Small business &amp; personal finance, in under five slides.

Tax

K-1 Income: What It Is and How to File It

If you're a partner, S-corp shareholder, or LLC member, you'll get a K-1. Here's how to read it and where each number lands on your 1040.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Accounting

Accrual Accounting: When to Switch From Cash Basis

Cash basis is simple but lies about timing. When accrual accounting is required, when it is simply the smarter call, and exactly how the switch works.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Fractional CFO

When Does a Small Business Need a Fractional CFO?

Bookkeepers record. Accountants close and report. CPAs file. None of them help you make the next decision. That's what a CFO does.

Updated May 4, 2026

Tax

Multi-State Sales Tax for Remote and Online Businesses

Wayfair turned every remote-sale state into a potential tax obligation. Here's how to know where you owe, register, and stay clean.

Updated May 4, 2026

Tax

Quarterly Estimated Tax for Self-Employed and Business Owners

If you're not on a W-2, the IRS expects four prepayments a year. Miss them and you owe penalties even if you pay in full at filing.

Updated May 4, 2026

Tax

AMT, ISOs, NSOs, and RSUs: A Survival Guide

Equity comp tax is where high-income professionals lose the most money, usually to AMT. Here's the framework for each instrument.

Updated May 4, 2026

Tax

California Small Business Franchise Tax Explained

The minimum $800 every California entity owes, and the layered taxes that surprise founders who form here without thinking it through.

Updated May 4, 2026

Accounting

Month-End Close Checklist for Small Businesses

A repeatable monthly close cadence, what to reconcile, what to accrue, and how to know your books are actually done.

Updated May 4, 2026

Accounting

Reading Your P&L: What Owners Should Actually Look For

The numbers your accountant hands you each month. Here's how to read past the gross totals to the signals that matter.

Updated May 4, 2026

FP&A

Building a 13-Week Cash Forecast

The single most useful financial tool for a small business. Not a budget, not a P&L, a weekly cash projection you actually use.

Updated May 4, 2026

FP&A

Pricing Analysis: Cost-Plus vs. Value-Based

Most owners price by adding margin to cost. The good ones price to the value the customer gets. Here's how to tell which approach fits.

Updated May 4, 2026

Payroll

Multi-State Payroll Setup for Small Businesses

One remote employee in another state means new tax registrations, withholding rules, and compliance work. Here's the playbook.

Updated May 4, 2026

Payroll

Contractor (1099) vs. Employee (W-2): The IRS Test

Misclassifying employees as contractors is one of the most common (and most expensive) small business mistakes. Here's how the IRS decides.

Updated May 4, 2026

Business Valuation

Business Valuation Methods Explained

Three approaches (income, market, and asset), and how appraisers reconcile them into a single defensible number.

Updated May 4, 2026

Business Valuation

Buy-Sell Agreement Valuation: What You Need to Know

When a partner exits, the buy-sell agreement decides the price. If the valuation method isn't right, the deal falls apart.

Updated May 4, 2026

Tax

BOI Reporting: U.S. Companies Are Now Exempt. Here's What Changed

FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule exempted all U.S.-formed companies from beneficial ownership (BOI) reporting. Who's off the hook, who still files, and what to do about reports you already submitted.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

Solo 401(k) vs. SEP-IRA for Self-Employed Owners

If you're self-employed with no employees, both plans let you stash big retirement contributions, but the math, deadlines, and admin differ.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Payroll

1099-NEC and 1099-MISC Filing Checklist for Small Businesses

Who to send 1099s to, what the dollar thresholds are, when they're due, and how to avoid IRS penalties for late or wrong filings.

Updated May 4, 2026

FP&A

Building a KPI Dashboard Your Business Actually Uses

Most KPI dashboards are pretty and ignored. Here's how to build one with the 5–8 numbers that should drive every owner conversation.

Updated May 4, 2026

Fractional CFO

Owner Compensation: Salary, Distribution, and Profit Sharing

How owner-operators should pay themselves: salary vs. distribution split, reasonable comp, retirement contributions, and how it all interacts with tax.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Accounting

Revenue Recognition for SaaS and Subscription Businesses

ASC 606 changed how SaaS recognizes revenue. Here's the framework, what trips up small SaaS, and how to set up books that pass diligence.

