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should i sell my stocks to put a down payment on a house before it becomes a long term investment?
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in the united states short-term capital gains are taxed at rates similar to regular income which is 25% if you make less than $91,000 and 28% if you make more than that but less than $190,000. if you make more than $190,000 then the rate is 33%. if you hold the stock for a year or more than the tax rate is 15%, unless your income is less than $33,000 in which case there is no tax on long-term gains. as a general rule, the way to make money is to stay out of debt, so i cannot advise you to assume a mortgage. financially you are better off investing your money. much like you i bought a house with a mortgage using about $30,000 in a down payment about 20 years ago and i paid it off a few years ago. if i had to do it over again, i would have bought a shack (a steel building) for $30,000 and lived in that and invested my income. if i had done that, i would be about $500,000 richer today than i am now.
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