How MLP Mutual Funds are good investments?

Author: Jim Knight

Master limited partnerships are a form of limited partnership (isn't it obvious from the name!) which combine themselves with the liquidity of a common share. The structure of an MLP resembles a partnership, but offers investment units like common stock and to be traded on a common platform such as a stock market. Like a limited partnership, the MLP has a general partner and limited partners. The general partner is mostly the sponsor corporation (e.g., Kinder Morgan Inc. owns the general partner of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LLP) or one of its operating subsidiaries and is responsible for the operations of the company and, in most cases, is liable for partnership debt. The separate unit holders are retail investors, who contribute capital and receive up to 90% of handy cash flow as distributions in a stated year but have no day-to-day management role in the partnership. In the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Revenue act of 1986, the current structure of the MLP was defined and eligibility of an enterprise to issue MLP was stated- any business with a durable in flow of money was allowed (dealing with common resources principally)

The driving force behind a company to organize MLPs is tax avoidance. A shareholder in a corporation will have to pay tax at two levels- one at the corporate level and secondly at the individual level (when the dividends are shared). However, in a limited partnership tax has to be paid only once- at the personal level. There is no partnership equivalence of corporate income tax. In an MLP, the tax accountability of the partnership is passed on to the unit holders. The investor would receive annually a notification of his or her shares and profits.

Mostly MLPs have heterogeneous yields and tax avoidance, with mostly companies offering really attractive yields. The shareholders normally have the percentage revenue of 3-4% of general partnership and 7-8% of limited partnership. The tax benefits combine to the value. Cash flow would commonly better that of the taxable income of the partnership, and while doing so the dissimilarity is considered as a capital return for the limited partner. This return is apt to be taxed when sold to the unit share holder. This deferral causes the unit holders to pay an effective tax of less than 10% (and this rate may at times even go down to 0!). However incomes from MLPs are taxable even in retirement accounts like 401K s and IRAs. This causes investors to move away from MLPs

when in retirement accounts. This applies equally in case of institutions as well.

In an period earlier the MLP, it was many times needful to create a minimum investment (which many times turned out to be quite a appreciable amount) to take part in a partnership, limiting the potential equity market to entities from the upper-income range. Once a partnership was created were extremely burdensome to withdraw from if an investor wished to strip earlier liquidation. The MLP business structure addressed these issues by breaking partnership interests into smaller, more affordable units that are purchased and sold, equivalent to stocks or mutual fund shares. This attribute greatly enhances the liquidity of the partnership while also opening the door to investors for far less capital.

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