Oct 3, 2026 · 29 min
Year-end tax moves shape 2026 financial outcomes
Act Now to Lower Taxes for 2026
Many tax-saving choices vanish after December 31, while federal and state rules can change the value of otherwise sensible moves.
- 1Tax-advantaged contributions, loss harvesting, and asset location can reduce current taxes or improve after-tax returns.
- 2Withholding, estimated payments, RMDs, and QCDs require timely review when income or retirement circumstances change.
- 3Roth conversions and charitable gifts may help, but their effects extend to deductions, credits, premiums, and state taxes.
Don't miss
The hosts explain why a Roth conversion can affect not only future taxes, but also deductions, credits, student-loan payments, and health-insurance premiums.
The brief
Robert Brokamp and Amanda Aronczyk frame 2026 tax planning as a year-end challenge: contributions, withholding, and other decisions can still change the final bill.
The episode moves from tax-advantaged accounts to loss harvesting and asset location, showing how account type and investment choice interact to shape after-tax returns.
Charitable giving gets a practical test: donating appreciated stock can avoid capital-gains tax, but itemization, carryforwards, qualified charities, and new deduction limits matter.
RMDs, QCDs, withholding, and estimated taxes become especially consequential after job changes, bonuses, home sales, freelance income, or large investment gains.
The closing argument is a deadline: Roth conversions, tax estimates, and state-specific checks must happen before year-end, not when the tax return is due.
Featuring
Robert BrokampMentioned
Internal Revenue Service
TaxAct
CaliforniaListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.