Obligations best resolved on December 1st? (5)
I believe the answer is:
debts
'obligations' is the definition.
('debt' can be a synonym of 'obligation')
'best resolved on december 1st?' is the wordplay.
'resolved' indicates anagramming the letters.
'on' indicates putting letters inside (as in clothing 'on' a person).
'december dst?' becomes 'd' (1st letter of 'december').
'best' is an anagram of 'ebts'.
'ebts' placed around 'd' is 'DEBTS'.
(Other definitions for debts that I've seen before include "Liabilities" , "Amounts owed" , "Monies owed" , "They're owed" , "Moneys owed" .)