Blog

Guides for US investors

Measure what your portfolio really earns, see whether you beat the index, and make sense of dividends and taxes — with numbers, not hype.

Guides · 20 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Cost basis methods: FIFO, specific ID, average cost

Your broker picks a default cost basis method for you. See how FIFO, specific identification and average cost change the gain on the same sale, with the numbers.

TWR vs MWR: comparing your portfolio to the S&P 500

Why your brokerage's % gain can't be compared with the S&P 500: time-weighted vs money-weighted return, the same-contributions method and dividends.

Qualified vs ordinary dividends: 2026 tax rates

Qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%; ordinary ones at up to 37%. The 2026 thresholds, the holding-period rule, Form 1099-DIV and a worked example.

Tax-loss harvesting and the wash-sale rule

Sell losers to cut your tax bill without leaving the market, and avoid the wash-sale rule: how losses offset gains, the $3,000 limit and IRA traps.

Roth IRA vs taxable account: where to invest

Tax-free growth or full flexibility? A Roth IRA vs a taxable brokerage account: 2026 limits and income ranges, withdrawals, taxes and what to hold.

How to track a portfolio across multiple brokerages

Investments spread over several brokerages and IRAs? Build one ledger, stop transfers looking like new money and measure your return vs the S&P 500.

The GetHossa blog is a set of practical guides for self-directed US investors who pick their own stocks and ETFs. It covers three things: measuring what your portfolio really earns, comparing that result fairly with the S&P 500, and keeping more of it after taxes — from qualified dividends and tax-loss harvesting to choosing between a Roth IRA and a taxable account.

Every guide works through real numbers: tables, worked examples and the formulas behind them, so you can check the math in your own spreadsheet. We link to primary sources such as IRS publications and update articles when rules or limits change; the date on each article shows when it was last reviewed.

If you'd rather not maintain the spreadsheet yourself, the app runs the same calculations for you: it compares your portfolio to the S&P 500 with the same contributions on the same days, tracks your dividends with a 12-month forecast, and imports your trade history from Interactive Brokers. New guides are added regularly.