As we near the end of 2024, it’s an opportune moment for high-net-worth individuals to reassess and refine their financial strategies. Year-end planning involves more than just checking off tasks; it’s about leveraging every opportunity to optimize your wealth for future growth and tax efficiency. By understanding key deadlines and strategic considerations, we believe you can potentially maximize financial benefits with the goal of also minimizing potential tax liabilities. Here’s what you need to know before the year wraps up.
Must Be Completed by December 31, 2024
The end of the calendar year comes with hard deadlines for certain financial actions. Missing these deadlines can mean penalties, missed tax-saving opportunities, or an overall impact on your wealth planning goals. Here’s a breakdown of what we believe you should consider prioritizing before December 31:
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): If you’re 73 or older, be sure to take your RMD from your retirement accounts, including IRAs and 401(k)s, to avoid the hefty 25% penalty. It’s essential to double-check calculations to ensure you withdraw the correct amount.
- Roth Conversions: This strategy allows you to move funds from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, paying taxes now in exchange for tax-free withdrawals later. Consider if this fits your tax planning goals, especially if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in the future.
- 529 Plan Contributions: Contributions to these education savings plans may qualify for state tax deductions or credits, depending on your state of residence. It’s an effective way to grow funds tax-free for future education expenses.
- Annual Family Gifting: You can give up to $18,000 per person per year without impacting your lifetime gift tax exemption. This is an effective estate planning strategy to reduce the size of your taxable estate while benefiting loved ones.
- Tax-Loss Harvesting: Offset capital gains by selling investments that have declined in value. This can help minimize your tax bill and potentially free up capital for reinvestment in more promising assets.
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): For those aged 70½ and older, a QCD allows you to donate up to $10,000 directly from your IRA to a charity, satisfying your RMD requirements and reducing your taxable income.
- Charitable Donations: Beyond QCDs, consider making direct charitable contributions to reduce your taxable income. Donor-advised funds are also a great tool if you’re looking to bundle donations for a greater tax impact.
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Spending: Check the balance in your FSA and use any remaining funds on eligible healthcare expenses, as many plans have a “use it or lose it” rule.
- Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Compliance: The CTA impacts certain business entities. If you have an impacted entity established before January 1, 2024, you are required to submit beneficial ownership information to FinCEN by year-end. This rule applies to many small private companies and is designed to combat illicit financial activity.
Deadlines Extending Into 2025
While some financial tasks must be completed by December 31, others have more flexibility. Planning for these deadlines ensures that you’re on track for a strong start to the new year:
- IRA and Roth IRA Contributions: You have until April 15, 2025, to contribute up to $7,000 (or $8,000 if you’re 50 or older) to an IRA or Roth IRA for the 2024 tax year. These contributions can help lower your taxable income or provide tax-free growth, depending on the account type.
- HSA Contributions: Health Savings Accounts offer a triple tax advantage: contributions are tax-deductible, earnings grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free. You can contribute up to $4,150 for individual coverage or $8,300 for family coverage, with a $1,000 catch-up for those aged 55 and older, until April 15, 2025.
- SEP & SIMPLE IRA Contributions: Self-employed individuals or small business owners can make contributions to SEP or SIMPLE IRAs by their company’s tax filing deadline, including extensions. These accounts are excellent for maximizing retirement savings.
- Individual 401(k) Contributions: If you are self-employed, you may have until your tax filing deadline to make contributions, but deferring salary contributions must typically be done by December 31.
Key Contribution Limits and Tax Items for 2024
Knowing the specific contribution limits and tax brackets for the upcoming year is essential for effective financial planning. We believe this helps ensure that you’re maximizing retirement and savings opportunities:
- IRA/Roth IRA: The contribution limit is $7,000, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution for those aged 50 and over.
- 401(k)/403(b)/457 Elective Deferrals: You can contribute up to $23,000, with a $7,500 catch-up contribution if you are 50 or older. Maximizing these accounts can reduce your taxable income while boosting retirement savings.
- SIMPLE IRA: The contribution limit is $16,000, with a $3,500 catch-up contribution for those 50 and over. SIMPLE IRAs are a valuable tool for small business owners and their employees.
- Defined Contribution Limit: The overall limit for defined contribution plans, such as 401(k)s, is $69,000, which includes employer contributions.
- Defined Benefit Limit: For defined benefit plans, the maximum annual benefit is $275,000. These plans are beneficial for high-income earners looking to save more aggressively for retirement.
- HSA: Contribution limits for Health Savings Accounts are $4,150 for individuals or $8,300 for families, with a $1,000 catch-up contribution for those aged 55 and over.
Tax Considerations
Your tax strategy can have a significant impact on your overall financial health. Understanding how deductions and phase-outs apply to you can help optimize your tax return:
- Standard Deduction for 2024:
- Single filers: $14,600
- Married filing jointly: $29,200 Utilizing the standard deduction can simplify your tax return, but itemizing may be beneficial if your deductible expenses are higher.
- IRA Deduction Phase-Outs:
- Single filers: $77,000 – $87,000
- Married filing jointly: $123,000 – $143,000 If your income exceeds these thresholds, consider alternative retirement savings strategies.
- Roth IRA Contribution Phase-Outs:
- Single filers: $146,000 – $161,000
- Married filing jointly: $230,000 – $240,000 If you’re above the phase-out limits, consider a backdoor Roth IRA contribution.
Estate and Gift Tax Updates
Estate planning is a key consideration for high-net-worth individuals, especially given the evolving tax landscape. Here’s what you need to know:
- Annual Gift Exclusion: You can gift up to $18,000 per person annually without reducing your lifetime estate and gift tax exemption. This is a straightforward way to transfer wealth tax-free.
- Federal Estate & Gift Tax Exemption: The exemption is $13,610,000 per person and allows for portability between spouses. Proper estate planning can ensure you maximize this benefit.
- Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax Exemption: Also set at $13,610,000 per person, but note that GST tax exemption does not have portability between spouses.
- State Estate Tax Exemptions: Estate planning is especially crucial if you have assets in states with lower estate tax exemptions.
- Washington: $2,193,000 per person, with no portability
- Oregon: $1,000,000 per person, with no portability
Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Requirements
The Corporate Transparency Act introduces new reporting obligations for many small private companies. This act is designed to combat illicit financial activities by increasing transparency:
The CTA requires many LLCs, partnerships, corporations, and some trusts to report beneficial ownership details to FinCEN. Entities formed in 2024 must report within 90 days of formation, while those established after 2024 will have only 30 days. Compliance is crucial to avoid penalties and ensure proper financial reporting.
Final Thoughts
Year-end financial planning for high-net-worth individuals is a complex but rewarding endeavor. By addressing these deadlines and taking advantage of strategic opportunities, you can secure your wealth and position yourself for a prosperous 2025. Consult with your financial advisor to ensure your plan aligns with your goals and takes full advantage of available benefits. Remember, proactive planning today paves the way for a more financially secure tomorrow.
Important Disclosures
This article is not intended to provide, and you should not rely upon it for, accounting, legal, tax or investment advice or recommendations. We are not making any specific recommendations regarding any financial planning, investment or tax strategy, and you should not make any financial planning, investment or tax decisions based on the information in this article. This article is intended to be educational in nature and to discuss a few limited aspects of very complex legislation or other complex subject matters. This article is not a comprehensive or complete summary of considerations regarding its subject matter. We recognize that every individual has different needs and opinions expressed in this article may not be appropriate for everyone. Please consult with a Freestone client advisor, accountant, or lawyer regarding options specific to your needs. Please note that Freestone does not approve or endorse any third-party content hyperlinked to in this article.