Firstrade Official Blog

Essential Tax Tips for 2023

With the advent of 2024, it's critical to understand and adapt to the latest tax changes for effective financial management. The dynamic nature of tax laws means staying informed is key to capitalizing on opportunities to enhance your savings. This guide presents crucial tax information and tips for 2023, curated from authoritative sources.

1. Maximize Retirement Contributions:

Increasing contributions to retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs can indeed reduce taxable income and boost long-term savings. This is a widely recommended strategy by financial advisors and tax professionals.

2. Stay Informed About Tax Changes:

Staying up to date with new tax regulations, brackets, and standard deductions is crucial for accurate and beneficial financial planning. Tax laws and regulations change regularly, and being informed about these changes is essential for effective tax planning.

In the realm of investment taxation, your focus may center on understanding Capital Gains Tax. This tax applies to the earnings you receive from selling an asset. The rate at which capital gains are taxed varies based on your filing status, overall taxable income, and the duration for which the asset was held prior to its sale. For most assets retained for more than a year, the capital gains tax rates are 0%, 15%, or 20%. Conversely, profits from assets sold within a year are subject to taxation at the same rates as ordinary income, in accordance with the federal income tax brackets.

To learn more, visit the IRS website to understand the tax brackets for both 2023 and 2024.

3. Plan and Organize for Tax Efficiency:

Planning ahead for tax season by organizing documents early, understanding tax resolutions, and building an efficient long-term tax strategy is a sound practice. Organizing and planning for tax efficiency can help individuals maximize their tax benefits and minimize errors.

4. Utilize Free Tax Filing Services:

For those eligible, leveraging free online tax preparation tools to efficiently file federal income tax returns is a practical tip. Many individuals can benefit from using free tax filing services, especially if their income is below a certain threshold.

If you are interested in Free Tax Filling Services, please visit the IRS website to learn more.

5. Consider Tax-Saving Opportunities:

Exploring different avenues like charitable donations to create a strategic tax plan that benefits both current and future financial situations is a valid tax tip. Charitable donations and other tax-saving opportunities can significantly impact an individual's tax liability.

As we progress through 2024, keeping up with these tax updates and strategies is imperative. Remember, every taxpayer's situation is unique, and it's recommended to consult a tax professional to customize these strategies to your specific circumstances. By being informed and proactive, you can fine-tune your tax approach and solidify your financial well-being.


Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax advice. Always consult a tax professional for personalized advice.

Top 25 Most Traded Stocks & ETFs by Investors at Firstrade in February

Here’s the full list of top favored stocks and ETFs among Firstrade investors in the last month:

1. NVIDIA Corp (NVDA) 

2. Tesla Inc (TSLA)

3. Super Micro Computer Inc (SMCI) 

4. Arm Holdings PLC - ADR (ARM) 

5. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)

6. ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ) 

7. Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL)

8. Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR)

9. Apple Inc (AAPL) 

10. ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ ETF (SQQQ) 

11. Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (TSM)

12. iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) 

13. Microsoft Corp (MSFT)

14. Marathon Digital Holdings Inc (MARA)

15. Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ) 

16. Coinbase Global Inc (COIN)

17. Alphabet Inc Class A (GOOGL)

18. Alphabet Inc Class C (GOOG) 

19. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)

20. Meta Platforms Inc (META)

21. Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF (VOO)

22. Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X Shares ETF (TMF)

23. Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares (SOXS)

24. SoundHound AI Inc (SOUN)

25. Intel Corporation (INTC)

Boost Your Retirement Plan with Firstrade's IRA Cash Bonus!

Now is the ideal time to focus your retirement planning with Firstrade! Our exclusive IRA cash bonus promotion, ending on April 10th, offers a phenomenal opportunity to earn up to $5,000 by opening and funding a new IRA account. This unique offer presents a golden opportunity for you to significantly enhance your retirement savings early on.

How to get a new account bonus with Firstrade:

  • Open an account using the Open An Account button on our IRA Cash Bonus Promotion page.

