Gyroscopic Investing

Posted: **Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:29 am**

I started my pp in May-June this year, and I've really been enjoying watching the TLT-VTI seesaw these last few days. I'm actually up a bit, well maybe a little more than a bit if gold is figured in.

All my VTI is in taxable accounts. This is probably premature to ask, but if this loss that I'm observing persists would it be OK to sell the VTI and reinvest in something like a fund that tracks the S&P in order to tax loss harvest this year? Would that be considered a wash or are they different enough? Or is it just a dumb thing to do? (This stuff is all new to me.)

Thanks.

Maggie

Posted: **Thu Aug 04, 2011 12:52 pm**

EM2 wrote: I started my pp in May-June this year, and I've really been enjoying watching the TLT-VTI seesaw these last few days. I'm actually up a bit, well maybe a little more than a bit if gold is figured in.

All my VTI is in taxable accounts. This is probably premature to ask, but if this loss that I'm observing persists would it be OK to sell the VTI and reinvest in something like a fund that tracks the S&P in order to tax loss harvest this year? Would that be considered a wash or are they different enough? Or is it just a dumb thing to do? (This stuff is all new to me.)

Thanks.

Maggie

I would let your PP cruise along for a year or so before you even start thinking about tax loss harvesting by moving from fund to fund within an asset class.

This sort of thing is a short step from more destructive forms of tinkering, and I believe that you should get the ruts in your new thoughtways more well established before you start doing more "PP freestyle" sorts of maneuvers.

I think Jack Handey captured the sentiment well in the following quote:

"If you ever teach a yodeling class, probably the hardest thing is to keep the students from just trying to yodel right off. You see, we BUILD to that."

Gyroscopic Investing

TLH?

TLH?

Re: TLH?