims will be supplied upon request.

Market volatility, volume, and system availability may impact account access and trade execution.

Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other clients and are no guarantee of future performance or success.

Keep in mind that while diversification may help spread risk it does not assure a profit, or protect against loss, in a down market.

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