Year End Checklist for Your Money, Taxes, Points and Miles

#92: Chris shares his list of the top year end optimizations to consider for your taxes, money, points and miles. That includes tax-loss harvesting, charitable deductions, retirement contributions and FSA/HSAs. It'll also cover taking advantage of all your annual credit card credits and perks.

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Selected Links From The Episode

Taxes/Investing

• Gelt: Tax planning service (skip the waitlist!)
• Gelt Tax Guide: Tax Concepts Worth Knowing During a Recession
• ATH Newsletter: All About Investing Part 2
• Donor-Advised Fund Definition
  • Daffy: $25 to towards a charity of your choice
• Tax-Loss Harvesting
• Wash-Sale Rule
• Series I Savings Bonds
• Opportunity Zone Investing
• Wealthfront: $5,000 managed free
• Grail test: Detect Cancer Early
• Augusta Rule: Tax Rules for Renting out Your Home

Points/Miles/Credits

• FlyerTalk: Example Forum Page for Southwest Credits
• The Platinum Card® from American Express
  • Saks Credit Ideas: Aesop and Mack Weldon Underwear
• American Express® Gold Card
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
• For other cards mentioned visit our Best Credit Cards Page

Full Show Notes

Introduction to this week’s episode (00:00)

Should you take the standard deduction or should you itemize? (1:25)

Accelerating or deferring income (3:59)

Charitable donations (4:56)

Donating appreciated assets (5:37)

Donor-advised fund (7:28)

Tax-loss harvesting and common index fund pairing (8:39)

Selling crypto at a loss/abandonment loss (10:57)

Opportunity zone investing (14:40)

I-Savings Bonds (15:17)

Stock options/ISOs (16:45)  

Retirement accounts (17:37)

Contributing to a 529 account (19:38)

Use up the money in your FSA account (20:37)

Max out your HSA account (21:31)

Energy efficiency upgrades (22:11)

EV tax credit (23:12)

Hired as a business vs a W-2 employee (23:27)

Business owner tax optimizations (24:52)

HSA/FSAs and the Augusta Rule (30:19)

California municipal bonds (32:31)

End-of-the-year housekeeping: points and miles (32:54)

Chasing flight and hotel status (34:05)

Taking advantage of benefits/upgrades/lounge access passes (35:14)

Hotel, credit card, and airline credits (35:39)

Credit card: travel credits (38:42)

Benefits included with the American Express Hilton Aspire card (39:18)

San Francisco event (40:47)

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