Time to start thinking about optimizing Roth conversions, RMDs, capital gains, Medicare premiums and charitable giving before year's end. The things you do before Dec. 31 are typically what save you the bigger dollars. And saving bigger dollars is fun for everyone. Here are five things retirees should consider before Dec. 31:

Do you pay more or less income tax being married? Or, being single? Hmmm…well, it depends. There are no easy answers in the tax world. To make a long story, short – the so-called marriage penalties or marriage bonuses “generally occur when certain tax brackets and/or tax deductions for married couples aren’t twice the same amount for single taxpayers.” These marriage penalties or bonuses occur in numerous sections of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).

Chatting with an executor and/or beneficiaries of an estate is a common occurrence for us. In these meetings, one of my early questions is whether the decedent had any assets in tax-deferred retirement accounts such as IRAs. The answer may have far-reaching tax consequences.

With a few exceptions, year-end tax planning must be completed by this New Year’s Eve. Some notable exceptions include contributions to certain retirement plans such as IRAs and Solo 401(k) plans and also HSA plans. Payments to these plans have various 2023 deadlines.

This year, Uncle Sam will take his cut of the past year’s earnings on May 17, slightly later than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many taxpayers are undoubtedly wondering how this year’s Tax Day will affect their finances, as a lot of people are struggling financially as a result of the pandemic.

We all know one or more elders that have been preyed on in one fashion or another. It happens all the time. Some attorneys even specialize in defending their elderly clientele against these predators, who come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, a predator is a stranger who becomes embedded in the senior’s life in the form of “a new caregiver, a friend, a romantic interest or even as a financial adviser.”