Many people assume that because the New Year is upon us, it's too late to make moves that might lower our tax bills for 2013. But that's not necessarily true, and there's still plenty of time before tax season hits full swing.

There are a lot of ways you can avoid paying taxes now -- or make investments that can grow tax-free -- but you must make these moves before April 15. While that might sound like a long way off, such deadlines have a tendency to sneak up on us all.

In the following video, Motley Fool contributor Brian Stoffel talks about three broad ways that you can make tax-advantaged moves before it's too late. These moves can help with everything from retirement planning to medical expenses to tuition costs.