---
title: A Year-End Planning Checklist
description: "Seven things to review before December 31: contributions, distributions, gains and losses, giving and the documents that drift out of date."
image: https://www.nopethemes.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/studionope-for-wealth-management/images/templates/helper-img-11.jpg
---

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# A Year-End Planning Checklist

Seven things to review before December 31: contributions, distributions, gains and losses, giving and the documents that drift out of date.

[![Studio Nope](https://www.nopethemes.com/hubfs/studio-nope-logo-round-2.png) Studio Nope](https://www.nopethemes.com/harrington-co-blog/blog/author/studio-nope)  October 22, 2026 

![A Year-End Planning Checklist](https://www.nopethemes.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/studionope-for-wealth-management/images/templates/helper-img-11.jpg)

## Table of Contents

The last weeks of the year are when several deadlines arrive at once. A short review in November leaves time to act on what it finds, rather than discovering it in April.

## The checklist

1. **Retirement contributions.** Check how much has gone into workplace plans this year and whether there is room to add more before the year closes.
2. **Required distributions.** If you or an inherited account must take a distribution, confirm it has been taken, or is scheduled, before the deadline.
3. **Gains and losses.** Look at what has been realised so far and whether any positions could offset it.
4. **Charitable giving.** Gifts that count for this tax year need to be completed before December 31. Gifts of appreciated shares take longer to process than cash.
5. **Flexible spending and health savings accounts.** Check balances and the rules on what carries over.
6. **Beneficiaries and documents.** A year with a marriage, a birth or a move is a reason to check that forms and documents still say what you intend.
7. **Next year's cash needs.** Large expenses planned for the coming year are easier to fund when they are known in advance.

## Doing it together

Bring this list to your year-end meeting with your advisor, along with your latest statements, and decide who owns each item before you leave the room.

*This article is for educational purposes and is not tax or investment advice. Confirm deadlines and limits with a qualified professional.*

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### [Studio Nope](https://www.nopethemes.com/harrington-co-blog/blog/author/studio-nope)

Studio Nope designs and builds fast, clean HubSpot CMS websites and custom themes for teams that care about performance, editing experience, and reliable tracking.

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