#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
The FTC's 2026 Franchise Rule Overhaul: What New Earnings-Claim and Non-Disparagement Rules Mean for Franchisees
In 2026 the FTC is tightening enforcement of Item 19 earnings-claim disclosures and declaring non-disparagement clauses in franchise agreements void when they block communication with regulators — here's what franchisees and franchisors need to do about it.
FTC 'Made in USA' Warning Letters: A 2026 Compliance Guide for Small Manufacturers
Seven manufacturers received FTC warning letters on July 6, 2026 over unqualified "Made in USA" claims. This guide covers the "all or virtually all" standard under 16 CFR Part 323, the $53,088-per-violation penalty, qualified-claim wording, and the substantiation file every small manufacturer should keep.
GPU Depreciation Schedules, Explained: How One Estimate Turns a 60% Margin Into a $1 Billion Loss
CoreWeave booked $5.13 billion in revenue and a roughly 60% adjusted EBITDA margin in 2025 — and still reported a net loss over $1 billion, driven by $2.45 billion of depreciation. This guide explains how GPU useful-life estimates (4 vs. 6 years) swing reported expenses by ~$30 million per 10,000 GPUs, why Amazon and Meta moved their server lives in opposite directions, and how any equipment-owning business should set honest depreciation assumptions under 2026 Section 179 and bonus depreciation rules.
H-2A and H-2B Visas in 2026: A Small Employer's Guide to Costs and Compliance
In 2026, DHS raised the H-2B cap to roughly 130,716 visas while H-2A per-worker costs run $8,000-$18,000 including wages, housing, and transportation, and small employers must track visa-program costs separately to survive a DOL wage-and-hour audit.
Home Health Agency Billing Under PDGM: How the 30-Day Payment Period and 5-Day NOA Deadline Determine What Medicare Pays
PDGM prices every home health claim in 30-day case-mix periods, docks roughly 1/30th of the period's payment per day for a late Notice of Admission, and switches to a flat per-visit rate if a period falls under its LUPA visit threshold.
Why Your Homeowners Policy Won't Cover Your Home-Based Business (and What to Buy Instead)
A standard homeowners policy caps business-property coverage around $1,500 and excludes business liability entirely, which is why most home-based businesses need a Business Owner's Policy (avg. $35/month) or a professional liability add-on.
HSA Comparability Rules: Why You Can't Pay Yourself More Than the Front Desk
Employer HSA contributions outside a Section 125 cafeteria plan must be identical across comparable employees, or the IRS imposes a 35% excise tax on the full contribution pool, not just the excess.
IFTA Fuel Tax: A Quarterly Filing Guide for Owner-Operators
IFTA returns are due four times a year, and two consecutive missed filings can get an owner-operator's fuel tax license revoked. This guide covers the quarterly deadlines, the $50-or-10% late penalty, the four-year record retention rule, the audit triggers auditors actually look for, and the recordkeeping habits that keep filings painless.
Illinois Just Killed the 200-Transaction Sales Tax Rule: What Online Sellers Need to Know
Illinois eliminated its 200-transaction economic nexus threshold under HB 2755 effective January 1, 2026, leaving a single $100,000 revenue test and offering a limited amnesty window from August 1 to October 31, 2026 for unregistered remote sellers.
The IRS's 10-Return E-File Mandate Is Catching Small Businesses Off Guard
The IRS now requires e-filing once a business issues 10 or more information returns combined — W-2s, 1099-NECs, 1099-MISCs and more, all counted together. Here's how to count correctly, the $340-per-return penalty for 2026-year returns, when a Form 8508 hardship waiver actually applies, and how to e-file free through IRIS.
IRS Small Business Penalty Overhaul for 2026: New Rates and Automatic Relief
For 2025 tax year returns filed in 2026, the IRS charges partnerships and S-corps $255 per partner or shareholder per month for late Forms 1065 and 1120-S, plus $330 per late Schedule K-1, while a new automatic relief program forgives first-time penalties for taxpayers with three years of clean compliance history.
Letters of Credit for First-Time Exporters: How a Bank Guarantee Gets You Paid Overseas
A letter of credit is a bank's guarantee to pay an exporter once shipping documents match its terms exactly — issuance typically costs 0.75%-2% of the transaction, and the ICC estimates 60-70% of first-time document presentations get rejected for discrepancies.