Why Your Windshield Beats Your Rear View Mirror
Every spring, millions of people sit down with their tax preparer and learn what they owe. This is essentially a history lesson: the return is due in April, but the tax year closed on December 31. The decisions that shaped the outcome were made months earlier, often without anyone thinking about their 1040 at all.
This is not the standard practice of Family Offices, who think about taxes all year long, and for whom April is a validation of strategy, not a surprise. It’s October, so there is still time to make next April the result of intention and not accident.
Rising Rates and Asset Location
For the first time in over three years, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate in September. Higher rates are welcome news for savers. Holders of bonds, CDs and money market funds got a raise, and did so without an increase in portfolio risk.
There is a catch, of course: interest is generally taxed as ordinary income, at the same rates as wages. An investor holding a large fixed income position in a taxable account may find this year’s interest income adds meaningfully to their tax bill. The same holdings inside an IRA or other tax-deferred account would generate no current tax at all.
That is the idea behind asset location: placing each investment in the type of account where it will be taxed most efficiently. When rates were near zero, it mattered less. Today it matters more. Asset location is just one smart move to consider as the tax year window closes.
Practical EOY Tax Moves
Everyone’s situation is different, and none of these moves is right for everyone. But each is worth consideration before December 31. Some questions that could have a real impact:
Should losses offset gains? Selling an investment that has declined in value can create a loss that offsets gains elsewhere in the portfolio. This is known as tax-loss harvesting. The wash-sale rule disallows the loss if an identical investment is bought within 30 days before or after the sale, so timing and replacement choices matter.
Is this a good year for a Roth conversion? Converting part of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA means paying tax now in exchange for tax-free growth and withdrawals later. In a year when income is lower than usual, such as the gap between retirement and the start of Social Security, a conversion may be taxed at a lower rate than it would be later.
How should charitable giving be structured? Donating appreciated shares instead of cash can avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation. Grouping several years of donations into one year can help a household itemize deductions. For IRA owners 70½ or older, qualified charitable distributions can send money directly to a charity without the withdrawal counting as taxable income (the SECURE 2.0 Act raised the Required Minimum Distribution age but kept the Qualified Charitable Distribution age at 70½). Note that recent tax legislation changed several charitable deduction rules beginning in 2026, so this year’s approach may need to differ from last year’s.
Is annual gifting part of the plan? Each year, individuals can give up to a set amount to as many people as they like without using any of their lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. A married couple who split gifts can give $38,000 to each recipient. There’s no limit on the number of recipients, so a couple with three children could give them $114,000 in total this year without using any of their lifetime exemption. Unused exclusions don’t carry forward. They simply expire on December 31.
Are fund distributions coming? Many actively managed mutual funds distribute capital gains near year-end, and shareholders in taxable accounts owe tax on them even if they never sold a share. Knowing what’s coming can inform decisions about when to buy or sell.
Taxes, The Cruelest Cut
For many investors, taxes are the single largest cost of investing. They often exceed management fees, trading costs, and fund expenses combined. Yet taxes are usually handled separately from investment decisions, by a different professional, at a different time of year, working from a different set of documents.
That separation can be expensive. An investment strategy that ignores taxes can look strong on paper yet deliver far less after the IRS takes its share. As the old saying goes, what matters is what you keep.
Financial Gravity can help. Our Taxes First, Then Math™ approach reverses the usual order. Tax strategy comes first, so tax decisions shape the portfolio instead of following it. HALO™ aligns that strategy with where each investment is held, so your taxes and your portfolio work together.
A Taxes First, Then Math™ Analysis is a no-cost review built from your investment statements. It shows where you may be paying more in taxes and fees than you need to, how much risk your portfolio carries, and whether that risk fits your goals.
Requested now, it can arrive while there is still time to act. Requested in April, it becomes a story of “what if?” Order your complimentary report here.
