Fiscal cliff looming? Ten tax moves to make now.

Americans are facing an unprecedented tax increase of nearly $500 billion on Jan. 1, 2013, from the so-called "fiscal cliff." Are you ready? Here are 10 year-end tax strategies I recommend:

4. Stop making excess pre-tax 401(k) contributions

Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor/File
A poster hangs in the halls of the US Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C., in this March file photo. Here are 10 tax strategies to protect yourself from the tax increases that make up part of the 'fiscal cliff.'

Once you have put in the maximum your employer will match, you don’t want to risk deferring income into a higher tax bracket. Wait until 2013 to start maximizing pre-tax 401(k) contributions again. You could switch to making Roth 401(k) contributions if your employer offers the option. 

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