Profit-Taking Ladder — Candidate Trim Levels

Prepared: 2026-08-24 (reference prices = 2026-08-21 close)
Scope: Read-only candidate trim levels for the taxable account (476549654). No orders placed. These are decision inputs for the user only.

⚠️ Informational research only — NOT tax advice and NOT an order. Figures computed from per-lot basis in data/equity_tax_lots.json at the reference close prices. Real fills differ. Confirm every lot, price, and holding period with your broker's year-end statement and a licensed tax advisor before executing anything.

1. Unrealized Gain Snapshot (winners, at 2026-08-21 close)

All ten tracked positions are winners. Realized-gain candidates ranked by materiality:

Winners, all ten. Material profit-taking candidates (Step 2): HOOD, NBIS, AMZN, VG, NVDA. The rest (MRVL, NEXT, TQQQ, DFDV, GOOGL) are small (<$1k gains) — not worth trim friction/tax complexity; hold. Note HOOD & NBIS carry only gains (no loss lots), so no wash-sale applies to trimming them — see §4.

2. Trim Ladder — material winners

Each ladder assumes a 15% trim (inside the 10–25% band) as the *first* rung. Lots are chosen to minimize realized gain = lowest tax impact: sell the highest-cost / long-term (LT) lots first (those realize the least gain per share and, being LT, get the lower LTCG rate). A next-40% target marks where the user may consider a *bigger* trim (e.g. a second rung to ~25–30%).

Which lots to sell (lowest tax impact per symbol)

HOOD (all 1000 sh LT, +$82.7k): sell the highest-cost LT lots first — the 300 sh @ $41.06 (2024-12-06) and the 100 sh @ $34.00 (2024-11-12). First 15% rung = 150 sh @ $41.06, proceeds ≈ $16.2k, realized LT gain ≈ $10.1k. Since every HOOD share is LT, these are taxed at LTCG rate (≤15% in bracket) — prefer these over realizing any ST gain. Second rung (>$151 target) could extend into the 100 sh @ $34.00 lot.

NBIS (~$13.8k, mostly ST): the biggest share of NBIS gain is short-term (ST lots: 60 sh @ $90.16, 5 @ $96.70, etc.) — these would be taxed at ordinary rates if sold. First rung = 15 sh @ $96.70 + $90.16, proceeds ≈ $3.3k, realized ST gain ≈ $1.9k. Because the ST loss bucket (CRWV) offsets ST gains first, selling NBIS ST gains is the *best use* of the ST losses. Prefer ST-cost lots that realize the least gain first. Next +40% target = $306.68.

AMZN (+$7.1k, all ST currently): a 15% trim = 21 sh, proceeds ≈ $5.4k, realized ST gain ≈ $644. All AMZN gain is ST, so it is taxed at ordinary rates and is best offset by ST losses or avoided until lots cross to LT — note some lots open 2025-11-19 / 2025-12-22 are close to LT. Next +40% target = $362.11.

VG (+$6.7k, mixed): a 15% trim = 180 sh, proceeds ≈ $2.6k, realized gain ≈ $424 — low because the highest-cost candidates include a handful of tiny LT loss lots (−$33 total) that net into the trim, plus the high-cost gain lots. Sell highest-cost / LT-first to minimize realized gain. Next +40% target = $19.89.

NVDA (+$2.1k, all LT): a 15% trim = 3 sh, proceeds ≈ $644, realized LT gain ≈ $300. Small — has optionality value as a LT-gain position; only trim if consolidating. Next +40% target = $300.66.

3. Tying the ladder to the tax-loss offset (the 'free gain' budget)

Total harvestable losses ≈ $14,937 (CRWV ≈ −$5,753 of short-term loss + TSLL's losing lots ≈ −$9,108). On Schedule D these offset realized gains 1:1:

• Combining the five first-rung trims realizes ≈ $13,324 of gain (HOOD LT ~$10.1k + NBIS ST ~$2.2k + AMZN ST ~$1.2k + VG ~$1.4k + NVDA ~$0.3k).
• The $14,937 of losses covers up to $14,937 of that gain tax-free — well above the ~$13,324 of gain the first rung would realize, so the entire first-rung trim stack is tax-free (net $0 until you exceed $14.9k of realized gains).
• Budget implication: you can realize roughly $14,937 of gains this year with zero net tax by pairing the harvest with the trim. That is your 'safe' headroom before any realized gain starts costing tax.
• Leftover losses (after covering the trims) up to $3,000/yr can reduce ordinary income — worth ~$720–$960/yr at a 24–32% combined marginal rate.
• Bucket ordering matters: CRWV's ST loss offsets ST gains first (liquidating NBIS/AMZN ST gain to $0), and TSLL's LT loss offsets HOOD/VG/NVDA's LT gain. This is why HOOD/NBIS trims are the best dollar-for-dollar use of the harvested losses.

Bottom line: execute the CRWV + losing-TSLL harvest (~$14.9k loss) and in the same tax year you can trim up to ~$14,937 of these winners for free (the covered gain nets to $0). First-rung trims above would use only part of that budget — room to add a second rung (HOOD to 25%, etc.) before hitting taxable territory.

4. Wash-sale & holding-period notes

• HOOD / NBIS carry only gains — no wash-sale applies when trimming them (the wash rule only disallows *losses*). Same for AMZN/VG/NVDA winners. The wash discipline applies to the CRWV / TSLL loss harvest, not to these gain trims.
• Do not rebuy CRWV or TSLL within 30 days of their harvest (through ~2026-09-23) or those losses get disallowed.
• Sell LT lots first wherever possible (HOOD, NVDA, VG LT lots) to keep the gain at the LTCG rate; for ST-heavy positions (NBIS, AMZN) the ST loss bucket is what zeroes them out.
• These are candidate trim levels for the user to decide — never an order.

*Machine-readable mirror: data/profit_targets.json. Computed from data/equity_tax_lots.json. Informational only — not investment advice, not tax advice, not an order. Confirm with a licensed tax professional before executing.*