Deck 7: Investments

Question 1

Qualified dividends are always taxed at a 15 percent preferential rate.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A loss from a passive activity is fully deductible as long as the taxpayer has sufficient tax basis in the activity.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Losses associated with personal-use assets, sales to related parties, and wash sales are notcurrently deductible.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The capital gains (losses) netting process for taxpayers without 25 or 28 percent capitalgains requires them to (1) net short-term and long-term gains, (2) net short-term andlong-term losses, and (3) net the outcome to yield a final gain or loss to place on the tax return.

Question 5

A passive activity is any activity that involves a trade or business or rental activity in which the taxpayer does not materially participate.

Question 6

Generally, interest income is taxed at preferential capital gains rates and dividend incomeis taxed at ordinary rates.

Question 7

Unrecaptured §1250 gain is taxed at the 28 percent preferential capital gains rate.

Question 8

To qualify under the passive activity rental real estate exception, the taxpayer must (1) own at least 15 percent of the property and (2) participate in the process of making management decisions.

Question 9

Interest earned on U.S. savings bonds is interest received at sale or maturity but must betaxed annually.

Question 10

When electing to include long-term capital gains and qualified dividends in netinvestment income, taxpayers must include all long-term capital gains and dividends recognized for that year.

Question 11

Two advantages of investing in capital assets are (1) gains are generally deferred and (2)gains are generally taxed at preferential rates.

Question 12

Capital loss carryovers for individuals are carried forward indefinitely.

Question 13

When a taxable bond is issued at a premium, the taxpayer may elect to calculate andapply the yearly amortization amount to reduce a portion of the actual interest payments that taxpayers include in gross income.

Question 14

The investment interest expense deduction is limited to the amount of net investment income for the year.

Question 15

Passive losses that exceed passive income are deferred until the taxpayer generates passive income to offset these passive losses or until the taxpayer disposes of that activity.

Question 16

Dave and Jane file a joint return. They sell a capital asset at a $150,000 loss. Eventhough they have no capital gains, $6,000 of the loss can still be deducted in the current year.

Question 17

Investment expenses and investment interest expense are for AGI deductions.

Question 18

Nondeductible investment expenses (other than investment interest expenses) are carried forward indefinitely.

Question 19

Taxpayers may make an election to include long-term capital gains and qualified dividends in net investment income and deduct more investment interest expense currently if they are willing to subject this income to ordinary tax rates.

Question 20

Generally, losses from rental activities are considered to be active losses.

Question 21

The amount of interest income a taxpayer recognizes when he redeems a U.S. savings bond is:

A) the bond proceeds.
B) the excess of the taxpayer's basis in the bonds over the bond proceeds.
C) the excess of the bond proceeds over the taxpayer's basis in the bonds.
D) the taxpayer's basis in the bonds.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 22

In X8, Erin had the following capital gains (losses) from the sale of her investments:$2,000 LTCG, $25,000 STCG, ($9,000) LTCL, and ($15,000) STCL. What is the amount and nature of Erin's capital gains and losses?

A) $3,000 net short-term capital gain.
B) $4,000 net long-term capital loss.
C) $4,000 net short-term capital gain.
D) $3,000 net long-term capital loss.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 23

Which of the following is not a tax advantage of a Series EE Saving Bond?

A) interest is exempt from federal taxation when used for qualifying educational expenses
B) taxes are paid as the original issue discount on the bond is amortized
C) interest earned is exempt from state taxation
D) taxes are deferred until the bond is cashed in at maturity
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 24

If an individual taxpayer's marginal tax rate is 35 percent and he holds the following assets for more than one year, which gain will be taxed at the highest rate at the time of sale?

A) gain attributable to tax depreciation taken on real property
B) gain from investment land
C) gain from the sale of qualified small business stock held for 3 years
D) gain from personal-use property
E) gain from a coin collection

Question 25

Nontax factor(s) investors should consider when choosing between investments include:

A) before-tax rates of return and after-tax rates of return.
B) before-tax rates of return and liquidity needs.
C) liquidity needs.
D) before-tax rates of return.
E) after-tax rates of return.

Question 26

Long-term capital gains for individual taxpayers can be taxed at a maximum rate of:

A) 25 percent.
B) 20 percent.
C) 28 percent.
D) Both 20 percent and 28 percent.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 27

Which of the following types of interest income is not taxed as it is earned?

