Wash sale
Sold an ETF in a joint account for a loss. Inadvertently bought same ETF in husband’s IRA and wife’s IRA within 30 days. This is a wash sale and I can’t add the loss to the basis of the replacement security because it’s in an IRA.
I’m assuming that if I bought the same ETF back in the joint account now (it’s still within 30 days) that it’s not a wash sale since the purchases in the IRAs were what created the wash sale. My thinking was if I could buy it back in the joint account I could at least add the loss to the basis of that new purchase in the joint account. But I’m doubting that I can do this.
Just looking for a way to somehow salvage the loss on that original sale since it can’t be added to the basis in the IRA.
Permalink Submitted by Alan - IRA critic on Thu, 2020-04-16 01:57
Unfortunately, you can’t preempt the IRA purchase as the replacement shares because they were purchased before the second purchase in the joint account.
Permalink Submitted by Ed Snyder on Thu, 2020-04-16 21:00
That’s what I thought was probably the case. Thanks for your reply.