End of Year Checklist for Your Taxes, Points and Miles
All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life
Timing Card Posting vs. Calendar Year
Chris advises aiming for transaction posting by 12/31 and notes exceptions like American Airlines' February cutoff.
#257: We break down essential tax and financial decisions to make before year-end. Learn how to maximize deductions, optimize charitable giving, manage investment gains and losses, and take advantage of retirement and home-improvement credits. We also run through all the credit card, points and miles deadlines to hit before 12/31.
Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/end-of-year-financial-checklist-2025
Partner Deals
Vuori: 20% off the most comfortable performance apparel I've ever worn
MasterClass: Learn from the world's best with 15% off
Aura Frames: $35 off the best digital frames with code ALLTHEHACKS
DeleteMe: 20% off removing your personal info from the web
Fabric: Affordable term life insurance for you and your family
Gelt: Skip the waitlist on personalized tax guidance to maximize your wealth
Daffy: Free $25 to give to the charity of your choice
For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals
Resources Mentioned
Chris' End of Year Checklist for Taxes, Points & Miles
Carry Solo 401k
Kick (20% off your first year of bookkeeping with code CHRIS20)
Invest America Kids Savings & Investment Accounts
CardPointers Pro (50% off here)
ATH Podcast
- Chris’ Best Cards Page
- Ep 144: Leveraging Tax-Advantaged Accounts to Maximize Your Wealth with Katie Gatti Tassin
- Ep 243: Smarter Strategies for Retirement, Wealth Building, and Taxes with Michael Kitces
- Leave a review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
- Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: podcast@chrishutchins.com
Full Show Notes
(00:00) Introduction
(01:03) Standard Deduction vs. Itemizing
(03:02) The New SALT Cap & Property Tax Strategy
(05:02) Pass-Through Entity Taxes for Business Owners
(06:07) Smart Charitable Giving Strategies
(07:07) Donating Appreciated Assets
(09:18) Using Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
(14:16) Why 25-26 Changes Matter for Charitable Giving
(16:14) New Car Loan Interest Deduction
(18:19) Deduction for Qualified Tips & Overtime
(18:34) New Senior Deduction
(19:12) Shifting Income to Optimize Your Tax Bracket
(20:48) Capital Gains: Loss & Gain Harvesting
(22:02) Understanding the Wash Sale Rule
(25:11) Advanced Tax Moves to Ask Your CPA
(25:42) Key Retirement Deadlines & Contribution Limits
(31:01) Roth IRA & Traditional IRA Rules
(34:18) Backdoor & Mega Backdoor Roth Contributions
(35:18) ISOs & Alternative Minimum Tax
(36:16) FSA Essentials: Use It or Lose It
(38:57) HSA Strategy & Triple-Tax Advantage
(42:13) Home Efficiency & Solar Credits for 2025
(43:14) 529 Plans, Gifting Rules & Education Savings
(47:37) The New “Trump Account” for Kids
(48:14) Funding a Child’s Roth IRA Through Earned Income
(50:29) EOY Tax Moves for Business Owners
(55:51) EOY Checklist for Points & Miles
(01:00:32) Credit Card Annual Credits & Benefit Resets
(01:03:57) Calendar-Year Credits to Use Before January
(01:14:55) Final EOY Checks for Airlines, Hotels & Credit Cards
Connect with Chris
Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn
Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The AI-powered Podcast Player
