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Minimizing taxes is a critical challenge for higher-income taxpayers subject to higher tax rates and certain additional taxes, as well as tax-break phaseouts. To meet this challenge, this year-end tax guide focuses on key considerations to help you stay compliant with the tax laws while maximizing your tax benefits in 2024 and beyond. This guide includes tax-saving strategies on income and deductions, executive compensation, investing, real estate, business ownership, charitable giving, family and education, retirement, and estate planning.

More than six years have passed since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) brought sweeping changes to the U.S. international tax landscape. Congress continues to balance taxpayer demands for long-overdue guidance on how to address the Pillar Two initiative of the Organization for Co-operation Development. Moreover, taxpayers continue to litigate Congress’ rulemaking authority in courts. While the fiscal environment remains unclear, taxpayers should prepare for an increase in their global effective tax rate and tighter reporting stand over the next couple of years.

Businesses in 2024 continue to contend with unfavorable U.S. tax law changes and reconfigured deductions from the last few years. Meanwhile, the IRS has strengthened its enforcement capabilities by upgrading its technologies and building its workforce, underscoring the importance of compliance and accurate reporting. Against this backdrop, the transition into 2025 is shadowed by uncertainty about potentially transformative tax legislation under a new administration and new Congress. But there is risk to sitting idle.

State legislatures faced a growing number of budget shortfalls to begin fiscal year 2025 as lower tax collections and a slowing economy curtailed the pandemic-era revenue boom. However, tax increases were rarely in the discussion. Budgets were balanced, and some states still have managed to cut taxes. Regardless of what occurs in statehouses, taxpayers need to prepare for both unforeseen economic changes and the potential for federal tax reform to trickle down to the states.

This tax planning guide was developed to help you think through opportunities and other considerations for you and your family during the remainder of 2024 and into 2025. The guide will help you evaluate and optimize the tax impact of changing market conditions and new policy developments. For additional tax planning guidance and insights, see:

Out of a need to address the administrative pain of managing the investment operations—specifically private investments—for a single-family office and multi-family office, Ryan Eisenman, CEO of Arch Labs, discusses how that need became a focus for starting his company. In this interview, Chris Mays talks with Ryan about how the Arch Labs platform is supporting family offices and their need for better financial reporting and management of investment updates, taxes, capital calls, and distributions.

Cryptocurrency has revolutionized the financial markets but also created tax traps for the unwary investor. Building on proposed regulations issued in 2023, the IRS has increased its oversight of cryptocurrency transactions by requiring brokers, beginning in 2025, to report investor sales and exchanges in connection with such transactions. Taxpayers not complying with these requirements may face penalties based on accuracy of reporting. For federal tax purposes and regulatory compliance, any form of virtual currency is treated as property and not cash.