There’s a number in the tax code that sounds made up when you first hear it. Not a low tax rate on investment gains. A zero percent one. Real, on the books, available every year — and skipped by most of the people it was built for, because they’ve never been told it’s there.

Let me show you where it lives.

Money you earn from working — your salary — is taxed at ordinary income rates. But money you make from selling an investment you held more than a year (a “long-term capital gain”) is taxed on a completely separate, gentler schedule: 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on your taxable income.

Everyone knows about the 15% tier. Almost nobody plans around the bottom one. For 2026, if your taxable income — that’s after your deductions come out — lands at or below roughly $49,450 as a single filer or $98,900 married filing jointly, your long-term capital gains sitting inside that space are taxed at 0%.

Not deferred. Not reduced. Zero.

“That’s only for people who barely make anything,” is the reflex. It’s wrong more often than you’d think, because the threshold is on taxable income, not your salary. The 2026 standard deduction alone is $16,100 for a single filer and $32,200 for a married couple — that comes off the top before you’re measured against the line.

So who genuinely lands in that zone in a given year? Someone between jobs. A business owner after a slow year. Newly retired people in the gap before Social Security and required withdrawals begin. A couple where one spouse steps back from work for a while. A young saver early in their earning years. These aren’t edge cases — they’re seasons a lot of lives pass through. And in those seasons, long-term gains can be realized at a 0% federal rate.

No trades, no advice on your situation — just get informed, because this is a planning tool, not a stock tip. Find your taxable income on last year’s return (it’s a specific line, not your gross pay) and see how far it sits below the 2026 thresholds above. If there’s meaningful room, that gap is a planning window, and the question worth bringing to a tax professional is direct: “Given my taxable income this year, could I realize any long-term gains inside the 0% bracket?”

Done deliberately, realizing a gain and immediately owning the same position again resets your cost basis higher — at no federal tax cost — so a future sale is measured from a higher starting point. That’s the mechanism. The details (state tax, how the gain itself can push you over the line, holding periods) are exactly why this is a conversation with a professional and not a DIY move.

Most people accept a tax bill they were never actually required to pay, simply because no one told them a 0% bracket existed. Wealth isn’t only built by earning and investing — it’s protected by understanding the rules well enough to use the ones written in your favor. The government published this rate. Using it on purpose is just paying attention.

That’s enough for one week.

— Mario

P.S. Know someone taking a lower-income year — a sabbatical, a career pivot, early retirement? This might be their window. Forward it. Free to subscribe at macwithintent.com/subscribe.

Educational only — not personalized tax or financial advice. Capital gains rules are complex, interact with your full tax picture and state law, and can change; the strategy described is not suitable for everyone. Confirm your situation with a qualified tax professional before acting. Mario Cabral is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. To unsubscribe, click here. MacwithIntent | [physical address] | © 2026.