  • After receiving your new account confirmation email, you need to fund at least $5000 to your account within 30 days to participate in this promotion.

The bonus tiers and required deposit amounts are as follows:

 
 

Please click the button to access the promotion page, where you can view full details and eligibility criteria for this exclusive offer.

Act now! Start enhancing your retirement savings with Firstrade today.

Top 25 Most Traded Stocks & ETFs by Investors at Firstrade in January

Here’s the full list of top favored stocks and ETFs among Firstrade investors in the last month:

1. Tesla Inc (TSLA)

2. NVIDIA Corp (NVDA)

3. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)

4. ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ)

5. Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL)

6. Apple Inc (AAPL)

7. ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ ETF (SQQQ)

8. iShares 20 Plus Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT)

9. Marathon Digital Holdings Inc (MARA)

10. Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (TSM)

11. Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ)

12. Microsoft Corp (MSFT)

13. Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares (SOXS)

14. Super Micro Computer Inc (SMCI)

15. Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X Shares ETF (TMF)

16. Intel Corporation (INTC)

17. Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR)

18. Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF (VOO)

19. Coinbase Global Inc (COIN)

20. Arm Holdings PLC - ADR (ARM)

21. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)

22. Marvell Technology Inc (MRVL)

23. Alphabet Inc Class A (GOOGL)

24. Alphabet Inc Class C (GOOG)

25. Meta Platforms Inc (META)

Elevating Your Investment Strategy with Firstrade's Latest Research Tools

At Firstrade, we're always looking for ways to enhance your investment journey. It's with great enthusiasm that we announce a significant upgrade to our research tools on our website, realized through our collaboration with Trading Central, a well-known financial market analysis and investment research service company. This enhancement isn't just an addition of features; it's a step forward in providing you with a more insightful, data-driven investing experience.

What’s New at Firstrade:

Explore our web trading platform and navigate to "Research & Tools”, where a suite of advanced research tools awaits you. Our latest integration combines cutting-edge technology with comprehensive market insights, offering a variety of resources to support your informed investing decisions, all in one streamlined place.

Technical Insight®

Technical Insight uses best practices of Technical Analysis to identify trends, patterns, and historical price changes. Clients can gain valuable insights swiftly by examining each stock's performance in just a brief moment.

Market & News

Market & News (Market Buzz) enhances news interaction, utilizing AI to amalgamate updates from diverse sources and applying advanced sentiment analysis, providing traders with a comprehensive and interactive news experience, delivering in-depth market sentiment insights through Sentiment Scores, Signals, and Confidence Indexes, facilitating more informed and strategic investment decisions.

Strategy Builder™

Strategy Builder empowers investors to conduct research, define criteria, and apply filters to identify strategies that are well-suited for selecting investments. Now, Firstrade investors can filter through a universe of stocks using over 65 different factors, including fundamental, technical, and quantitative criteria.

Calendar (Economic Insight)

Calendar offers investors a streamlined view of important economic events, presented through simple charts and a personalized calendar. This enables investors to monitor, anticipate, and act on market movements efficiently.

Daily Newsletters

Enhance your market perspective with our daily newsletters, aimed at boosting your investment confidence. You can subscribe at the bottom of our "Market & News" section on our website to receive these newsletters via email before the US stock market opens each day.

  • ETF Market Report: Analyze trade ideas from chart pattern detections, providing a starting point for deeper research into market opportunities.

  • Morning Brief: Start your day with comprehensive updates on US markets, including pre-market insights, the latest IPOs, overall market outlook, and detailed technical analysis.

  • Technical Snapshots: Access individual stock analysis provided by Trading Central’s research desks, offering directional insights into market analysis.

These new features are part of our ongoing commitment to provide you with top-tier investment tools and insights. We believe that with the right tools, your investment decisions become more intuitive, insightful, and ultimately, more rewarding.

We encourage you to explore these new features under our "Research & Tools" section and to subscribe to our newsletters for the latest in market insights. For any questions or further assistance, remember, we're here to help. Together, let's navigate the future of investing.