REITs

Private REITs, while they have many of the characteristics of a REIT, do not trade on a stock exchange and are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States (SEC). They aren’t required to give the same level of information to investors as a publicly traded firm because they aren’t registered. […]

A REIT is a fancy term for a tax-advantaged real estate investment trust. REITs are obligated to pay out 90% of their taxable revenue as dividends in exchange for not paying corporate tax, hence their dividends are often significantly higher than conventional firms. REITs are required by law to invest at least 75% of their

Private REITs, while they have many of the characteristics of a REIT, do not trade on a stock exchange and are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States (SEC). They aren’t required to give the same level of information to investors as a publicly traded firm because they aren’t registered.

The biggest threat to REITs is a rise in interest rates, which reduces REIT demand. In a rising-rate environment, investors tend to gravitate toward safer income investments like US Treasuries. Treasury bonds are government-backed and pay a set rate of interest. As a result, when interest rates rise, REITs sell off, while the bond market

Let’s have a look at a simple example. Let’s say a REIT pays $1 million for a building. Our REIT is required by accounting regulations to incur depreciation against the asset. Assume that the depreciation is spread out over 20 years in a straight line. We deduct $50,000 in depreciation costs per year ($50,000 per

Some people are wary of REITs because they have a funny name and sound sophisticated. REITs were “created by Congress to make real estate incomprehensible,” according to financial author Roger Lowenstein. He was simply slightly exaggerating his point. Then there’s the issue of pronunciation. REIT is a terrible little term that rhymes with street. You’ll

Mortgage REITs (mREITS) purchase or originate mortgages and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and earn income from the interest on these investments to fund income-producing real estate. Are mortgage REITs good? When the spread between short-term and long-term interest rates (where they borrow) is substantial, mREITs can produce a significant net interest margin (where they lend). Unfortunately,

REITs are a significant investment for both retirement savings and retirees who want a steady income stream to fund their living expenditures because of the high dividend income they generate. Because REITs are obligated to transfer at least 90% of their taxable profits to their shareholders each year, their dividends are large. Their dividends are

REITs are required to pay at least 90% of taxable income to unitholders in the United States. How do REITs get taxed? Dividend payments are assigned to ordinary income, capital gains, and return of capital for tax reasons for REITs, each of which may be taxed at a different rate. Early in the year, all

REITs are investment trusts that aggregate money from several investors to buy and own income-producing assets. Because these properties are leased to tenants who pay the REIT rental revenue, they generate income. You are entitled to a portion of the rental income as an investor. REITs, like property investors, can buy new properties, upgrade and