Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
Small Business Taxes 2026: A Complete Obligations Guide for New Business Owners
A 2026 walkthrough of every small business tax obligation—federal income, self-employment, payroll, sales, and excise—with the full filing calendar, quarterly estimated tax safe harbors, OBBBA-era changes (permanent QBI, $1.21M Section 179, restored 100% bonus depreciation), and the recordkeeping habits that prevent penalties.
Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) After OBBBA: Why the $15 Million Exemption Still Demands Action in 2026
After OBBBA set the federal estate, gift, and GST exemption at $15 million per person in 2026, SLATs still freeze growth out of the taxable estate at a 40 percent rate. Coverage of dual-SLAT reciprocal trust risk, asset selection, valuation discounts, and the audit records families need to keep.
Tax Loss Harvesting: The Year-Round Strategy That Can Save You Thousands in Capital Gains Taxes
Year-round tax loss harvesting can add 0.5%–1.5% in annual after-tax returns to a taxable portfolio. This guide explains the IRS netting order, the wash sale rule across taxable and IRA accounts, and a practical framework for harvesting short-term losses without losing the deduction.
The Stress-Free Tax Season Workflow: How to Catch Up, Organize, and File With Confidence
A six-week framework for small business owners to catch up unreconciled books, assemble a standardized year-end financial package, and hand off cleanly to an accountant—anchored by the 2026 federal filing deadlines.
Trump's 2026 Small Business Tax Changes: OBBBA Permanent QBI, Bonus Depreciation, and Tariff Impact
OBBBA made the 20% QBI deduction and 100% bonus depreciation permanent for 2026, while tariffs near 19% cost U.S. small businesses about $85 billion a year. Here is what changed, who benefits, and how to plan.
Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (IRC 6672): Personal Liability for Unpaid Payroll Taxes
How the IRS uses Internal Revenue Code Section 6672 to hold business owners, officers, bookkeepers, and even spouses personally liable for 100% of unpaid payroll withholdings — covering who qualifies as a responsible person, how willfulness is established, and how to defend a Letter 1153 within the 60-day appeal window.
Self-Directed IRAs for Real Estate and Alternative Assets: A Practical Compliance Guide
A practical guide to Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRAs) — what you can hold, the disqualified-person rules under IRC §4975, UBIT and UDFI on leveraged real estate, the McNulty checkbook-control warning, and the recordkeeping disciplines that prevent a deemed distribution.
Form 3115 Demystified: How to Change Your Accounting Method and Unlock Tax Savings
Form 3115 lets U.S. taxpayers change accounting methods and use a Section 481(a) adjustment to recover missed deductions or correct multi-year errors on a single current-year return, without amending prior years.
Form 5471 Decoded: A US Shareholder's Guide to Filing Categories, Schedules, and Avoiding Six-Figure Penalties
Form 5471 carries automatic $10,000-per-corporation initial penalties capped at $60,000 per year for U.S. persons who own, control, or serve as officers of foreign corporations. Covers the five filing categories, modular schedules, GILTI's rename to NCTI for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, and the Streamlined and Delinquent Submission routes back into compliance.
ASC 718 Stock-Based Compensation Accounting for Startups: A Practical Guide
ASC 718 requires startups to recognize the grant-date fair value of equity awards as compensation expense over the vesting period, even when no cash changes hands. This guide covers measurement, recognition, forfeitures, modifications, disclosures, and the audit pitfalls that derail funding rounds.
Asset Sale vs Stock Sale: How M&A Deal Structure Decides Who Pays the Tax
An asset sale vs stock sale changes who pays tax, who carries liability, and how a deal closes. Compare 2026 tax math, successor liability doctrines, and the S-corp hybrid structures — Section 338(h)(10) and F-reorganizations — that now dominate mid-market deals.
Donor-Advised Funds vs Private Foundations: Choosing the Right Vehicle for Your Charitable Legacy
A 2026 comparison of donor-advised funds and private foundations covering AGI deduction limits, the 0.5% itemizer floor and 35% deduction cap from OBBBA, the 5% payout rule, self-dealing penalties, and why closely-held stock donated to a private foundation deducts at cost basis instead of fair market value.