FusePhase

 

Year-end Investment Planning Tips
By Saghir A. Aslam
Rawalpindi, Pakistan

 

(The following information is provided solely to educate the Muslim community about investing and financial planning. It is hoped that the Ummah will benefit from this effort through greater financial empowerment, enabling the community to live in security and dignity and fulfill their religious and moral obligations towards charitable activities)

Consider these actions by year-end to assist with keeping your portfolio on track and potentially reducing your tax bill.

Consider taking some of the following actions, which may help reduce the amount you owe in taxes, before year-end. These actions may also improve your overall financial picture.

Actions to consider now:

• Ask your advisor for a realized and unrealized gain/loss report. Review your portfolio with your advisors to help ensure your asset allocation still aligns with your goals.
• Meet with your tax advisor to prepare preliminary tax projections and evaluate whether to accelerate or defer income and expenses.
• Review tax-loss selling strategies with your advisor. Remember, the last day to “double up” a position to help avoid a wash sale.
• Determine if you need to make any adjustments to tax withholding or estimated payments.

Actions to consider soon:

• Create or add funds to your education savings program.
• Develop a plan to complete charitable and family member gifts by year-end.
• Consider funding a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) during your employer’s annual benefits enrolment period.

Actions to consider before December 31:

• Discuss with your tax advisor whether qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from your IRA are appropriate for you if you are age 70½ or older.
• Make maximum contributions to your employer retirement accounts. If contributing to your IRA, the deadline is April 15, 2025.
• Sell securities by December 31, the last trading day in 2024, to realize a capital gain or loss.
• Remember to take your required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts this year, if applicable.

Complete any Roth IRA conversions.

• Make gifts to individuals or charities. The annual gift tax exclusion amount for 2024, gifts to individuals is $18,000.
• If you own company-granted stock options, determine whether now is the time to exercise or disqualify them.
• Although December 31 is the technical date many of these activities need to be completed for tax purposes, they will need to be put in process well in advance of December 31 to implement by year-end.

(Saghir A. Aslam only explains strategies and formulas that he has been using. He is merely providing information, and NO ADVICE is given. Mr Aslam does not endorse or recommend any broker, brokerage firm, or any investment at all, nor does he suggest that anyone will earn a profit when or if they purchase stocks, bonds or any other investments. All stocks or investment vehicles mentioned are for illustrative purposes only. Mr Aslam is not an attorney, accountant, real estate broker, stockbroker, investment advisor, or certified financial planner. Mr Aslam does not have anything for sale. Saghir Aslam has dedicated himself to social welfare activities since 1965 and serves as the founding chairman of Saba Homes, honoring and empowering orphans.)