For the final post in our tax management series, we’ll take a look at asset location. Everybody knows the three rules of real estate, but most don’t know that the same rule also applies to investment portfolio construction.

Asset location is the practice of positioning tax-inefficient assets in tax-advantaged accounts. For example, fixed income and REITs should first be held in tax-deferred accounts like an IRA, 401(k), or 403(b) while tax-free municipal bonds and equities should be positioned in taxable accounts.

A recent study by Vanguard estimated that professional advisors can add up to .75% annually to investment returns by utilizing proper asset location in client accounts. It is all too frequent that we find new clients coming on board with poor use of asset location, but with a few simple tweaks we can align your investments to maximize your after-tax return.