Guides

Plain answers to the questions investors ask about dead private investments — what each path requires, and what to bring to your advisor.

• My SAFE never converted. Is that a tax loss?

  A SAFE that never turned into shares has no conversion event and no maturity date. What that does to a loss claim, and why a sale is often the only dated event available.

  Updated September 2026

• Worthless-security deduction or sell it: which is better?

  A side-by-side of the two ways a loss on a dead private investment reaches a return — what each requires, what each avoids, and where each one fails.

  Updated September 2026

• How do I write off a failed startup investment?

  There are two ways a loss on a private investment reaches a tax return: claiming it worthless, or selling it. What each requires, and how to tell which case you're in.

  Updated September 2026

• I keep getting an all-zero K-1 that's never marked final. How do I get it off my books?

  An LLC or fund interest that's dead but still files: why the zeros keep arriving, what they cost you, and the two ways a partner stops being a partner.

  Updated September 2026

• The startup I invested in went silent. Can I write it off?

  No K-1, no 1099, no dissolution notice — just silence. What that means for claiming a loss, the two paths available, and what your advisor will need from you.

  Updated September 2026

This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. Talk to your CPA, EA, or tax attorney about your own position.