How to avoid capital gains from a stock spilt?

I own stock expected to spilt later this year. Is there any way to avoid paying capital gains if I move the funds non-stock based investment? My concern is the stability of the stock market as I approach retirement age in the next 10-12 years. I would most like the money in an FDIC insured account of some type.|||No, you can't avoid capital gains tax. Unless it is in an IRA if you sell it you pay taxes. That may not be that bad. If it is a long term gain bite the bullet and pay the 15%. The 15% maximum capital gains tax is a big windfall to someone in your situation. No one likes to pay taxes but in your case it is pay me a little now or a lot later.





If it isn't a long term gain yet then certainly wait until it is.|||Simply owning a stock during a split does not ensure capital gains. Technically, the share price of the stock you own goes in half, but you own twice as many stock. It's kind of like having ten dimes and exchanging them for twenty nickels. You sill have a dollar.|||Usually, a stock split itself won't cause your gains to be recognized. However, if you sell the shares then the capital gains are difficult to avoid, especially if you want to convert to a fixed income type of investment. Remember, though, that the tax rates on long-term capital gains are fairly low now (maximum of 15% at the federal level).|||There is no additional tax from the stock split. Your cost basis will drop and your quantity will go up in a typical split. You just list the split-adjusted price when you sell.





The main pay to lower capital gains is to have some capital losses in the same year to offset some of the gains, so if some of your stocks have lost money, you can offset a few gains. Then, you can move your money into a different investments.





If you can hold on to the stocks for a period of time and get them treated as long-term capital gains, they'll be taxed at 15% max instead of at the ordinary income rate.|||You have to think about capital gains before you BUY the stock, not after the fact. If you don't want to pay capital gains, you would have needed to buy it inside an IRA account. At this point, it's too late for any of that. The only realistic way to avoid paying taxes now would be to give the entire stock holding to a non-profit charity, and from the sound of things, you want this money for yourself.





The split, itself, will have no effect on capital gains. The gain comes as a result of the difference between what you paid for the whole purchase and what you sell it for as a whole. That is your profit, and that's what you'll pay tax on.





Just as a side comment: 10-12 years is a long time to have your money sitting in a bank account doing nothing. I hope you have something invested in productive securities like stocks.