re: #449 cliffster

the deductibility of capital losses has no impact on whether an individual investment is worth making or not.

Yes, it does, if you have deductible losses you can apply. Why on earth are you trying to analyze every investment as though it’s happening in a vacuum?

If an investment is a loss, then the deduction would have the same mathematical impact on all the alternatives to the investment, as well as the investment. I think we must be talking about two different things.

I have no idea what you’re talking about there, definitely. My point is that not only does the government tax profits, it gives credit for losses— it taxes not on each individual investment, but on your entire investment income, which is why it’s silly of you to talk about individual investments.