Plenty of investors will be faced with an unpleasant surprise. Any day now, one or more of the mutual funds that you own will be sending out their capital gain distributions for the year.

 

The tax hit could be quite large this year.

 

Many investors are not aware that mutual fund companies are required to distribute at least 95 percent of their capital gains to investors each year. Given the double-digit gains in the stock market last year, those gains could be an unwelcome liability when tax time rolls around.

 

At this late date, there is little one can do about it, other than pay the piper, but this year you can take steps to minimize 2018's potential tax liability. Since the tax reform act did not change capital gains taxes, you can expect that short-term capital gains (less than 12 months) will be taxed at the same rate as your income tax bracket. Long-term capital gains, however, will continue to be taxed at 15 percent.

 

The job of most mutual fund managers is to buy low and sell high. That's what creates track records, which, in turn, attracts investors to their funds. But mutual funds are just like individuals when it comes to capital gains. Anytime a mutual fund sells a security, no matter what the asset, that gain is taxable. And since mutual funds are considered pass-through entities, they are required to pass along to you any of these taxable gains.

 

In the grand scheme of things, capital gains distributions could be considered a luxury problem since we want the mutual fund we are invested in to turn a profit for us. So producing capital gains (as opposed to capital losses) is a good thing. But some caveats do apply.

 

Distributions reduce the fund's net asset value, regardless of whether they are long-term, or short-term capital gains, qualified dividends, or a return of capital. The problem might be in the timing of your purchase. If, for example, you purchased such a fund after all the gains were made, but before the distribution, you will be sent the capital gain (plus the taxes you will owe) while the mutual fund you purchased would decline by the amount of the distribution. You would be left with an after-tax loss on that mutual fund investment.

 

So the morale of this tale is if you are going to stay invested in mutual funds in a non-retirement account you better start tracking the upcoming capital gains distributions on the funds you own or are considering purchasing. In general, most mutual funds pay one or two capital gain distributions each year, normally sometime during the summer, and the last one toward the end of the year (late November or December). Try to avoid buying mutual funds at those times.

 

The mutual fund industry is aware of how these sudden taxable events impact shareholders. Most managers try to avoid dumping huge gains on investors, especially short-term gains, which are taxed at a higher rate. However, at certain times, they are forced to do just that.

 

During market declines, for example, when they are faced with unusually large redemption requests, then fund managers may be forced to liquidate positions that they would have preferred to hold, but can't.

 

Today a shareholder of mutual funds can easily find out when and what upcoming distributions will be made by simply accessing each mutual fund's website. There, you will find a wealth of information concerning distributions. Many fund websites will give you distribution guidance several months before the event. That makes it easier for you to make informed investment decisions.

 

Bill Schmick is registered as an investment adviser representative and portfolio manager with Berkshire Money Management (BMM), managing over $200 million for investors in the Berkshires.  Bill's forecasts and opinions are purely his own. None of the information presented here should be construed as an endorsement of BMM or a solicitation to become a client of BMM. Direct inquiries to Bill at 1-888-232-6072 (toll free) or email him at Bill@afewdollarsmore.com.