A) original issue discounts on corporate bonds
B) accrued market discount on bonds
C) interest from savings accounts
D) interest from money market accounts
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 28

One primary difference between corporate and U.S. Treasury bonds is:

A) Interest from Treasury bonds is exempt from federal taxation.
B) Corporate bonds always pay interest periodically.
C) Treasury bonds always pay interest periodically.
D) Interest from corporate bonds is exempt from state taxation.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 29

When the wash sale rules apply, the realized loss is:

A) recognized at time of sale and added to basis of the newly acquired stock.
B) not recognized at time of sale and added to basis of the newly acquired stock.
C) not recognized at time of sale and does not affect basis of newly acquired stock.
D) recognized at time of sale.
E) not recognized at time of sale and subtracted from the basis of the newly acquired stock.

Question 30

When a bond is purchased in the secondary bond market at a discount, the amount of discount treated as interest income when the bond is sold prior to maturity is the:

A) accrued market discount.
B) market premium.
C) market discount.
D) accrued market premium.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 31

When selling stocks, which method of calculating basis provides the greatest opportunity for minimizing gains or increasing losses?

A) Specific identification
B) FIFO
C) LIFO
D) Weighted average
E) None of the choices are correct

Question 32

John holds a taxable bond and a municipal bond. Which fees are considered part ofJohn's investment expense?

A) safe deposit box rental fees on taxable bond and interest expense on taxable bond
B) safe deposit box rental fees on taxable bond
C) interest expense on taxable bond
D) attorney and accounting fees on municipal bond and safe deposit box rental fees on taxable bond
E) attorney and accounting fees on municipal bond

Question 33

Cory recently sold his qualified small business stock (acquired in 2017) for $90,000 after holding it for ten years. His basis in the stock is $40,000. Assuming his marginal tax rate is 35 percent, how much tax will he owe on the sale?

A) $3,750
B) $7,000
C) $14,000
D) $7,500
E) None of the choices are correct

Question 34

The netting process for capital gains (losses) with 0/15/20 percent, 25 percent, and 28 percent capital assets helps maximize the tax benefit of:

A) long-term capital loss carryovers.
B) current year net loss in the 25 percent rate group and long-term capital loss carryovers.
C) current year net loss in the 25 percent rate group.
D) net short-term capital losses.
E) net short-term capital losses and long-term capital loss carryovers.

Question 35

Kevin bought 200 shares of Intel stock on January 1, 2017 for $50 per share with a brokerage fee of $100. Then, Kevin sells all 200 shares for $75 per share on December12, 2017. The brokerage fee on the sale was $150. What is the amount of the gain/lossKevin must report on his 2017 tax return?

A) $5,000
B) $4,750
C) $4,500
D) $5,250
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 36

When calculating net investment income, gross investment income includes:

A) non-qualified dividends.
B) royalty income.
C) net short-term capital gains.
D) interest income.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 37

Bill would like some tax benefits for his investment expenses incurred this year. His AGIis $190,000. Currently, his expenses consist of: (1) $1,000 investment advice fees, (2)$1,500 unreimbursed employee business expenses (a miscellaneous itemized deduction), and (3) $600 tax return preparation fees. How much more, if any, must Bill spend forinvestment expenses this year before he receives any tax benefit?

A) More than $900.
B) More than $500.
C) More than $700.
D) Zero, Bill is already receiving a benefit.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 38

In the current year, Norris, an individual, has $50,000 of ordinary income, a Net ShortTerm Capital Loss (NSTCL) of $10,000 and a Net Long Term Capital Gain (NLTCG) of$2,800. From his capital gains and losses, Norris reports:

A) an offset against ordinary income of $10,000.
B) an offset against ordinary income of $3,000 and a NSTCL carryforward of $7,200.
C) an offset against ordinary income of $3,000 and a NSTCL carryforward of $4,200.
D) an offset against ordinary income of $2,800 and a NSTCL carryforward of $7,200.
E) an offset against ordinary income of $3,000 and a NSTCL carryforward of $7,000.

