My tree is not in a bonsai pot yet and it won't be until the year after next.
I still want to do a few things to it before I proclaim it "done" enough for a
pot. It will then be 14 years old. -Gosh I'm getting old...

After reading all the advice, I've decided to cut now instead of waiting till
the end of the month and leave the stem of each leaf on.

Last year was the only time I didn't cut the leaves off since the the tree
gained some maturity and I feel the leaves are a bit bigger this year, although
they are still small. I brought a full size leaf home from work yesterday to
compare and I was very pleased at the size difference.