Updated May 4, 2026

Business Valuation

Estate and Gift Tax Valuation Discounts

DLOM and DLOC discounts can reduce the taxable value of a transferred business interest by 30–50%. Here's how they work and what survives IRS scrutiny.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Accounting

Chart of Accounts: Setup for SMBs by Industry

Your chart of accounts shapes every report you ever read. Here's how to set one up by industry (agencies, e-commerce, real estate, and restaurants) so the numbers tell the truth.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Deferred Revenue for Service Businesses (Not Just SaaS)

Agencies, consultancies, memberships, retainers, and subscription services all sit on deferred revenue. Here's how to set it up and what most owners get wrong.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

GAAP vs. Cash vs. Tax Basis: When Each Matters

Three ways to keep your books, each with different rules and audiences. Here's when each basis matters and which one your business needs.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

ASC 606 Revenue Recognition for Service Businesses

ASC 606 isn't a SaaS-only rule. Agencies, consultancies, memberships, and project-based services all need to apply the five-step model. Here's how.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Reading the Balance Sheet: What Owners Should Look For

Most owners stare at the P&L and ignore the balance sheet. That's where the early-warning signals actually live. Here's how to read yours.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

5 Bookkeeping Mistakes That Trigger IRS Audits

Most IRS audits start from patterns in the books, not random selection. Here are the five bookkeeping mistakes most likely to put you on the audit list.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

5 Multi-State Sales Tax Mistakes E-commerce Owners Make

Wayfair turned every remote sale into a potential tax obligation. Here are the five sales tax mistakes that turn into back-tax exposure.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

5 Owner Compensation Mistakes That Trigger IRS Scrutiny

How you pay yourself decides how much tax you pay, and how much audit risk you carry. Here are the five owner-comp mistakes that cost owners the most.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Business Valuation

5 Estate Planning Mistakes Family Businesses Make

Family businesses without estate plans usually don't survive the founder's death. Here are the five mistakes that destroy enterprise value and family relationships.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

The Augusta Rule (§280A(g)): Rent Your Home to Your Business

Up to 14 days/year of personal residence rental to your own business, tax-free to you, deductible to the business. Here's how to do it right and why the IRS scrutinizes it.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Accountable Plan Reimbursements for S-corp Owners

Legally pull money out of your S-corp for home office, mileage, cell phone, and internet, without it becoming taxable income to you. Here's how to set one up.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

Backdoor Roth IRA and Mega Backdoor Roth Explained

High-income earners can't contribute to Roth IRAs directly. The backdoor and mega-backdoor strategies legally route after-tax money into Roth. Here's how each works.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Tax

Defined Benefit & Cash Balance Plans for High-Income Solo Owners

When Solo 401(k) and SEP-IRA caps aren't enough, defined benefit and cash balance plans can shelter $200K–$300K+ per year. Here's when they make sense.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

QBI (Section 199A) Deduction: The Full Walkthrough

The 20% pass-through deduction has SSTB phase-outs, wage and UBIA limits, REIT/PTP rules, and aggregation elections. Here's the complete framework, not the surface version.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Year-End Tax Planning Checklist for SMB Owners

The 15-item checklist of things to confirm or do by December 31 to optimize your tax position. Updated annually.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

Tax Changes Taking Effect in 2026: SMB Owner Edition

What's changing for small business owners and individuals in 2026: TCJA permanence, 100% bonus depreciation restored, §174A R&D expensing, the 1099-K repeal, and more.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

California PTET: The SALT-Cap Workaround for High-Income Owners

California's Pass-Through Entity Tax election lets passthrough owners pay state tax at the entity level, sidestepping the $10K federal SALT cap. Here's how to elect and when it pays off.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

New York PTET: Election Mechanics and When It Pays Off

New York's Pass-Through Entity Tax election bypasses the federal SALT cap for passthrough owners. Here are the New York-specific rules, deadlines, and trade-offs.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Illinois PTET: SALT Workaround for Illinois Passthroughs

