The Last 60 Days: What to Actually Do Before December 31st
Finish Strong | Part 1 of 4
November is here, which means there are roughly 60 days left in 2026. For most people that feels like plenty of time. In financial planning terms, it's actually the critical window — the stretch where the moves you make, or don't make, determine how you start the new year.
The tax planning window closes December 31st. No extensions, no exceptions. Whatever opportunities exist between now and then expire when the calendar turns. That's not a scare tactic — it's just how the calendar works. November is when the people who finish the year strong make their move. December is when everyone else scrambles.
This Is a Tax Planning Question
At its core, year-end planning is a tax question. The decisions you make between now and December 31st directly affect your tax picture for the year. Roth conversions, retirement contributions, required minimum distributions, charitable giving strategies — all of these have hard deadlines that don't move.
Most people don't think about this until they're sitting with their CPA in February looking at a tax bill they could have reduced. By then the window is long closed.
What's Worth Looking at Right Now
Required minimum distributions are the most time-sensitive item on the list. If you're over 73 and haven't taken your RMD for 2026, that needs to happen before December 31st. The penalty for missing it is significant and completely avoidable.
Retirement contributions are worth checking too. If you're still working and haven't maxed out your 401k or IRA contributions for the year, November is when you adjust your contribution rate to get there. Waiting until December doesn't leave enough runway.
Roth conversions deserve a conversation if you've been thinking about one. By now you have a clear enough picture of your income for the year to know whether a conversion makes sense and how much to convert. That decision needs time to be made thoughtfully, and November provides that time in a way December simply doesn't.
The Right Time to Meet With Your Advisor
November is genuinely the best month of the year to sit down with your financial advisor, your tax planner, or your CPA and get any outstanding questions buttoned up before the holidays arrive. Once Thanksgiving hits, the year moves fast. Schedules fill up. Everyone is distracted. The conversations that could have happened in November get pushed to January, and by January the opportunity is gone.
If you haven't had a year-end planning conversation yet, now is the time to schedule it. Not in December. Now.
What We See at The 611 Group
Every year we watch the same pattern play out. The clients who come in during November leave January feeling like they finished the year well. The ones who wait until December are often rushing through decisions that deserved more thought. The difference between those two experiences almost always comes down to timing.
A Final Thought
The last 60 days of the year are more valuable than most people realize. Not because there's something to panic about, but because there's something to take advantage of. If you'd like to sit down and make sure nothing important gets left on the table before December 31st, we'd love to have that conversation.
Willie Schuette
The 611 Group Wealth Advisors
This content was generated utilizing the help of AI research and is intended for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified professional for personalized advice. For specific tax planning advice or services, please consult a qualified tax advisor or CPA.