Do you have to pay capital gains tax on stocks if you sell and reinvest in real estate?
I began putting aside a percentage of my modest paycheck and doing side work to come up with additional money to invest in the stock market starting in 2008. From 2008- early 2014 I made very nice gains but they haven't been doing much lately. Now, I would like to use this money I've built up to invest in a rental property or two. If I sell my stocks, is there a way to avoid paying capital gains tax? I've recently learned that a 1031 exchange is to defer capital gains tax when reinvesting the profits from one property to the next. Can this apply to stock profits as well.
Thanks!
-Carl DeCesare (Raleigh, NC)