Question 39

Ms. Fresh bought 1,000 shares of Ibis Corporation stock for $5,000 on January 15, 2015.On December 31, 2017 she sold all 1,000 shares of her Ibis stock for $4,500. Based on a hot tip from her friend, she bought 1,000 shares of Ibis stock on January 23, 2018 for$3,000. What is Ms. Fresh's recognized loss on her 2017 sale and what is her basis in her1,000 shares purchased in 2018?

A) $300 LTCL and $3,200 basis.
B) $200 LTCL and $3,300 basis.
C) $500 LTCL and $3,000 basis.
D) $400 LTCL and $3,100 basis.
E) $-0- LTCL and $3,500 basis.

Question 40

The maximum amount of net capital losses individual taxpayers may deduct against their ordinary income per year is:

A) There is no maximum. All losses are allowed to be deducted.
B) Zero, losses are not deductible.
C) $3,000.
D) $5,000.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 41

On the sale of a passive activity, any suspended losses cannot be used to offset income from:

A) interest income.
B) active business income.
C) wages and tips.
D) capital gains.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 42

Sue invested $5,000 in the ABC Limited Partnership and received a 10 percent interest in the partnership. The partnership had $20,000 of qualified nonrecourse debt and$20,000 of debt she is not responsible to repay because she is a limited partner. Sue is allocated a 10 percent share of both types of debt resulting in a tax basis of $9,000 and an at risk amount of $7,000. During the year, ABC LP generated a ($90,000) loss. How much of Sue's loss is disallowed due to her tax basis or at-risk amount?

A) $4,000 disallowed because of her at-risk amount.
B) Zero; all of her loss is allowed to be deducted.
C) $2,000 disallowed because of her at-risk amount.
D) $2,000 disallowed because of her tax basis.
E) $4,000 disallowed because of her tax basis.

Question 43

Investment interest expense does not include:

A) interest expense from loans to purchase U.S. savings bonds and interest expense from loans to purchase corporate bonds.
B) interest expense from loans to purchase stocks.
C) interest expense from loans to purchase municipal bonds.
D) interest expense from loans to purchase corporate bonds and interest expense from loans to purchase stocks.
E) interest expense from loans to purchase corporate bonds.

Question 44

What is the correct order of the loss limitation rules?

A) passive loss limits, at-risk amount, tax basis
B) tax basis, at-risk amount, passive loss limits
C) passive loss limits, tax basis, at-risk amount
D) at-risk amount, tax basis, passive loss limits
E) tax basis, passive loss limits, at-risk amount

Question 45

A taxpayer's at-risk amount in an activity is increased by:

A) a reduction in the amount of debt related to the activity that the taxpayer is responsible for paying and cash distributions from the activity.
B) a reduction in the amount of debt related to the activity that the taxpayer is responsible for paying and cash contributions to the activity.
C) cash contributions to the activity.
D) cash distributions from the activity.
E) a reduction in the amount of debt related to the activity that the taxpayer is responsible for paying.

Question 46

Bob Brain files a single tax return and decides to itemize his deductions. Bob's income for the year consists of $75,000 of salary, $3,000 long-term capital gain, and $1,500interest income. Bob's expenses for the year consists of $800 investment advice fees,$700 unreimbursed employee business expenses (a miscellaneous itemized deduction), and $250 tax return preparation fees. What is Bob's actual deduction for miscellaneous itemized deductions?

A) Zero; Bob's investment expenses do not exceed two percent of AGI floor.
B) $1,750.
C) $1,590.
D) $1,500.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 47

Generally, which of the following does not correctly categorize the type of income?

A) salary − active income/loss
B) rental real estate − passive income/loss
C) capital losses − passive income/loss
D) dividends − portfolio income/loss
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 48

Compare and contrast how interest income is reported for the following types of bonds: (a) bond originally issued at a discount, (b) bond originally issued at a premium, (c) bond purchased at a discount in a secondary market, (d) bond purchased at a premium in a secondary market.

Question 49

Doug and Sue Click file a joint tax return and decide to itemize their deductions. The Click's income for the year consists of $90,000 in salary, $2,000 interest income, $800 long-term capital loss. The Click's expenses for the year consist of $1,500 investmentinterest expense. Assuming that the Click's marginal tax rate is 35%, what is the amount of their investment interest expense deduction for the year?

