一年结束了，这些关于财政的问题解决了么?

1. Estimate your total tax and check your withholding.

If you received a large refund on your 2013 taxes, or had to pay a large amount to the IRS, you may want to consider adjusting your withholding rate. Ideally, you should fine-tune your withholding to pay just as much as necessary.

2. Donate to a charity.

If you’ve been meaning to make a donation and want to lower your tax bill for 2014, be sure to make your contributions before the end of the year. You might want to consider donating appreciated securities or using a donor-advised fund. Read Viewpoints: “Planning year-end giving.”

3. Consider selling investments that have lost value.

Many investors employ tax-loss harvesting as a strategy for reducing taxes on realized gains from winning investments. To claim any losses against this year’s realized capital gains, you’ll need to sell your investments that have lost value by the end of the year. Read Viewpoints: “Tackle taxes: Got gains or losses?”

4. Bunch itemized tax deductions.

One way to maximize the value of tax deductions is to bunch two years’ worth of itemized deductions into a single year. For example, if you have unreimbursed work expenses that you incurred early in the year, you might be able to accelerate payments for deductible expenses in order to pull next year’s expenses into this year and double up your 2014 deduction.

5. Make an extra contribution to your 401(k).

Take a few minutes to see whether you can make an additional contribution before the end of the year, especially if you haven’t reached your full employer match. An extra $500 contribution every year for 20 years could add up to $24,003. (This example assumes a 7% annual rate of return and no withdrawals during the period. The future value does not reflect any federal, state, or local taxes.) The maximum you can contribute in pretax dollars for 2014 is $17,500, or $23,000 if you’re over age 50.

6. Use the money in your flexible spending account.

Flexible spending accounts have use-it-or-lose-it deadlines. The U.S. Treasury Department did relax the rules a bit this year. Employers can allow participants to carry over up to $500 in unused funds into next year, so check with your employer and make sure your balance doesn’t exceed that.

7. Review your investments.

The broad stock market has outperformed the bond market by a wide margin, meaning your balance of stocks and bonds may have changed. You may need to bring your portfolio back in line with a diversified mix that is best for your situation (read Viewpoints: “The pros’ guide to diversification”). For help, use Portfolio Review.

8. Check the beneficiaries on financial accounts.

One important point to keep in mind is that retirement accounts pass directly to named beneficiaries, rather than becoming part of your estate. That can provide significant tax advantages for your heirs. So review your beneficiary designations, especially important if you have had some changes in your life, such as a birth, or a death, or a change in marital status.

9. See whether you are saving enough.

Our Retirement Quick Check calculator can help see if you are saving enough. If you’re behind, you might consider increasing your contribution rate for your 401(k), or other workplace retirement savings account, if you have one. Also, consider opening an IRA, which could also lower your tax bill if you are eligible for a deductible IRA. You can check with our IRA contribution calculator.

You can contribute up to $5,500 into an IRA for 2014 and, if you’ve reached age 50, an extra $1,000, right up until the April 15 tax-filing deadline.