Tax expert offers end-of-year tips

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Award-winning tax blogger and journalist Kay Bell was in studio on Saturday morning to offer end-of-year tax tips for those who want to maximize deductions.

Bell had a number of tips to consider for filers to consider for deductions in the current tax year: give to charity; sell stock; spend down flexible savings accounts; make January mortgage payments; pay property taxes; pay spring semester tuition; or even hire a tax professional.

Bell offers nine year-end tax tips from Santa's reindeer on her Don't Mess with Taxes blog, including bunching your deductions and converting your traditional IRA to a Roth account. She also offers up-to-date reaction to the fiscal cliff debate in Washington DC.

Bell spent almost 20 years in Washington DC as both a Congressional staffer on the Ways and Means Committee, as well as a government affairs specialist for two Fortune 100 companies.