All too often, investors (or their accountants and financial advisors) wait until the very end of the year to worry about the losses that can and should be taken for tax purposes. At the very least, a better way is to practice tax-loss harvesting (and be far more proactive in tax planning in general) throughout the year—not just as the annual clock ticks down.

Capital gains taxes will be owed any time you sell a highly appreciated asset, weather it’s a collector car, investment portfolio or real estate. In addition, you’ll have to pay capital gains taxes on the sale of your business. The last one really hurts. You work hard for decades, put in blood, sweat, and tears, and then owe the government around 25% of the profits on the sale.

Most personal tax credits are allowed to the full extent of your regular tax liability and alternative minimum tax. But, it is important to note that they do not create a refund if they exceed your tax liability. Nonrefundable credits include the child tax credit, dependent care credit, adoption credit, education credits, retirement savings credit, credit for the elderly and disabled, mortgage interest credit, and D.C. first-time homebuyer credit.

Everyone knows that tax-time is never too far off in the future. As inconvenient and time consuming as filing and paying taxes may be, the IRS-imposed penalties for failure to do so are even less pleasant. Fortunately, there are some methods that may be able to potentially save you money on your next tax bill.