Some financial-planning opportunities can wait until you file your tax return. Others disappear when the calendar turns to January.

In Episode 45 of The Decision Dividend, Marcus Schafer is joined by Tim Daly, CFP®, CPA, TPCP® to discuss the year-end decisions investors should evaluate before December 31. Rather than focusing only on reducing this year’s taxes, the conversation examines how today’s choices can affect your lifetime tax bill.

You’ll learn:

• How to identify the year-end moves that fit your situation, including Roth conversions, realizing investment gains or losses, charitable giving, retirement contributions, and annual gifts.
• Why your marginal tax rate may be more complicated than the bracket shown on a tax table, particularly when deductions, capital-gains rates, Medicare premiums, and other phaseouts interact.
• How a year-end tax projection can help coordinate your income, deductions, withholding, and estimated payments before important deadlines pass.

Chapters

00:00 Year-End Decisions to Make Before December 31

01:54 Tax Planning vs. Tax Preparation

04:18 What Changed for 2026 Tax Planning

05:43 The Hidden Tax Rates Created by Phaseouts

13:07 New Charitable-Giving Decisions for 2026

17:31 Harvesting Losses and Gains

31:02 When a Roth Conversion Makes Sense

35:00 Annual Gifts Before Year-End

36:21 Retirement Contribution Limits and QCDs

39:08 Required Minimum Distributions

40:19 Withholding, Estimated Payments, and Tax Penalties

42:48 Why You Should Not Wait Until December 31

45:16 Focus on Your Lifetime Tax Bill

If charitable giving is part of your year-end planning, our previous episode, Advanced Charitable Giving Strategies, takes a deeper look at how to give more effectively, including strategies that can help align your generosity with your tax, investment, and legacy goals.

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Disclosure

Information contained herein has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed. It is not intended as the primary basis for financial planning or investment decisions and should not be construed as advice meeting the particular investment needs of any investor. This material has been prepared for information purposes only and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This material is not tax or legal advice. Consult qualified tax and legal professionals before implementing a year-end planning strategy.