Thanks, CD. This stock business is confusing for sure.
Think of it this way too. All the money we lost on mdnt went somewhere:-) and I guess it was taxed. Hmmmm.....glad no wash sale applied. I kept adding that pos for over 2 years. So glad I contributed to the snakes welfare fund.
Sure. That scenario is highly unlikely and one would have to be an utter fool to do it. But yes, 30 days before applies too.
The wash sale rule isn't complicated. Just designed to keep people from retaining exposure to a security while claiming a tax loss.
Imo though, it isn't wise to do things purely for tax considerations. If a position is bad and costing you money, the last thing a person should do is try and retain exposure to it.