Illinois's Pass-Through Entity Tax election lets passthrough owners deduct state tax federally by paying at the entity level. Here's how Illinois's version works.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Massachusetts PTET (Pass-Through Entity Excise): How It Works

Massachusetts's Pass-Through Entity Excise (the PTET equivalent) lets passthrough owners deduct state tax federally by paying at the entity level. Here's the Massachusetts version.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

The Short-Term Rental Tax 'Loophole' Explained

How material participation in short-term rentals can let W-2 earners offset wages with rental losses: the legitimate framework, not the influencer pitch.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Real Estate Professional Status (§469(c)(7)): The Complete Framework

Two tests, strict hour requirements, spouse aggregation rules, and the elections that make it work. The definitive walkthrough.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Self-Rental Rules: When You Rent Property to Your Own Business

Renting your own building to your own business sounds like a clean tax move, but §469(c)(2) recharacterizes the income and changes the math. Here's what you need to know.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Opportunity Zones: Capital Gain Deferral and Tax-Free Growth

Defer (and potentially eliminate) capital gains tax by investing in Qualified Opportunity Funds. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Concierge Medicine & Direct Primary Care: Tax & Accounting Structure

Membership-based medical practices have unique accounting and tax considerations. Here's how to set up books, recognize revenue, and structure the entity.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

The Solo Practitioner Retirement Stack: 401(k) + Cash Balance + DB

How high-income solo physicians, lawyers, and dentists combine multiple plans to shelter $300K+/year. The full stack with sequencing and trade-offs.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

Section 1202 QSBS: Up to $15M Gain Tax-Free

Qualified Small Business Stock can exclude up to $15M (or 10× basis) of gain from federal tax for stock issued after July 4, 2025, $10M for earlier stock. Here's eligibility, both regimes, and the holding rules.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

ISO Exercise Multi-Year Strategy: AMT-Optimized Planning

Exercising ISOs all at once usually triggers crushing AMT. Splitting the exercise across multiple years minimizes the surprise. Here's the framework.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

Amazon FBA Multi-State Tax: Nexus, Marketplace Facilitators, and Filings

Amazon FBA warehouses create physical nexus in 20+ states. Marketplace facilitator laws shift collection but not registration. Here's the FBA seller's tax map.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Inventory Costing Methods Compared: FIFO, LIFO, Weighted Average

Choosing among FIFO, LIFO, and weighted-average affects your gross margin, taxable income, and balance sheet. Here's how to pick the right method.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

The 1099-K $600 Threshold Is Repealed: Back to $20K / 200

OBBBA retroactively repealed the $600 1099-K threshold; reporting is back to $20,000 AND 200 transactions. Here's how the saga ended, what to do with forms already issued, and how to reconcile.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

FP&A

DTC Unit Economics for Non-VC Brands: CAC, LTV, ROAS, Margin

Direct-to-consumer unit economics framework adapted for bootstrapped and growth-stage DTC brands, without the VC-pitch framing.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

FICA Tip Credit: An Overlooked Restaurant Tax Credit

Restaurants can claim a federal credit for the employer portion of FICA paid on employee tips. Often missed; worth $5K–$50K+ per year for a typical restaurant.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Multi-Unit Restaurant Accounting: Setting Up Books As You Grow From One Location

When one location becomes three, accounting complexity grows fast. Here's how to set up class tracking, standardize the chart of accounts, and prepare per-location books that can be rolled up later.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Cash Control Procedures for Cash-Heavy Businesses

Restaurants, salons, retail with significant cash collections face heightened IRS scrutiny. Here are the cash control procedures that defend an audit.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Accounting

Job Costing for Small Contractors Without Enterprise Software

How to set up real job-level profitability tracking in QuickBooks or Xero, without buying construction-specific software you don't need.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Payroll

Certified Payroll & Davis-Bacon Compliance for Public Works

Federal Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage laws require certified payroll filings on public projects. Here's the compliance framework.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Fractional CFO

Bonding Capacity and the WIP Schedule

Construction contractors need bonding to win larger projects. Bonding capacity hinges on financial statements, and the WIP schedule is the critical input.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

FBAR and Form 8938: Foreign Account Reporting Walkthrough

FBAR (FinCEN 114) and Form 8938 (FATCA) report foreign financial accounts to the U.S. government. Different thresholds, different penalties, both essential.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

PFIC Rules on Indian Mutual Funds: Why They Hurt

Indian mutual funds, ULIPs, and many Indian investment products are PFICs under U.S. tax law, and PFIC tax is brutally punitive. Here's what to do.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

RNOR Transition Planning: Returning to India from the U.S.

