Square vs. Stripe for Small Businesses: Processing Fees, Payout Speed, Hardware, and Which One Reconciles Cleaner
Stripe is cheaper online (2.9% + 30¢); Square wins in person (2.6% + 15¢) with next-day payouts, free POS, and no dispute fee.
#reconciliation
Reconciliation
Bank reconciliation techniques for accurate financial records
Uncategorized Income and Expenses in QuickBooks, Explained: Where Mystery Transactions Come From and How to Clear Them Before Tax Season
Uncategorized Income is where QuickBooks parks deposits it can't classify — find it on your P&L, recategorize each item, and fix the bank rules that made it.
Blank vs. Restrictive vs. Special Check Endorsements: What Your Signature on the Back Actually Authorizes
A blank signature turns your check into bearer paper anyone can cash — write For deposit only above your signature instead.
Ghost Cards Explained: How One Shared Card Number Covers Travel, Ad Spend, and Subscriptions
A ghost card is a corporate card number assigned to a purpose, not a person — MCC limits and Level 3 data make it reconcilable.
Flux Analysis, Explained: How Comparing Account Balances Across Periods Catches Errors, Variance, and Fraud Before the Books Close
Flux analysis compares each account to last period and demands a reason for every material move — catching misposts, stale accruals, and fraud before the close.
Plaid vs. MX vs. Finicity: Which Bank-Data Aggregator Sits Behind Your Accounting Feed?
MX enriches transactions best, Finicity leads lending verification, and Plaid connects the most banks — pick your feed by where you bank, not by brand.
Remittance Advice, Explained: The Payment Slip That Tells Your Supplier Which Invoices You Paid
Remittance advice tells your supplier which invoices a payment covers — invoice numbers, discounts, and credits included — so cash applies cleanly.
Zero-Balance Accounts, Explained: How ZBAs Sweep Idle Cash Into a Master Account Every Night
A zero-balance account ends every day at $0 — the bank funds each day's payments from a master account, so no cash ever sits idle.
FloQast vs. BlackLine vs. Numeric: Which Month-End Close Platform Fits a Lean Team?
Numeric's $30/user/mo plan and AI-drafted flux commentary beat FloQast checklists for lean teams — unless matching volume forces BlackLine.
Soft Close vs. Hard Close: How Small Finance Teams Lock the Books Fast Without Losing Accuracy
A soft close locks the books fast on estimates; a hard close verifies every account. Close soft monthly, hard quarterly — and book year-end fixes in period 13.
Authorization Holds, Explained: How Long Each Card Network Lets You Hold Funds — and When to Reverse Instead of Capture
Visa gives card-present holds 5 days and card-not-present 10; Mastercard 7; Amex 7; Discover 10 — capture or reverse before the clock runs out.
Co-Hosting vs. Rental Arbitrage: How to Run a Short-Term Rental Business Without Owning Property
Rental arbitrage keeps the spread but owes rent monthly; co-hosting earns 10-25% with no lease. Compare economics, contracts, permits, and IRS-proof books.