Make These Smart EOY Moves NOW!
With 2022 rapidly coming to a close, there are things you can be doing right now to make smart moves with your money. Here are some strategies and tips to help you make great year end money moves.
If you are charitably inclined, make sure to do a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows individuals who are 70½ years old or older to donate up to $100,000 in total to one or more qualified charities directly from their traditional IRA tax-free. QCDs can be used to cover some or all of your required minimum distribution, reducing the taxes due on these RMDs. Even if they can’t be used to offset RMDs, QCDs can serve to reduce future RMDs. Do well by doing good this year!
Set up a Donor Advised Fund to lower your tax bill
A Donor Advised Fund is an account that you fund with cash, appreciated stock or other assets that provides a tax deduction for making the contribution. You invest the proceeds to let them grow and then make a donation to the charity or charities of your choice in the future. This is a great way to lower your tax bill while helping causes that matter to you.
Want to know more about Donor Advised Funds? Watch our video about them here.
Lump and Clump if you no longer itemize
Contributing to a Donor Advised Fund helps you from a tax perspective if you itemize your deductions. But what if you no longer itemize now that the standard deduction is so much higher? “Lumping and clumping” your deductions is a strategy where you lump together your charitable contributions, donations and contributions to Donor Advised Funds every 2-3 years in order to get a large enough deduction to itemize on your tax return. The downside to this is many people who are charitably inclined want to be able to give annually rather than every 2-3 years.
Do not forget to take your Required minimum Distribution by 12/31/2022
If you have not already taken your RMD, now is the time to do it. You have until December 31st to get it done. If you do not take it during this calendar year you will be subjected to a penalty of 50% of the RMD amount. This is steep and easily avoided. The exception is if this is your first RMD, if so, you then have until April 1, 2023, to take this distribution without penalty. Beware that by doing this you will then have to take two RMDs in 2023 with a potentially higher tax rate.
Make sure to Tax-Loss Harvest in 2022
This has been a very volatile year for the stock market. When markets are down you can take advantage of it by tax-loss harvesting which is the process of selling an investment at a loss in order to get a tax benefit and replacing it with a similar investment in order to participate in the eventual market recovery (Of course, you need to be careful to avoid the wash sale rule when doing this). Around here we like to make lemonade out of lemons and that is what tax loss harvesting is. Each year you can reduce your Adjusted Gross Income by $3,000 by using your capital losses. You can carry them forward forever until they are used up.
Roth conversion
With the market down this year, it presents an excellent time to consider doing a Roth conversion. You can shift money from a taxable bucket (your traditional IRA) to a tax-free bucket (The Roth IRA). Doing so in a down year means your tax liability will be lower and the eventual market recovery will occur inside of your tax-free bucket. The process of converting is a taxable event so make sure to pay attention to where you are within your tax bracket so as not to trigger an outsized tax bill.
Adjust your 401(k) contribution amounts for 2023
As we think ahead to 2023 it’s a good time to be making adjustments to your retirement savings amounts for next year. The IRS has given us a gift and increased the contribution amounts for 2023. For your employer sponsored retirement plan like a 401(k) the contribution amount has increased to $22,500 plus the catch-up contribution amount which has increased to $7,500 for a total contribution amount of $30,000 if you are over the age of 50. Make sure to adjust your payroll to account for the increase so you can take advantage of it.
Take advantage of the catch-up contribution amount if you turn 50 in 2023
If you are turning 50 in 2023 make sure to take advantage of the catch-up contribution amount for your 401(k) and IRA. In 2023, the 401(k) catch up provision enables you to contribute an additional $7,500 to your 401(k). For IRA’s, you can contribute an additional $1,000 if over the age of 50.
Even if you turn 50 later in the year, you can take advantage of the catch-up contribution amount as of January 1st. Take this into account when making your contributions and managing your cash flow for next year.
Max out your Roth IRA early in the year
It’s typically best to make your contributions early in the year and give yourself months of extra time for the investments to compound. Be ready to make a contribution in January if you can. This means having some extra cash on hand to make the contribution. You may need to watch your Christmas spending, but it will be worth it in the end!
Make sure to Max out your Health Savings Account
You can contribute up to the annual maximum amount to your HSA as determined by the IRS. Maximum contribution amounts for 2022 are $3,650 for self-only and $7,300 for families. The annual “catch-up” contribution amount for individuals age 55 or older will remain $1,000. For 2023 these amounts are increasing to $3,850 for individuals and $7,750 for families.
Take advantage of the annual gift tax exclusion amount-make your gifts by December 31st
The annual gift tax limit is $16,000 per person for 2022. This means you can give $16,000 to your child and not have it count against your lifetime exclusion amount. If you are married, you and your spouse can give a total of $32,000 per child and not have this reduce your lifetime exemption amount. Make sure to get the gift complete by December 31st. Next year, the annual gift tax limit will increase to $17,000.
Insurance Plan
Will you have a balance in your FSA before the end of the year?
If so, consider the following options your employer may offer:
Some companies allow up to $550 of unused FSA funds to be rolled over into the following year. Some companies offer a grace period up until March 15th to spend the unused FSA funds. Many companies offer you 90 days to submit receipts from the previous year. If you have a Dependent Care FSA, check the deadlines for unused funds as well.
Did you meet your health insurance plan's annual deductible?
If so, consider incurring any additional medical expenses before the end of the year, after which point your annual deductible will reset.
In Conclusion
I encourage you to take this opportunity to implement some of the strategies we have laid out here. There are changes coming to the tax code and it’s important to use the current rules to your advantage. We will continue to monitor the proposed changes coming out of Washington and are here to help you navigate through them next year.
Enjoy the year-end festivities coming up and most importantly, enjoy some time with your family. If you have any questions about this or would like to explore it further, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are happy to help you navigate year end planning strategies.
This commentary reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of the Seaside Wealth Management, Inc. employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded as a description of advisory services provided by Seaside Wealth Management, Inc. or performance returns of any Seaside Wealth Management, Inc. client. The views reflected in the commentary are subject to change at any time without notice. Nothing in this commentary constitutes investment advice, performance data or any recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Any mention of a particular security and related performance data is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security. Seaside Wealth Management, Inc. manages its clients’ accounts using a variety of investment techniques and strategies, which are not necessarily discussed in the commentary. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.