January feels like the starting line for organizing your finances in the coming year, but preparation in November and December can set you up for success in the new year. It pays to understand your potential tax advantages before the clock runs out on 2026. And if you’re planning to purchase, refinance, or tap into your home’s equity in 2027, preparing now will ensure you’re ready to act when the timing is right.

The holidays invite us, or perhaps compel us, to make room on our calendars for the season’s full array of memory-making moments. If you invite friends and family to gather at your house, you may feel compelled to make another kind of “room” as well — an inviting space for your guests. Here are a few ways to create a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere in your home.

Conventional wisdom suggests home buyers and sellers should spend the winter preparing for the spring market, when more listings go online. More activity, the thinking goes, equals more opportunity. But the busy spring market actually means more competition, more pressure, and less room to negotiate for everyone involved. Winter, on the other hand, quietly offers a distinct advantage for serious buyers and sellers who know where to look.

January feels like the place to work on change, but real preparation begins in November and December. Settle in with this edition of Waypoints, so you, your home, and your finances will be set for a strong finish to 2026 and a great start to 2027.

Many would-be homebuyers find themselves stuck in today’s market. Maybe they want to get into their first home, but down payment requirements are holding them back. Perhaps they’re ready to trade up from their starter home, but prices have spiked in their preferred location. Or maybe they’re ready to downsize, but they’re still clinging to ultra-low, pandemic-era rates.