Ask a CPA
The most frequently asked tax questions, answered by our network of licensed accountants.
Can't find the answer to your question? Ask a tax question.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a securities Power of Attorney ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
Power of Attorney is the legal right assigned by a person or institution upon another person to act and represent the original person. In the securities industry, a Limited Power of Attorney is given by a customer to a representative of a broker or dealer who would normally give a registered representative trading discretion over the customer's account. The power is limited in that neither securities nor funds may be withdrawn from the account. In the securities industry, an Unlimited Power of Attorney given by a customer to a representative of a broker or dealer would normally give a registered representative full discretion over all transactions in the customer's account.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a No Load Mutual fund ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
No Load Mutual Funds are Mutual Funds offered directly to the public at net asset value with no sales charge. Service and distribution fees commonly referred to as "12b-1 Fees" may also be charged by these funds.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a Prospectus as it relates to securities ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
A Prospectus is a document that contains important material information for an impending offer of securities. It contains most of the information included in the registration statement. It is used for solicitation purposes by the issuer and underwriters.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a securities Proxy ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
A securities Proxy is a formal authorization power of attorney from a stockholder that empowers someone else to vote on his or her behalf.
What is a Revocable Trust ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
A Revocable Trust ia an agreement that gives income producing property to an heir and that may be altered numerous times, as often as the creator pleases. The entire trust can be canceled or revoked.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is Short Against the Box as it relates to securities ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
The expression Short Against the Box is a situation in which a taxpayer is both long and short owner in the same security, at the same time in his or her poertfolio account. It is a practice usually employed to defer tax liability on capital gains. Although the customer sells the stock short, he or she actually owns the security, which is held in the broker's "box." The aim is to protect a capital gain in owned shares, while deferring the taxes due if the shares were actually sold and the capital gain reported. This way, the investor can wait until he or she is in a more favorable tax situation to sell the securities.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a Stock Split ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
A Stock Split is a division of outstanding shares of a corporation into a stated number of shares by which each outstanding share entitles its owner to a fixed number of new shares. In a reverse split, a stock owner receives less shares at a correspondingly higher price. In a forward split, a stock owner receives more shares at a correspondingly lower price. In both reverse and forward splits, the total equity number of shares multiplied by the stock price remains the same. An example of a two-for-one forward split, the owner of 200 shares, each worth $200, would be given 400 shares, each worth $100.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a Stop Order as it relates to securities ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
A Stop Order is an order to buy or sell a security as soon as the security's price hits a specific price level. Buy stop orders are placed above the market and sell stop orders are placed below it. The order becomes a market order if and when a transaction takes place at or through the stated stop price. A Buy Stop Order is an order that becomes a market order to buy if and when someone trades a round lot at or above the stop price. A Sell Stop Order is an order that becomes a market order to sell if and when someone trades a round lot at or below the stop price.
Investments & Financial Planning
What is a Tender Offer as it relates to securities ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
A Tender Offer is a formal proposition to stockholders to sell their shares in response to a large purchase bid. The buyer customarily agrees to assume all costs and reserves the right to accept all, or a specific number or none of the shares presented for acceptance.
Investments & Financial Planning
What are Treasury Bonds ?
Asked Tuesday, October 31, 2000 by an anonymous userCPA Answer:
Treasury Bonds are federal registered or bearer obligation issued in denominations of $500 to $1 million with maturities ranging from 5 to 35 years, carrying a fixed interest rate and issued, quoted and traded as a percentage of its face value.