Reviewed by Dave Allen, CFP® · CRD #1210763 · Last reviewed October 2026
October is the month Security Financial Management turns its monthly work to the close of the tax year. Households reach that point with several decisions open and several separate dates in play. This letter gathers, in one place, what the firm published on that work during October.
The firm’s planning topic for October 2026 is Year-End Tax Planning. Three of this month’s pages make one point: year-end tax planning is coordinating gains, losses, conversions and gifts into one return.
This Month from Security Financial Management
Insight — Year-End Tax Planning and the Risk of Coordination Failure
Why a loss, a conversion and a gift can each be sound alone and still conflict on one return.
our thinking on year-end tax planning this month
Planning Resource — Year-End Tax Planning: What Each 2026 Decision Requires
The loss-harvesting deadline, Roth conversions, charitable deduction rules and income timing, each tied to its IRS source.
year-end tax planning checklist
Conversation — Tax Planning Strategies for High Earners and Retirees
Michael Allen, CFP®, on qualified charitable distributions, donor-advised funds, the backdoor Roth and tax-loss harvesting.
our conversation on tax planning strategies
Market Commentary — Year-End Tax Planning: October 2026 Market Commentary on Prices and Yields
What the month’s price and yield data meant for households, and which dates stayed fixed.
this month’s market commentary
A tax year is one part of a longer plan, and the structure behind the plan matters more than any one month’s headlines. The goal of year-end tax planning is not finding every possible deduction before December 31 — it is coordinating gains, losses, conversions and gifts into one return.
Frank Lovaglio, RFC®
Retirement & Legacy. Simplified.
About the Author
Frank Lovaglio, RFC® · Managing Partner, Security Financial Management. CRD #1299700. Verify credentials at BrokerCheck by FINRA or SEC IAPD.
Disclosures
The information presented is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice. The deductions, limits, thresholds and deadlines referenced are set by the Internal Revenue Code and IRS guidance for the tax years named, several of them adjust each year, and all are subject to legislative and regulatory change. Decisions about selling securities, converting retirement accounts, giving to charity and the timing of income should be reviewed with a qualified tax professional familiar with your specific situation. Nothing here is a recommendation to sell, convert, give, withdraw or defer any asset or income. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC (Kestra IS). Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS). Security Financial Management, Bluespring Wealth Partners, LLC, Kestra IS and Kestra AS are affiliated through common ownership by Kestra Holdings. Verify advisor credentials at BrokerCheck by FINRA or SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure.