Guides & advice
Practical, number-heavy guides on bookkeeping, accounting costs, and choosing the right firm.
1099 vs W-2: What Actually Decides It, and What It Costs Each Side The difference between a 1099 contractor and a W-2 employee is control over how the work gets done, not which form gets filed. What that means for your paycheck, and what misclassification costs a business. 9 min read →Bank Reconciliation: What It Is, With a Full Worked Example A bank reconciliation matches your books against the bank's record for the same period and explains every difference. The formula, a complete worked example, and what to do when it won't balance. 10 min read →Cash vs. Accrual Accounting: The Difference, With a Worked Example Cash basis records money when it moves; accrual records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred. A worked example showing the same month as a $21,000 profit or a $2,500 loss, plus who is required to use accrual. 9 min read →Chart of Accounts: What It Is, How to Number It, and What to Avoid A chart of accounts is the list of every account your transactions get sorted into. The five account types, how the 1000–6000 numbering convention works, a worked example, and the design mistakes that are expensive to undo. 10 min read →Construction Bookkeeping: Job Costing, WIP and Retainage Explained Construction books break normal bookkeeping: revenue is recognised across jobs, cash arrives late through retainage, and the WIP schedule decides whether you get bonded. What that means and what it costs. 4 min read →Estimated Tax Payments: Who Owes Them and When They're Due Who owes quarterly estimated taxes, the four payment periods and their usual due dates, how the safe harbor works, and why a big Q4 payment doesn't undo a missed June. 9 min read →How Do Tax Write-Offs Work? The Math Most People Get Wrong A write-off doesn't make anything free. It cuts your taxable income, so a $1,000 expense at a 24% marginal rate saves $240 and leaves you $760 out of pocket. The math, the real test for a deduction, and where people go wrong. 10 min read →Law Firm Bookkeeping: IOLTA, Three-Way Reconciliation and Trust Rules Law firm books carry a risk ordinary bookkeeping does not: mishandle a client trust account and the consequence is disciplinary, not financial. What IOLTA requires and how to hire for it. 4 min read →S Corp vs LLC: Which One Actually Saves You Money? An LLC is a legal entity; an S corp is a tax election — and an LLC can make it. Here's the self-employment tax math, a worked example at $120,000 of profit, and the point where payroll and filing costs cancel the savings. 9 min read →Nonprofit Bookkeeping: Fund Accounting, Form 990 and What It Costs Nonprofit books work differently: restricted funds, functional expense allocation, and a Form 990 that is public. What that changes, when you need an audit, and what firms charge. 5 min read →Profit and Loss Statement Template (With a Filled Example) A complete profit and loss statement template you can copy straight into Excel or Google Sheets, the formulas behind every subtotal, and a filled sample P&L for a small service business. 10 min read →Profit and Loss Statement: What It Is and How to Read One A profit and loss statement is revenue minus expenses over a period. A line-by-line worked example, gross vs. net margin, cash vs. accrual, and the mistakes that distort it. 10 min read →QuickBooks vs Xero in 2026: What 2,406 Accounting Firms Actually Use We checked which software 2,406 US accounting firms name on their own websites. QuickBooks appears on 1,859, Xero on 297 — and 74% of the Xero firms run both. What that means for your choice. 4 min read →Real Estate Bookkeeping: Per-Property Books, Depreciation and Trust Accounts Real estate books live or die on property-level separation, depreciation schedules and the repair-versus-improvement line. What investors, landlords and agents each need, and what firms charge. 4 min read →Small Business Tax Deductions: A Checklist by Category A category-by-category checklist of small business tax deductions — what qualifies, the mistake that gets each one disallowed, what is not deductible, and the records you need to keep. 10 min read →How Much Does a CPA Cost in 2026? Real Fees by Service CPA costs in 2026: $180-450/hr, $400-1,200 for a small business return, $2,500-8,000 for a review. What drives the price, and when a cheaper option does the same job. 4 min read →How to Find a Good CPA: A Practical Checklist How to find a CPA who fits your business: verifying a licence, the five questions that separate specialists from generalists, and the warning signs worth walking away from. 3 min read →Bookkeeper vs. Accountant vs. CPA: Which One Does Your Business Actually Need? The real differences between bookkeepers, accountants, and CPAs — what each does, what they cost in 2026, and when your business needs which. 6 min read →Catch-Up Bookkeeping: How to Fix Months (or Years) of Neglected Books What catch-up bookkeeping is, what it costs ($200-1,000+ per backlogged month), the step-by-step process, and how to never fall behind again. 7 min read →Ecommerce Bookkeeping: The Seller's Guide to Books That Match Reality Ecommerce bookkeeping explained: marketplace settlements vs deposits, COGS and inventory, sales tax nexus, and the A2X + QuickBooks/Xero stack. 7 min read →How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost in 2026? Real Price Ranges Bookkeeper costs in 2026: $20-60/hr freelance, $200-800/mo outsourced basic, $500-2,500/mo full-service. What moves the price and how to pay less. 6 min read →Restaurant Bookkeeping: The Owner's Guide to Books That Actually Run the Business Restaurant bookkeeping explained: daily sales journals, prime cost, 4-week periods, tip reporting, and how to choose a restaurant-specialist bookkeeper. 7 min read →When to Hire a Fractional CFO: Signals, Costs, and What They Actually Do What a fractional CFO does vs a bookkeeper or controller, the signals you need one, and 2026 costs: $3k-10k/month vs $250k+ for a full-time hire. 6 min read →