Returning Indians enjoy 'Resident but Not Ordinarily Resident' (RNOR) status for up to 3 years, sheltering foreign income from Indian tax. Here's how to maximize the window.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Tax

Section 6166: Pay Estate Tax in Installments on Family Business Estates

When a family business is the bulk of the estate, §6166 lets heirs pay estate tax over 14 years at favorable interest, saving the business from forced sale.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Business Valuation

ESOPs for SMB Owners: An Alternative Exit Strategy

Employee Stock Ownership Plans let SMB owners sell their business to employees with significant tax benefits. Here's the framework.

Updated Jun 15, 2026

Business Valuation

GRAT and IDGT Primer: Wealth Transfer for Family Businesses

Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) and Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs) are wealth-transfer tools for SMB owners with appreciating businesses. Here's the framework.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Accounting

Choosing Accounting Software: QuickBooks vs. Xero vs. Zoho

A small-business evaluation of the three accounting platforms Rubric Financial supports. What each is good at, what breaks at scale, and a checklist for picking the right one.

Updated Jul 22, 2026

Accounting

Evaluating Your Accountant: 10 Signals Your CPA Fits Your Business

Ten concrete tests to run on your current CPA or bookkeeping firm. If they fail more than three, it's time to have a serious conversation or start looking.

Updated Jul 22, 2026

Accounting

Bookkeeping Cleanup: Signals It's Time to Switch Providers

The concrete symptoms that tell you your current bookkeeper (or DIY setup) has stopped working, plus the switching workflow that avoids losing history or paying twice.

Updated Jul 22, 2026

Accounting

The Five-Day Month-End Close for Small Businesses

A day-by-day playbook for closing the books in five business days, the discipline that turns bookkeeping from a rearview mirror into a decision tool for owners.

Updated Jul 22, 2026

Fractional CFO

Cash and Treasury Management for Owners and High-Net-Worth Individuals

How to think about idle cash across sweeps, money-market funds, high-yield savings, and Treasury bills. FDIC stacking, when to use each vehicle, and a simple operating policy.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

5 min · 6 slidesRead

Fractional CFO

Working Capital Management: Unlocking Cash Trapped in AR, AP, and Inventory

For small businesses, working capital is where the cash lives. A practical guide to shrinking DSO, extending DPO responsibly, and taming inventory without breaking operations.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Fractional CFO

Debt vs. Equity Financing for SMBs: SBA, Lines of Credit, Seller Financing, HELOC

A practical map of the financing options actually available to small businesses: SBA 7(a), SBA 504, business lines of credit, seller notes, and personal HELOCs. When each fits and when it does not.

Updated Jul 22, 2026

Accounting

Restaurant Lease Accounting Under ASC 842 (For Small Businesses)

How the ASC 842 lease accounting standard changes the balance sheet for restaurants, offices, equipment, and retail leases. What owners need to do, and what to expect from lenders after adoption.

