It might seem like there are still a good number of weeks to go between now and the start of 2026. But the reality is that the final couples of months of the year tend to fly by. And it's easy enough to get preoccupied with holiday shopping and planning to the point where some big financial tasks on your list might fall by the wayside.
But neglecting key financial tasks could mean losing out on tax breaks and savings opportunities. So it's important to prioritize your finances in the coming weeks. Here are three things you may want to do before 2025 comes to an end.
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1. Finish funding your 401(k)
The more money you put into your 401(k) plan this year, the larger a retirement nest egg you might end up with -- not just because of your principal contributions, but because of the gains that money might generate after you invest it. And if you're saving in a traditional 401(k), as opposed to a Roth, a larger contribution this year could shield more of your income from taxes.
Plus, you may have an employer that offers a 401(k) match. If you haven't contributed enough to your workplace retirement plan to snag that match in full for 2025, that's a good reason to add to your 401(k) before the end of the year.
Now you may have heard that you have up until the following year's tax-filing deadline to finish funding a retirement account. But while that rule applies to IRAs, it does not apply to 401(k)s. If you want your contribution to count toward the 2025 tax year, then the money needs to be in your account by Dec. 31 -- no later.
For this reason, it's a good idea to figure out how much more money you can squeeze into your 401(k) this year, and fill out the right paperwork immediately to facilitate that change. Workplace 401(k)s are funded through payroll tax deductions, so it may take your payroll department a pay period or two to process an update to your savings rate. The sooner you get that paperwork in, the more likely you are to make the deadline.
2. Sell investments strategically
It may be that you're sitting on some nice gains in your portfolio. If those gains aren't in a tax-advantaged account, you may owe the IRS money on them when you file your 2025 tax return in 2026. That's why it's important to look at your brokerage account holdings and see if there are any investments you're able to sell at a loss.
Capital losses in your account can be used to offset capital gains. So if you'll owe the IRS $10,000 from selling stocks and you're able to capture a $10,000 loss, you can whittle your tax bill down to $0.
Plus, you're allowed to use up to $3,000 in capital losses to offset ordinary income. So even if you didn't take a lot of gains this year, taking some losses could still make sense.
3. Max out your HSA
If you have an HSA, or health savings account, the more money you put in, the easier it might be to pay for healthcare expenses later on. In fact, people are often advised to reserve their HSA funds for retirement, since healthcare costs tend to increase with age.
Now unlike 401(k)s, HSAs don't limit you to the end of the year to make contributions. Put another way, you can finish funding your 2025 HSA by next year's April 15 tax deadline.
However, if you're able to finish contributing to your 2025 HSA this year, it could take a lot of the pressure off for next year. That way, you can focus on funding your 2026 account once the new year arrives.
Remember, HSAs are triple tax-advantaged, offering the benefits of tax-free contributions, investment gains, and withdrawals (as long as the money is used for qualifying medical expenses). So it pays to fund that account as best as you can.
Before we know it, 2025 will be nothing but a memory. Don't let the next bunch of weeks slip by without taking care of these and other important financial matters.
