As year end approaches there are a few items to consider:
Charitable Contributions - If you haven't completed your gifting for 2015 now is the time to be thinking about it. Not sure what charities you wish to support...think about funding a Donor Advised Fund(DAF). You can fund a DAF to help manage your charitable contributions in a timely manner and then decide later where you wish to make your grants.
Capital Gains - Be on the look out for capital gain distributions from your mutual funds if you own any. Most fund managers pay out distributions toward year end. Think about contacting your fund companies to identify any tax issues so you can plan accordingly.
Tax Loss Harvesting - With this being a difficult year for the markets you may consider selling some holdings to offset realized gains or look to harvest $3,000 of losses that you can use to offset $3,000 of ordinary income for 2015. If you plan to buy back your holdings make sure you understand the wash sale rule and always consider professional advice.