Year-End Deadlines & Reminders

Don't miss out on 2026 tax savings!
Please submit all year-end requests by Dec 1st

As a comprehensive wealth management firm, our role at Cassaday & Co. is to help you identify tax efficiencies that align with your overall financial plan. As we approach the end of the year, our team is working with clients to review time-sensitive strategies that can help reduce tax exposure and keep your financial plan on track.

Important Items to Address By December 1st

To ensure your year-end transactions are completed before the deadline, we ask that all submissions be made by December 1st. This includes actions such as:

Fulfilling your IRA’s Required Minimum Distribution
Setting up 401(k) or Individual (k) Plans
Establishing or contributing to 529 Plans
Gifts to individuals or charitable organizations
Establishing or contributing to Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)

Please also reach out if you still need to take your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for 2026.

While we’ll do our best to accommodate requests received after December 1st, we cannot guarantee completion in time for 2026 tax savings due to deadlines set by the institutions that hold and process your accounts.

If you're already working with your advisor on these items, please keep an eye on your inbox. Most strategies require your signature to be completed, and timely attention to any requests will help prevent unnecessary delays.

New This Year: Trump Accounts

Trump Accounts became available on July 4, 2026, for children under 18. December 31st is the federal deadline to make a 2026 contribution — unlike IRAs, there is no extension into the filing season, and unused annual contribution room does not carry forward.

These accounts are not a fit for every family and are not a replacement for a 529 Plan or custodial account. If you have children or grandchildren under 18, or you own a business and are considering employer contributions, contact your advisory team to discuss whether a contribution makes sense for your situation.

While our team does not establish Trump Accounts or process contributions on your behalf, we can answer questions and help guide you through the process. If you would like assistance, we ask that you reach out to your advisory team by December 1st, which allows time to address your questions and for you to open and fund an account prior to the December 31st federal deadline.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): Plan Ahead For Year-End Giving

If you plan to make charitable gifts from your IRA through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), we encourage you to begin the process now. If you use an IRA checkbook, notify your advisory team before writing a QCD check so we can confirm that sufficient cash is available in your account and help prevent delays. To ensure gifts count toward your 2026 tax year, checks should be issued before our December 1st submission deadline so they are cashed and cleared by year-end.

Be sure to track the total amount of your QCDs throughout the year, including both cash gifts and transfers of securities from your IRA, and provide that information to your tax preparer when filing your 2026 return. Charitable donations made from your IRA via check are not automatically coded as a Qualified Charitable Distribution on your 1099-R.

Ongoing Tax Guidance, Year-Round

While deadlines can prompt action, some of the most meaningful tax planning happens through year-round coordination — and like many aspects of your financial plan, it’s most effective when it’s proactive and built around your evolving goals.

While we don’t prepare tax returns, our clients have access to our in-house Director of Tax Strategies, Leighton Regis, Esq., LL.M, MBA, who goes by Regis, who provides ongoing guidance at no additional cost.

Regis works in close coordination with your advisor to help ensure your tax strategies remain aligned with your broader financial plan.

If you have any questions or would like to review your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to contact your advisor directly.