The USPTO's 2026 Fee Schedule: A Small Business Budgeting Guide for Trademarks and Patents
USPTO 2026 fee schedule for US small businesses: trademark classes, patent stages, and how to budget federal IP filings.
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Financial Planning
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How Small Business Owners Can Harvest Long-Term Capital Gains at 0% in 2026
In 2026, the 0% federal long-term capital gains rate applies up to $49,450 of taxable income for single filers and $98,900 for joint filers. This guide shows small business owners how to forecast taxable income, size a year-end gain harvest with the stacking rule, and avoid the basis, holding-period, and estimated-tax mistakes that turn a 0% plan into a tax bill.
Business Overhead Expense Insurance: Who Pays Rent and Payroll If You Can't Work?
Business Overhead Expense (BOE) disability insurance reimburses a business for fixed costs — rent, staff payroll, utilities, leases — when the owner can't work due to illness or injury. It excludes the owner's own salary, pays 12 to 24 months after a 30-, 60-, or 90-day elimination period, and typically costs 1% to 3% of the monthly benefit per year. Premiums are deductible; benefits are taxable to the business.
How Much Cash Should Your Small Business Keep in Reserve? A Practical Emergency Fund Guide
The median small business holds just 27 days of cash buffer, and a quarter hold fewer than 13. This guide shows how to size a reserve at three to six months of essential fixed costs, where to hold it, how to fund it in four stages, and how to book it as an asset account so transfers never distort profit.
Your Business Is Not a Retirement Plan: Why 34% of Owners Save Nothing and How to Fix It in 2026
34% of U.S. small business owners have no retirement plan, and more than 80% of a typical owner's net worth sits inside the business. This guide compares the SEP IRA, Solo 401(k), and SIMPLE IRA at 2026 limits ($72,000, $24,500 deferral, $17,000), explains the SECURE 2.0 credits worth up to $5,000 a year for three years, and gives a five-step plan to start saving this quarter.
The 2026 AMT Cliff: Lower Phaseout Thresholds, Twice the Clawback
For 2026 the OBBBA resets AMT phaseout thresholds to $500,000 single and $1,000,000 joint and doubles the exemption clawback from 25 to 50 cents per dollar, so the same income that owed no AMT in 2025 can owe five figures next year. A guide to who is exposed, how to estimate your position, and five planning moves before year-end.
The IRA Contribution Limit Hits $7,500 for 2026: Your Freelancer and Small-Business Owner's Guide to the First Big Increase in Years
The IRA contribution limit rises to $7,500 for 2026 — the first base increase since 2023 — plus a new $1,100 catch-up at 50+. Learn who qualifies, how it stacks with Solo 401(k) and SEP, and how freelancers can capture the extra room before April 15, 2027.
401(k) Alternative Investments Are Coming: What the DOL Safe Harbor and Trump Executive Order Mean for Your Plan
Executive Order Aug 7 2025 and DOL March 30 2026 safe harbor would let 401(k) plans add private equity, crypto and real assets — risks, fees, and fiduciary checklist.
The ACA Subsidy Cliff Is Back in 2026: How the Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction Can Pull Your MAGI Back Under the 400% Threshold
The enhanced ACA subsidies expired after 2025 — the 400% FPL cliff is back. Learn why $1 over 400% FPL wipes the credit, and how the §162(l) self-employed health insurance deduction can lower MAGI back under the threshold.
Auto-IRA Mandates Just Expanded to Utah, Mississippi, and Philadelphia: A 2026 State-by-State Guide for Small Employers Without a 401(k)
Utah, Mississippi, and Philadelphia joined the auto-IRA wave in 2026 — Philadelphia as the first city. Learn which employers must auto-enroll, the 2026 deadlines, and how a 401(k) exempts you.
When the Business Is All You've Got: A Small Business Owner's Guide to Diversifying Wealth Outside the Company
80% of owners have most wealth tied to the business and only 20-30% of listings sell. Learn how to build outside wealth while you run the company, not just when you exit.
The Great Ownership Transfer: What McKinsey's 6 Million Small Business Transitions Mean for Owners by 2035
McKinsey: ~6M SMBs face ownership transfer by 2035 as boomers retire — financing gaps, seller notes, and succession planning for 2026.