If you are considering investing in oil, you probably are thinking of a commodity. There is a difference between investing in oil commodities and investing in oil drilling. When you invest in commodities, you may measure the amount of your investment by a barrel of oil as this is the measurements that are used in this type of commodity. This does not mean that you have a barrel of oil in your possession, but you do own shares in oil. You make money when the amount of the oil goes up. The money that you make on this type of investment is called a capital gain. You will pay taxes on that.

There is another way that you can invest in oil. That is investing in domestic oil drilling. There are considerable tax advantages to this type of investment. This includes tax advantages that will include being able to write off the cost of drilling, stretching the capital gains that are earned when the well begins to produce. You can expect a steady stream of income when the well strikes oil that can last for years. The capital gains can be stretched out over a depreciation period of 7 years, or in some cases, during the life of the well. This is what is known as investing in domestic oil exploration.

Investing in domestic oil exploration can be a long term investment that can net you considerable profits. If the drilling is successful and your project strikes oil, you can expect a high yield return on your investment. But even if the well is dry, you can still reap the benefits of the tax write off for dry wells. Many people invest in oil drilling for a loss. Because of the tax write offs for even a dry well, you can end up saving money on your taxes by taking the write off. You can write off 65 percent of the loss that you incur on such an investment. When coupled with the drilling write offs, this can end up saving you money on your tax returns.

Investing in oil exploration is an entirely different type of investment than investing in the oil commodities. Instead of looking for the price of oil to go up and hoping that you can make money, you can make a lot more money if you invest in domestic oil drilling.

Know the company that plans to do the drilling and their success record before you embark on this type of investment and be sure that you understand the terms of the agreement before you invest. There are a lot of opportunities when it comes to investing in oil that do not include buying a barrel of oil.