The December tax checklist most CPAs will never send you.
Nine moves that only work if you make them before December 31. A seasonal playbook, not a to-do list.
Every December I send a version of this list to my clients. They pay for it. You get it for free because I'd rather you get it right than get it late.
One: harvest losses. Two: bunch charitable contributions into a donor-advised fund if you're on the edge of the standard deduction. Three: max the HSA if you haven't. Four: check whether a Roth conversion at your current income makes sense for the year.
Five: fund the 529 in states that allow a state tax deduction. Six: review estimated payments and prepay Q4 if you owe. Seven: make any last 401(k) contribution changes with payroll — most systems need two pay cycles to catch up. Eight: gift into the annual exclusion if you're moving assets down a generation.
Nine, and this is the one nobody sends: sit down with your spouse and reconcile the actual, year-end version of your household income. Every good tax move in year N+1 starts with knowing what year N really looked like.