A) $2,300
B) $1,500
C) $1,200
D) $2,000
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 50

Unused investment interest expense:

A) expires after the current year.
B) is carried forward twenty years.
C) is carried forward indefinitely.
D) is carried back two years.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 51

On December 1, 20X7, George Jimenez needed a little extra cash for the upcoming holiday season, and sold250 shares of Microsoft stock for $50 per share less a broker's fee of $200 for the entire sale transaction. Prior to the sale, George held the following blocks of Microsoft stock (associated broker's fee paid at the time of purchase): If his goal is to minimize his current capital gain, how much capital gain will George report from the sale?

Question 52

Assume that Joe has a marginal tax rate of 35 percent and decides to make the election to include long-term capital gains and qualified dividends as investment income. What rate must Joe use when calculating the tax on these two items?

A) 28%
B) 35%
C) 25%
D) 20%
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 53

Brandon and Jane Forte file a joint tax return and decide to itemize their deductions. The Forte's income for the year consists of $120,000 in salary, $1,000 interest income, $1,500 nonqualifying dividends, and $1,000 long-term capital gains. The Forte's expenses forthe year consist of $3,000 investment interest expense and $900 tax preparation fees. Assuming that the Forte's marginal tax rate is 30% and they make no special elections, what is the amount of investment interest expense deduction for the year?

A) $1,000.
B) $3,000.
C) $2,500.
D) Zero; investment interest expense is below two percent of AGI.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 54

The rental real estate exception favors:

A) middle income taxpayers (AGI greater than $80,000 and less than $150,000) and upper income taxpayers (AGI greater than $150,000).
B) lower income taxpayers (AGI less than $80,000) and middle income taxpayers (AGI greater than $80,000 and less than $150,000).
C) middle income taxpayers (AGI greater than $80,000 and less than $150,000).
D) upper income taxpayers (AGI greater than $150,000).
E) lower income taxpayers (AGI less than $80,000).

Question 55

Michelle is an active participant in the rental condominium property she owns. During the year, the property generates a ($15,000) loss; however, Michelle has sufficient tax basis and at-risk amounts to absorb the loss. If Michelle has $115,000 of salary, $10,000 of long-term capital gains, $3,000 of dividends, and no additional sources of income or deductions, how much loss can Michelle deduct?

A) $11,000
B) Zero; losses from rental property are passive losses and can only be offset by passive income
C) $4,000
D) $15,000
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 56

Alain Mire files a single tax return and has adjusted gross income of $304,000. His net investment income is $53,000. What is the additional tax that Alain will pay on his net investment income for the year?

A) Zero
B) $1,938
C) $2,014
D) $3,952
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 57

Which taxpayer would not be considered a material participant of an activity?

A) taxpayer participated on a regular, continuous, and substantial basis last year
B) taxpayer participated in the activity for 995 hours last year
C) taxpayer materially participated in the activity for any five of the preceding ten years
D) taxpayer participated 95 hours last year and participation is not less than any other participants for the year
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 58

On January 1, 20X1, Fred purchased a corporate bond with a face value of $50,000 from thesecondary market at a premium. The bond has a coupon rate of 8 percent and matures in five years. The market rate of the bond is a 6 percent annual before-tax return compounded semiannually. If Fred was trying to minimize interest income, what is the least amount of interest income Fred may report on his 20X1 tax return?

Question 59

Investment expenses treated as miscellaneous itemized deductions do not include:

A) investment interest expense and expenses for investment advice.
B) expenses for investment advice.
C) expenses incurred to generate tax-exempt income.
D) investment interest expense.
E) expenses incurred to generate tax-exempt income and investment interest expense.

Question 60

What requirements must be satisfied before an investor may receive preferential tax treatment on dividend income, and what preferential treatment will result?

Question 61

Scott Bean is a computer programmer and incurred the following transactions last year. *Purchased when originally issued by Provo CityWhat is the Net Short-Term Capital Gain/Loss reported on the 2017 Schedule D? What is the Net Long-TermCapital Gain/Loss reported on the 2017 Schedule D? What amount of capital gain is subject to the preferential capital gains rate?

Question 62

Describe the three main loss limitations that taxpayers must overcome before deducting losses allocated to them from a specific activity.

