Marketing Manager
Restaurant labor costs now average over 36% of sales industry-wide, up from the old 30% rule of thumb. A practical guide to tracking labor cost and prime cost weekly — including a 35-hour overtime alert threshold, demand-driven scheduling that cuts labor cost 20–30%, and the chart-of-accounts setup that makes it all measurable.
Return on Equity (ROE) divides net income by owner's equity — a 15% ROE means the business earned 15 cents per dollar of the owner's capital. This guide covers healthy benchmarks (12–15% baseline, 15–20%+ strong), the three-part DuPont breakdown of margin, asset turnover, and leverage, and the pitfalls — debt-inflated returns, negative equity, one-time items — that distort the ratio.
The $100K-or-200 shorthand is wrong in most states in 2026 — many repealed the transaction test and three big states use $500K. Track gross by state and channel before the notice does.
South Africa's 2026 Budget raises the compulsory VAT registration threshold from R1 million to R2.3 million effective 1 April 2026, lifts voluntary registration to R120,000, and adds a R600,000 tax-free band to turnover tax — here's who should consider deregistering, who shouldn't, and how to keep the bookkeeping clean through the transition.
Federal relief says $5,000 but most states still require $600 — a form in the mailbox may be state-driven. Reconcile per-TPSO gross to taxable income and don't pay tax on mis-coded reimbursements.
IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-26 sets the 2027 ACA employer affordability threshold at 10.22% and updates the premium tax credit applicable percentage table (2.15%–10.22% of household income by federal poverty line bracket). Here is how the new numbers — and a quiet premium-growth methodology change — affect self-employed marketplace buyers and small employers.
The AICPA's SAS 150, issued July 2026, requires auditors to independently confirm cash and cash equivalents held by third parties — payment processor balances, PEO trust accounts, and escrow arrangements — effective for audits of periods ending on or after December 15, 2028. Here is what the standard changes, why it exists, and how audited businesses should prepare.
AICPA SAS No. 150, issued July 2026 and effective for periods ending on or after December 15, 2028, requires auditors to externally confirm cash held by third parties — payment processor reserves, PEO payroll trust accounts, and escrow balances — unless narrow risk-based conditions are met. Here is what changes for audited businesses and how to prepare your books.
Alphabet Q2 2026 net income was $112.2B, but $99B was a non-cash equity gain. See why free cash flow turned negative and cloud grew 82%.
Australian sole traders who invoice without an ABN lose 47% of each payment to mandatory withholding. This guide covers free same-day ABN registration, the $75,000 rolling 12-month GST threshold, quarterly BAS due dates, individual marginal tax rates for 2026-27, deductible super contributions, and the ATO's five-year record-keeping rule.
California's AB 406 lets employees use accrued paid sick leave for jury duty, subpoenaed witness testimony, and crime-victim judicial proceedings — expanded January 1, 2026 to cover plea hearings, sentencing, and release decisions — while enforcement moves from the Labor Commissioner to the Civil Rights Department. Here's what every California employer, regardless of size, must update.
California's AB 660 takes effect July 1, 2026, restricting packaged food to two standardized date labels — "BEST if Used by" for quality and "USE by" for safety — and banning consumer-readable "sell by" dates. Covers who must comply, exemptions, $1,000-per-violation penalties, the sell-through transition rule, and a five-step compliance checklist for manufacturers, co-packers, and retailers.
