Re: year end strategy for MTM

Thanks very much for the response. I am a client of your's already...Buddy prepared my return last year. The prop firm I work for became a B/D this year and I was informed that I will receive a K-1 for the second part of the year. I am attempting to understand all these technicalities myself since I have past experience with the cost of even a small mistake in not taking a loss by year end...and I refuse to let it happen again. It seems difficult enough to become a consistently profitable trader, so I feel like the last thing I need working against me is careless tax strategy.

Follow up question: If for instance my 80 day/swing trades became many more day/swing trades, I may lose the ability to segregate and have to mark all positions to market?

Also, typically if I have a large gain in a stock during a year of already realized gains I would like to hold for the long term gain (if I have held close to 12 months.) But under MTM I could sell the position because it COULD be marked to market at year end anyway if I call it a trade and not an investment?

Jared Quereau