  Q: How does "LIFO" and "FIFO" affect how much tax investors
pay?  A: LIFO and FIFO might sound like names of twin poodles.
But they're actually crucial acronyms for investors to know and
that will determine the bite Uncle Sam takes.  Both LIFO and
FIFO are accounting methods that determine how taxes due on
investment gains are measured. LIFO stands for "last in, first
out" and FIFO is "first in, first out." LIFO and FIFO apply to
investors who have bought multiple shares, or lots, of the same
investments over time.   For instance, investors who buy shares
of General Electric at the end of every year, or reinvest
dividends, would have separate lots for each purchase.  When
it's tax time, you pay capital gains taxes on your proceeds from
selling the stock minus your cost. But the cost of the share
varies depending on which lot was sold.  The difference between
LIFO and FIFO treatment can be large. Imagine an investor who
bought 400 shares of GE in 1977, reinvested all dividends, and
sold 3,058 shares for $50,