Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and ...

People invest with the hope of earning a return over time. But what happens when you choose to sell? Cost basis is key to understanding your tax obligations and the true profit of your investments.

If you want to calculate how much you've gained or lost on an investment, you'll need to know your cost basis. It's important for your tax records, too. Let's run through a very simple example.

The IRS issued final and temporary regulations providing rules for brokers to report bond premium and acquisition premium as well as governing information reporting of transactions involving debt ...