Input vs. Output Methods, Explained: How to Measure Progress on Long-Term Contracts
Input methods track effort in, output methods track value out — choose the ASC 606 progress measure that fits the contract and reconcile billings monthly.
Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
Marginal Cost, Explained: What One More Unit Really Costs
Marginal cost is what one more unit costs: change in cost over change in quantity. Keep producing while it stays below marginal revenue.
Market Discount and Bond Premium, Explained: How Buying a Bond Below or Above Par Changes Your Tax
IRS rules tax accreted market discount as ordinary income unless de minimis — while electing premium amortization shrinks your taxable coupon.
Participating vs. Non-Participating Preferred Stock: How the Double Dip Decides Your Exit Payout
Participating preferred pays investors twice — preference first, then a pro-rata share. Non-participating pays only the greater of the two.
Patriot vs. OnPay vs. SurePayroll: The Cheapest Full-Service Payroll for a Micro-Business
Patriot is cheapest for most micro-business payrolls, but multi-state fees and year-end form bills can flip it — run your headcount before your IRS deposit.
The PEG Ratio, Explained: How Dividing P/E by Earnings Growth Separates a Fair Price From an Expensive One
PEG ratio divides P/E by earnings growth — around 1.0 is fairly valued, below 1.0 may be cheap if the growth is real.
Recapitalizations, Explained: How Companies Reshape Debt and Equity Without Changing the Business
A recapitalization swaps debt for equity — or equity for debt — to cut risk, fund a buyout, or take cash out without selling the company.
REITs, Explained: How Real Estate Investment Trusts Turn Rent Into Dividends
REITs must pay out 90% of taxable income to keep their tax status — so yields run high, dividends face ordinary rates, and Section 199A deducts 20%.
The 10-Column Accounting Worksheet, Explained: From Unadjusted Trial Balance to Financial Statements
The 10-column worksheet turns raw ledger balances into statements: add adjustments, prove the adjusted balances, extend each account to its statement.
15-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgage: The $354,000 Decision Hiding in Your Monthly Payment
A 15-year mortgage saves about $354,000 in interest on a $400,000 loan but costs $770 more a month — the math, the DTI trade-off, and the pay-like-a-15 hybrid.
Allowance Method vs. Direct Write-Off for Bad Debts: Why Your Books and Your Tax Return Disagree
GAAP books bad-debt expense up front through the allowance method; IRS Section 166 deducts only specific worthless debts. How the timing gap works.
The Balanced Scorecard, Explained: How Four Perspectives Turn Strategy Into Measures a Small Business Actually Tracks
The Balanced Scorecard turns strategy into measures across financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives — linked bottom-up in one cause-effect chain.