👉️ The Debate - Capital Gains Vs. Cash Flow: Which one is better❓️ 

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The Debate: Capital Gains Vs. Cash Flow

When it comes to investing in the stock market, many investors struggle between investing for capital gains or investing for cash flow.

I always get asked “which one should I focus on?”

If you’re wondering about this yourself, you’ll find a lot of value inside this newsletter.

I’m going to be highlighting the pros and cons of both sides, as well as giving my thoughts on how to build a portfolio that will help you reach your financial goals.

Time to go back to the basics.

What are Capital Gains?

A capital gain occurs when you sell an asset for more than what you initially paid to acquire that asset.

For example: If you paid $10,000 to buy Apple Stock and 2 years later you sold that investment for $25,000, you would have a capital gain of $15,000.

What is Cash Flow?

Cash flow refers to the money you are making on an investment.

For example: If you paid $10,000 to buy shares of Johnson & Johnson, who currently has a 3.35% yield (at the time of writing this), the money you earn on that investment is considered cash flow (in the form of a dividend).

The same goes for real estate when you rent out a property and the tenants pay you rent every month.

How are Capital Gains Taxed?

Taxes suck, but if you don’t pay them you go to jail.

Investors are required to pay tax on capital gains and that tax is owed for the tax year during which the investment was sold.

There are different types of capital gains tax depending on how long you own the asset.

An investor who owns an asset for AT LEAST 1 year will owe long term capital gains tax on the profits they earned when selling the asset.

An investor who owns an asset for LESS THAN 1 year will owe short term capital gains tax on the profits they earned when selling the asset.

These are taxed differently.

Keep reading…

Short term capital gains tax

The amount owed on short term capital gains is the difference between the cost basis of the asset (what you paid) and the sale price (what you received).

Short term capital gains are taxed at the investors marginal tax rate and these vary in range from 10% to as high as 37%, depending on your annual income.

See below to get an idea of how much you will need to pay in short term capital gains tax in 2025 depending on your current situation and annual income.

I’d like to highlight that depending on where you live in the world, these are subject to change. So make sure you understand your marginal tax rate in in the state or province you live in.

Long term capital gains tax

Many taxpayers pay a higher rate of tax on their active income (income earned by trading your time) than on any long term capital gains.

This provides an incentive to hold assets for a minimum of a year, to avoid paying more in taxes and giving more to Uncle Sam.

This becomes an issue if you are day trading, as any profits you earn from buying and selling assets are not just taxed, but taxed at a higher rate than if you held them for more than a year.

The below chart highlights the long term capital gains tax for 2025.

As you can see, the tax law benefits those investing for the long term (1+ years) and puts you at a disadvantage if trying to buy and sell out of assets for a short period of time.

It’s important to be aware of how much tax you will be paying on your gains depending on your investing strategy.

4 ways to decrease your tax burden on gains

1. Increase your holding period: holding on to investments for more than 1 year gives you more favourable tax treatments when you decide it’s time to sell.

2. Use tax sheltered accounts: there are plenty of options for tax sheltered accounts in the US and in Canada, for example IRAs, 401(k)s, TFSA’s, RRSP’s and FHSA’s. With the exception of a few, these are considered tax deferral accounts, meaning you’ll be able to write off your contributions come tax season, but upon withdrawal you may be subject to tax implications. For Canadian’s, TFSA’s (Tax Free Savings Accounts) are a great way to avoid paying tax on any income or gains earned in the account, however there are contribution limits you need to be aware of. The limit is $7,000 in 2025.

3. Tax offsetting: investors can use capital losses as a way to decrease their taxable capital gains. There are limits to what can be carried over into the next period as well as how much you can write off, however understanding how to decrease your tax burden using capital losses is a great way to keep more of your money.

4. Donations: investors can donate their appreciated assets to charity and avoid realizing the gains. When a donation occurs, the investor is not subject to taxes on the transaction and instead they receive a receipt for the fair market value of the asset. If you’re feeling generous, this could be an option.

How is Cash Flow Taxed?

Ordinary vs. Qualified Dividends

Dividends are separated into two classes.

If you’re going to be dividend investing, you need to understand the difference between an ordinary dividend and a qualified dividend.

A dividend is considered to be qualified if you have held the stock for more than 60 days in the 121-day period that began 60 days prior to the ex dividend date.

A dividend is considered to be ordinary if you hold it for less than that time.

If you are dividend investing, the chances are you’re buying your stocks for a long period of time so most, if not all, of your dividends will be considered qualified.

See below for an example:

Taxation of cash flow

The tax rate on qualified dividends is 0% if your taxable income for the year is less than $47,025 for singles and $94,050 for joint filers.

If you earn more than $47,025 as a single or $94,050 as joint filers, you’ll pay a 15% tax on qualified dividends. If your taxable income for the year exceeds $518,900 for a single and $583,750 for joint filers, you’ll pay a 20% tax.

This may vary depending on where you live, so make sure you do your own research to determine your tax rate on cash flow.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the tax rule.

This includes dividends paid by REITs, MLPs, employee stock options, dividends paid from money market accounts as well as special one-time dividends.

Also, dividends associated with hedging, such as short sales, puts and call options will be subject to ordinary taxation and won’t be qualified.

Should you invest for cash flow or capital gains?

My simple answer: chase total return.

Total return is the combination of share appreciation and cash flow you earn from your investment.

It’s never been a debate of doing one or the other, but how you can minimize your tax burden doing both.

When you have both, you’ll be on the fast track to financial independence.

Personally, I hold the bulk of my dividend stocks in tax sheltered or tax deferral accounts like a TFSA, FHSA and RRSP (I’m a Canadian investor and these don’t apply to those investing outside of Canada).

I do it this way so that I limit how much tax I’m paying on any income or gains I make inside the account.

I encourage you to read up more about the tax implications you will experience on your investments depending on where you’re investing.

Remember: the rich don’t only get richer because their money is working for them. The rich get richer because they understand the tax laws and how to make them work in their favour.

Tax laws are for everyone, the more you know, the less you’ll pay.

Alex (The Dividend Dominator)
Founder and CEO of Dividend Domination Inc.
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

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