The wash sale rule says that if you sell a stock or mutual fund for a loss and buy back a "substantially identical" security within 31 days of selling it, your loss is disallowed.

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It is difficult to "troubleshoot" your weight loss efforts without more information, but your struggle brings up a couple of important points.

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It's one in which your windfall profit is matched by a windfall loss for the fellow on the other side of the table--the unfortunate saver who lent you the money for the house.

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Most appear resigned to the gradual loss of high-margin switched-call revenues and are gambling that it is better to cannibalise your own revenues than to watch others do it for you.

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It is a fundamental fact of investing that the longer you hold a diversified portfolio the lower your risk of exiting at a loss.

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The point is, before it gets that far, you have to ask yourself if cheating your way to success is worth the personal toll, the loss of friends, the loss of respect from others, and the loss of self-respect.

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