At the end of every year, I see founders fall into the same trap: avoiding their finances because the work feels dry or overwhelming. But avoidance is expensive. A few overlooked numbers can easily turn into thousands in unnecessary taxes or missed opportunities—and I’ve seen it happen more often than you’d think. So I want to show you exactly how I close out my own year, and what I help my clients do long before tax season shows up.

On this episode of Become Sensible, I walk you through the five financial and tax moves I recommend to every entrepreneur before December 31st. I’ll talk you through what “clean books” actually look like, how I review estimated taxes with clients, and why intentional year-end spending is more powerful than chasing deductions. We’ll also cover retirement strategies that can save you thousands and the budgeting steps I use with my own CFO clients to set up a strong 2026.

These steps aren’t glamorous, but they give you something far more important: “Clarity is the real return on your investment.” When you understand your numbers, you move from reactive to confident—and that’s when your business becomes truly scalable.

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Timestamps

• 0:00 - Why year-end finances matter (and why founders avoid them)
• 0:42 - The five core business foundations
• 1:30 - Step 1: Cleaning and reviewing your books
• 4:54 - How inaccurate books inflate tax bills
• 6:21 - The three financial reports that matter
• 8:03 - Step 2: Reviewing estimated taxes
• 9:27 - Common estimated-tax mistakes
• 10:33 - Step 3: Intentional year-end spending
• 11:48 - What real tax planning looks like
• 12:45 - Step 4: Funding your future (retirement strategies)
• 14:36 - How scenario planning reduces tax surprises
• 15:36 - Step 5: Reviewing financials + the 2026 budget
• 16:57 - Building base, best, and worst-case plans
• 17:45 - Final recap + year-end encouragement

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