All too often when you sell an investment there are errors made in recording the taxable gain or loss on the transaction. Here are some ideas to ensure your tax bite is accurate.
Keep good cost documentation. Brokerage firms are now required to keep track of the cost of your purchases and report them to you and the IRS when you sell. Unfortunately, they are not always accurate. The only way to ensure accuracy is to keep personal records of how much an investment cost. Then you can double-check the accuracy of any Form 1099 received.