Updated Jul 22, 2026

Tax

1031 Exchange Rules and Timeline for Small Landlords

How a 1031 exchange defers tax on the sale of investment real estate, what qualifies, the 45-day and 180-day clocks, why you need a qualified intermediary, how boot gets taxed, and when a 1031 is the wrong move.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Tax

Cost Segregation Explained: Accelerating Depreciation on Real Estate

What a cost segregation study actually does, which properties and owners benefit, how permanent 100% bonus depreciation supercharges the result, the passive-loss catch, and the recapture trade-off to model before you commission one.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Tax

Self-Employment Tax: How It Works and How to Lower It

How the 15.3% self-employment tax is actually computed on Schedule SE (the 92.35% adjustment, the Social Security wage-base cap, uncapped Medicare), plus the employer-half deduction, how an S-corp election changes the math, and quarterly estimates.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Fractional CFO

DSO vs DPO: The Two Numbers That Drive Your Working Capital

Days sales outstanding measures how fast customers pay you. Days payable outstanding measures how fast you pay vendors. How to calculate both, what healthy looks like by industry, and how to move each without damaging relationships.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Fractional CFO

ACH vs Wire Transfer: Choosing the Right Payment Rail for Your Business

How ACH and wire transfers actually work, what each costs, how fast they settle, which can be reversed, the fraud controls that matter, and when a small business should use each rail.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Tax

Form 1065: How the Partnership Tax Return Works

Who files Form 1065, how partnership income flows through to each partner's K-1, the March 15 deadline and extensions, the per-partner late-filing penalty, and the errors that trip up multi-member LLCs.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

How Restaurant Groups Consolidate Financials From Multiple Locations

Entity structures, chart-of-accounts standardization, intercompany eliminations, and the difference between location-level P&Ls and a consolidated group view. What restaurant groups get wrong when location two and three arrive.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

How Much Does Small Business Bookkeeping Cost?

What drives small business bookkeeping cost, realistic market ranges, the in-house vs outsourced math, why the price rises as you grow, and how to choose between fixed-fee and hourly billing.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

Bookkeeper vs Accountant vs CPA: Who You Need and When

The three roles are not interchangeable. What a bookkeeper, an accountant, and a CPA each actually do for a $1M to $20M business, what the credentials guarantee, when each is enough, and where the handoffs belong.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

The Statement of Cash Flows: The Report Most Owners Skip

Your P&L says you made money and your bank account disagrees. The statement of cash flows is the report that reconciles the two. How the cash flow statement works, section by section, and what owners should look for.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

Small Business Accounting 101: Books, Close, Statements, Taxes

The accounting basics every owner needs, in order: set up the books, close them monthly, read the statements, stay ahead of taxes, and use the numbers to run the business. A map of the whole system with links to go deeper.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Tax

Small Business Tax Deadlines for 2026, By Entity Type

Every date that matters this year: the small business tax deadlines 2026 filers need for S-corps, partnerships, C-corps, and sole proprietors, plus payroll filings, 1099s, quarterly estimates, and how extensions actually work.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Fractional CFO

Bookkeeping to Controller to Fractional CFO

The three layers of a small business finance function: when bookkeeping alone is enough, the signals to add a controller, and when fractional CFO services earn the fee.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Business Valuation

When You Actually Need a Business Valuation

The trigger events that call for a business valuation: exit planning, buy-sell agreements, SBA 7(a) loans, estate and gift transfers, and partner disputes.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Payroll

Employer of Record vs PEO vs Payroll Service

EOR vs PEO vs payroll service: who legally employs the worker, what co-employment means, when a small business needs each, and what actually drives the cost.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

Outsourced Bookkeeping vs In-House: The True Cost

The real cost of an in-house bookkeeper versus an outsourced team: salary loading, software, supervision, and coverage risk, plus the cases where each model actually wins.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

The Catch-Up Bookkeeping Process, Step by Step

What a bookkeeping catch-up engagement involves: the diagnostic, the documents you must provide, the month-by-month rebuild, realistic timelines, and the tax cleanup after.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Accounting

Outsourced Accounting Cost: What Drives the Price

What outsourced accounting actually costs and why quotes differ so much: volume, entities, complexity, and service level, plus how to get quotes you can compare.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Tax

How to Choose a Small Business Tax Accountant

What to look for in a small business tax accountant: credentials that matter, the questions to ask before you sign, the red flags to walk away from, and how fees work.

Updated Aug 2, 2026

Tax

CPA Tax Services vs DIY Software: Where Each Wins

Where tax software is genuinely fine, where its limits start costing real money, and what a CPA does that no software does: planning before the year closes.

Updated Aug 2, 2026