Last Minute Tax Savings (WSJ)

The 10 Money Moves to Consider Before 2010 Expires Did You Give Holiday Gifts to Co-Workers? You Might Be in Luck on Taxes.

By JENNIFER OPENSHAW

New Year's Eve is almost here, but don't let that stop you from making some important money moves now, before Dec. 31, so you can reap the benefits in 2011.

Michael Casey says that with New Year's Eve almost here, you will want to consider these important money moves before year end to reap benefits in 2011.
.1) Take investment losses. The end of the year is a great time to review your portfolio and your asset allocation. If you have a dog of a stock or mutual fund that you want to eliminate, it is often a good idea to do it by Dec. 31.

The losses you take can offset the gains you have realized on other stocks or funds and help reduce your tax bill.

For example, say you sold your Apple stock and made $10,000. But you have a poor-performing fund relative to other options that, if you sold it, would result in a $5,000 loss. When taken together, the losses from selling leave you with a net taxable gain of $5,000, far less than had you not sold the investment dog.

2) Max-out your retirement accounts. Many companies have reinstated their 401(k) matching contribution after wiping it out during the recession. But even if not, your 401(k) is still one of your top savings vehicles, and you should fund it as much as possible by year-end. The maximum contribution in 2010 is $16,500 plus $5,500 for those 50 and older.

3) Check your paycheck withholding. The new tax law means your take-home pay next year likely will be higher, thanks to lower Social Security taxes, which for most workers will be cut to 4.2%, from 6.2% now.

So, make sure you aren't having too much or too little withheld. Too much means Uncle Sam is earning interest on your money (though you will get a refund) and too little means you will have a tax bill.

While it is always a good idea to review your withholding annually, the new changes make it even more important. You should also review your withholding if you are an individual or couple with multiple jobs, are having children, getting married, getting divorced or buying a home, or are someone who typically winds up with a large refund at the end of the year.

4) Deduct holiday gifts up to $25 for business. Did you give any holiday gifts to co-workers, vendors, or prospective customers or partners? If so, you will want to keep those receipts since you will be able to deduct up to $25 for such gifts.

This means the $25 for those gourmet chocolate pretzels or toward tickets to the theater would actually run you about $17 out-of-pocket, depending on your tax bracket.
Also, you will want to include anything deductible for your holiday party so long as it had a business purpose.

5) Give to a relative and reduce your tax bill. We have written before about all the ways grandparents or simply those who have some extra wealth can help others, especially someone trying to close the college funding gap.

Give the gift of education or something else worthwhile while you are alive and you will not only reduce your taxable estate, but you will enjoy seeing it put to use.

You can give up to $13,000 a year to someone if you are single ($26,000 if married) without facing gift taxes. If you contribute to a "529" college-savings plan, however, you can front-load your gifting and give up to five times that amount in one year—that is $130,000 if you are a couple—without facing a gift tax. Nice.

6) Donate to a charity. 'Tis the season to give, and if you have been one of the lucky ones who did better financially than you expected, maybe you are up for sharing more of it. You can give cash or stock to a charity, but what's better?

If the stock is worth more than you bought it for, you are usually better off donating it to charity instead of selling it. That allows you to avoid the capital-gains tax on the profit. For example, say you bought 100 shares of a stock at $10 per share and they are now worth $30 per share.

If you donate the stock to charity, you won't have to pay the capital-gains tax on the $2,000 in profit. If you have had the stock for at least a year, you will also be able to deduct the fair-market value of it on your taxes, as long as you itemize.

On the flip side, if the value of the stock is less than you bought it for, you will probably want to cash it first so you can deduct the loss.

Of course, donating money is usually deductible (as long as you itemize). And if you are donating your services, remember that only mileage, not your time, is deductible.

7) Make an estimated tax payment early. If you didn't pay enough to the federal government last year, you may face an even bigger tax bill come April 15. For instance, maybe you didn't have enough taxes withheld from your paycheck or you made a chunk of money on an investment. If you pay estimated taxes, consider paying by Dec. 31.

8) Pay January's mortgage in December. Similarly, making a mortgage payment early will increase your mortgage deduction for 2010.

Perhaps all the talk about possibly eliminating this valuable deduction might spur you to move on this one.

9) Enroll in your employer's flexible-spending account. These accounts allow you to sock away up to $5,000 (the maximum amount varies by employer) on a pretax basis, much like a 401(k), to cover out-of-pocket health-care costs. Also, find out whether your employer offers a similar benefit for child-care expenses.

Open enrollment is typically the only time to make changes to your plan and that is usually in November. However, you may be able to make changes if you have experienced a "qualifying life event," such as a marriage or divorce, a new child, a change in your employment or you go on family medical leave.

10) Contribute to your IRA. While you have until April 15 to fund your IRA, whether a Roth or traditional, getting it done before then will leave you with one less thing to worry about.

At a minimum, get the paperwork done to open an account if you don't have one already. The maximum you can contribute is $5,000 and an additional $1,000 for over-50 retirement savers for a total of $6,000. And don't forget your nonworking spouse—you can save for him or her, too.

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