Question 63

Mr. and Mrs. Smith purchased 100 shares of stock for $45 per share on June 30, 20X6. On March30, 20X8, the Smith family decides to sell these shares for $30 generating a loss of $15 per share. On April 15, 20X8, the Smith family realized they made a mistake and repurchased 100 shares for$35 per share. When will the Smith family receive a tax benefit for the loss on the March 30, 20X8sale?

Question 64

Roy, a resident of Michigan, owns 25 percent of a fourplex in the nearby college town of Ann Arbor with three other friends. The fourplex is rented to students who attend the University of Michigan. Roy's responsibility is to approve new tenants each year and take care of any maintenance issues. During the year, the rental property generated a $25,000 loss, which was split equally among Roy and his three friends. Assuming Roy's only source of income was $145,000 of salary, how much of the rental loss can Roy deduct this year and what amount must be carried forward?

Question 65

How can electing to include long-term capital gains and qualifying dividends in the computation of net investment income be beneficial to taxpayers?

Question 66

What is the tax treatment for qualified small business stock acquired in 2017 and held for more than five years and what is the tax treatment if held for less than five years?

Question 67

Kerri, a single taxpayer who itemizes deductions on Schedule A, incurs $15,000 of interest expense on funds borrowed to acquire taxable bonds. Kerri also has $20,000 of taxable interest income for the year. Assume Kerri is in a 30% marginal tax bracket. How much of the interest expense can she deduct? Assuming the same facts except that the $20,000 of investment income is a qualifyingdividend rather than taxable interest income, what should Kerry do if she wants to minimize her current year tax liability?

Question 68

How are individual taxpayers' investment expenses and investment interest expense treated for tax purposes?

Question 69

Henry, a single taxpayer with a marginal tax rate of 35 percent, sold the following assets during the year: *$25,000 of the gain is a 25 percent gain. The remaining gain is 0/15/20 percent gain. What tax rate(s) will apply to Henry's capital gains or losses?

Question 70

The Crane family recognized the following types of investment income during 20X6: (1) $1,500 qualified dividends, (2) $3,000 long-term capital gains, and (3) $850 taxable interest. Additionally, the Crane family has $500 in investment expenses and their other miscellaneous itemized deductions exceed 2% of their AGI for the year. The Crane family paid $3,333 in investmentinterest expense during 20X6. Calculate the different possibilities to determine the maximum deduction for investment interest expense for the Crane family in 20X6. From these possibilities, which provides the maximum deduction?

Question 71

Judy, a single individual, reports the following items of income and loss: Judy owns 100% of the rental property and actively participates in the rental of the property. Calculate Judy'sAGI.

Question 72

On January 1, 20X8, Jill contributed $18,000 of cash to the XYZ limited partnership for a 25percent limited partnership interest. On April 6, 20X8, XYZ, limited partnership distributed $2,000 to Jill. For the year ended December 31, 20X8, Jill received the following income/loss allocations from her partnership investments: (1) XYZ, limited partnership allocated a $5,000 loss to Jill (2) ABC limited partnership allocated $2,300 of income to Jill. How much of the $5,000 loss from XYZ limited partnership can Jill deduct in 20X8?

Question 73

Dan and Sue Hill file a joint tax return and elect to itemize their deductions. For 20X7, the Hills received the following income items: (1) $150,000 salary, (2) $3,000 long-term capital gain, and (3)$1,500 interest income. Other than these amounts, no other events or transactions affected their AGI in 20X7. During the same year, the Hills incurred the following expenses: (1) $500 tax preparation fees, (2) $4,000 investment expenses, and (3) $10,000 additional miscellaneous expenses. Assuming the Hills have a marginal tax rate of 30 percent, what is the tax benefit they receive from theinvestment expenses they paid?

Question 74

Sarantuya, a college student, feels that now is a good time to buy stocks. However, because she doesn't have any savings, she decides to borrow $15,000 at an annual interest rate of 8 percent. She must make an interest-only payment each year for five years plus repay the entire principal in year five. On August 1, 20X8 when Sarantuya obtained the loan, Sarantuya invested $10,000 in several individual stocks and used the remaining $5,000 to pay her tuition for the year. AssumingSarantuya's net investment income this year is greater than her investment interest expense this year, how much investment interest expense can she deduct in 20X8?

Question 75

What are the rules limiting the amount of capital losses a taxpayer may deduct in a given year?Name at least three.