JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We have a less than a week left in 2013 and many of you are probably looking for ways to get the best bang for your buck with tax deductions.
There are many ways throughout the year you can lower your tax obligations or get a bigger refund, and it's not too late.
A local wealth management expert said there are four things you can do to maximize your savings.
"This is a good time of year to put your budget together, look at how much you've saved, how much you've spent and just try to set some goals based on that," said Joe Krier, President of Joe Krier Wealth Management.
With the end of 2013 quickly approaching, it's also time to buckle down and get your taxes squared away.
"There's a number of things, the biggest, most obvious one is gifts to charity. If you're trying to reduce your taxable income for 2013, anything you give to charity gets chopped right off there," said Krier.
Another strategy for a tax deduction is to contribute the maximum amount to your 401k or 403b account.
"You could ask your employer to set extra money aside here in the next week for you, the limits on that are actually up to about $17,500 now," said Krier.
It's also a good time to review your investments.
"If you have losers in there you could sell your losers and have not necessarily a deduction, but reduce any gains that you have."
By gathering receipts, you may have some deductibles you didn't even know about.
You may be able to deduct legal and professional fees, business expenses among other things.