#small-business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
A 72-hour response playbook for small business owners facing EIN-based tax fraud, registered agent hijacking, or payroll account takeover — including how to file IRS Form 14039-B, place fraud alerts at Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Small Business, and harden IRS, Secretary of State, banking, and payroll footprints year-round.
Colorado replaced its original AI Act with SB 26-189, which takes effect January 1, 2027 and imposes pre-use notices, 30-day adverse outcome disclosures, and consumer access, correction, and human review rights on businesses using automated decision-making technology in eight consequential decision categories. A compliance playbook for small and mid-size deployers and developers.
OBBBA Section 71308 and IRS Notice 2026-05 let you pair a Direct Primary Care membership of up to $150/month per adult ($300 family) with an HSA starting January 2026, reclassify all Bronze and Catastrophic marketplace plans as HSA-eligible, and make the telehealth pre-deductible safe harbor permanent. Here is how freelancers, solo S-corp owners, and small employers should stack DPC, marketplace coverage, HSAs, and QSEHRA/ICHRA reimbursements without double-dipping.
How the Fifth Circuit's vacatur of the 80/20/30 rule, the DOL's 2024 technical amendment, and an expanding state mini-tip-credit patchwork reshape FLSA tip pooling, dual jobs analysis, and Section 3(m) compliance for restaurants, bars, hotels, and salons in 2026.
A practical guide for Shopify and Amazon FBA sellers on rebuilding landed cost, pricing, and bookkeeping after the May and August 2025 suspensions of the Section 321 de minimis exemption, with line-by-line duty math, entry-type tradeoffs, and cash-flow tactics.
The enhanced premium tax credits expired January 1, 2026, restoring the 400% FPL cliff. This guide walks self-employed filers, S-corp owners, freelancers, and early retirees through the 2026 applicable percentage schedule, MAGI levers like Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, HSA, and Section 162(l), and Form 8962 reconciliation strategies to avoid five-figure repayments.
A practical 2026 walkthrough of FLSA youth employment rules for small employers — the four age tiers, the 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders, state work permits, the $4.25 subminimum wage, Section 3(m) tip rules for teens, and the civil penalty math after the 2024 inflation adjustments.
A pre-storm playbook for coastal small businesses — 60 to 90 day cash reserves, geotagged inventory documentation, business interruption policy review, pre-positioned SBA EIDL and Physical Disaster Loan paperwork, and how IRS Section 7508A and Section 165(i) prior-year casualty loss elections work in federally declared disaster zones.
A 2026 guide to bookkeeping for independent ATM and Bitcoin kiosk route operators — covering FinCEN MSB registration, BSA/AML programs, Form 8300 thresholds, Section 179 depreciation, vault-float accounting, and the five per-machine KPIs that determine whether a route is actually profitable.
How independent estheticians and multi-suite skincare studios should book seven distinct revenue streams under ASC 606, classify equipment against FDA cosmetic-versus-device rules, structure an MSO/PC for injectables, capitalize a $40,000 hydrafacial under restored 100% bonus depreciation, claim the newly expanded Section 45B FICA tip credit under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and track the four KPIs that decide a five-year lease renewal.
How home staging businesses track furniture inventory under MACRS, recognize install and rental revenue under ASC 606, navigate the W-2 vs 1099 ABC-test trap for staging crews, and watch the five KPIs that separate profitable stagers from those that scale into bankruptcy.
A bookkeeping playbook for independent kayak, SUP, and tour liveries — ASC 606 deferred revenue for prepaid bookings and gift cards, Section 179 and restored 100 percent bonus depreciation for fleet, USCG and state livery overlays, gross-presentation accounting for FareHarbor, Peek Pro, and Xola fees, weather cancellation reserves, 1099 versus W-2 instructor classification under the 2024 DOL rule, and the four KPIs operators actually steer by.
