Year-End Money Moves: What to Do Before December 31 So January Doesn’t Suck SB1921

December has a way of arriving all at once. Joe Saul-Sehy and OG each bring a top-five list of money moves to make before the calendar flips, and compare them in real time while Doug watches for overlap. The lists cover taxes, retirement accounts, investments, and one move that has nothing to do with money and everything to do with how 2027 will feel. Do the work now,before Thanksgiving sneaks up on us and the holidays are off and running.What You’ll Walk Away WithWhy a quick tax projection now can spare you an April surpriseHow tax-loss harvesting works, why most of its value shows up earlier in the year, and the wash sale rule that trips people upWhich retirement and HSA deadlines hit December 31, and which ones you can finish after New Year’sHow to max out contributions by leaning on your cash cushion, and when that is smart or riskyWhy buying into a taxable mutual fund in December can hand you a tax bill on gains you never earnedWhat an FSA deadline really means, and how to avoid a contact lens stockpileWhy Roth conversions come down to an educated guess, and how to make a choice you will not regretHow giving to charity straight from a retirement account can lower your taxes, and what changed this year for charitable deductionsThe calendar move that has nothing to do with money, and why it came in at number oneWhat a retirement plan that sailed off the map teaches about planning for the unexpectedWhy This Matters Now Year-end deadlines do not move, and the holiday season is when budgets get tested. A few hours of attention before the spendiest month of the year means January starts with a clean sheet instead of a cleanup. This episode is general education, and a tax professional can apply it to your situation.From the Basement Doug challenges everyone to say a very difficult tongue twister about Bitcoin five times fast, then runs trivia about the back of the $5 bill. OG explains his holiday budget approach, which involves fun coupons, and Joe Saul-Sehy and OG debate whether one-click shopping is genius or a trap. Doug also offers a “Dougalicious” tip for next year.Resources MentionedPlanning for charitable contributions in 2026: a guide to what changed this yearEndless cruise goes broke: coverage of the story about retirees stranded abroadYour own top five: share yours at stackingbenjamins.com/basementIf you heard a rumor about a children’s book on what money really means, Mama, Are We Poor?, we can neither confirm nor deny where. But if you happen to