<. I sent the forms in and my brokerage received them on 1/2/02. The deposit for the check was also on 1/2/02. The brokerage returned them to me and asked to have them notarized so the transfer still has not taken place. Is this going to be deductible in 2001 or 2002? The date of the agreement is 12/27/01 but the actual transaction will be well within 2002.>


The transaction date is what counts. If you really wanted to make sure the transaction occured in 2001, you should not have waited until so late in December to initiate it.

I am not sure why you are going through so much if you only wanted to take the loss on the sale. The price will surely fluctuate from the time you started this until the day it is completed. As you have seen, it can be very cumbersome doing it your way. Also be careful about getting the signatures notorized. They may require a medallion signature rather than a simple notarized signature.


BRG