Tax Talk
Strategy · Wealth · Insight
Guides for your next financial decision
Work through examples, compare the records you need, and find the relevant planning or accounting service.
Bookkeeping and accounting
- QuickBooks Cleanup Services: Scope, Timeline, and What a Finished Cleanup Includes
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping: A Recovery Plan for Businesses Months or Years Behind
- Multi-Entity Bookkeeping: Separate Books and One Reliable Owner Report
- Month-End Close Checklist: From Bank Reconciliations to Owner Sign-Off
- How to Switch Accountants Without Losing Records or Missing Filings
CFO and financial decisions
S corporation planning
- S-Corp Reasonable Compensation: Building and Maintaining the Evidence
- Late S-Corp Election: Eligibility, Documents, and the Filing Sequence
- LLC vs. S-Corp: Comparing Taxes, Costs, and Administrative Work
- Bookkeeping for an S-Corp: Payroll, Distributions, Loans, and Basis
- Hiring Your Spouse: Compensation, Benefits, Records, and Tradeoffs
- Year-End Tax Planning for Business Owners: A Decision Calendar
Physicians and locum tenens
- Your First 90 Days as a Locum Physician: The Tax and Accounting Setup
- Locum Tenens Tax Home: Keeping Records Across Assignments
- Moonlighting While Employed: Coordinating W-2 and 1099 Physician Income
- Buying Into a Medical Practice: Tax Questions Before You Sign
- Your First Year as a Physician Partner: From Paychecks to K-1s
- Dual-Physician Household Tax Planning: Coordinating Two Careers
Short-term rentals
- Short-Term Rental Tax Planning: A Worked Eligibility and Cash-Flow Guide
- STR Participation Hours: What Counts and How to Record It
- Buying an STR Near Year-End: What Must Happen Before a Deduction Is Claimed?
- Can You Use an STR Property Manager and Still Qualify?
- Converting an STR to a Long-Term Rental: What Changes in Year Two?
- Personal Use of an STR: Classifying Owner, Family, and Maintenance Stays
Real estate partnerships
- Real-Estate Fund Accounting: What Sponsors Need from Their CPA
- Section 754 Elections: Modeling a Partnership Interest Transfer
- Rental Portfolio Bookkeeping: Reporting Across Ten or More Doors
- Missed Rental Depreciation: Evaluating a Form 3115 Catch-Up
- Qualified Nonrecourse Financing: Basis, At-Risk Rules and Rental Losses
- What Is a Pro Forma in Real Estate? A Worked Property Example
Equity compensation
- ISO Exercise and AMT: Modeling the Tax Before You Commit Cash
- AMT Credits After an ISO Exercise: Tracking Potential Recovery
- RSUs After Moving States: Building a Grant-by-Grant Workday Record
- RSU Cost Basis: Reconciling Payroll, Brokerage Statements, and Form 1099-B
- QSBS Eligibility: The Records Founders and Employees Should Collect
Retirement planning
Business purchases and sales
Industry accounting
- Dental Practice Accounting: Connecting Production, Collections, and Cash
- Law Firm Bookkeeping: Trust Accounts, Operating Cash, and Partner Reporting
- Agency Accounting: Revenue Recognition, Contractor Costs, and Client Margins
- Franchise Accounting: Comparing Unit Economics Across Locations
- Car Wash Accounting: Membership Revenue, Site Performance, and Cash Flow
- Springfield Business Bookkeeping: What a Monthly Accounting Engagement Includes
- AIA Billing: Progress Payments, Retainage and Reconciliation
What Is a Pro Forma in Real Estate? A Worked Property Example
A real estate pro forma is a forecast of a property's income, operating costs and cash flow using stated assumptions. It helps you compare a proposed deal with your requirements, but it is not proof of future performance. A useful pro forma separates property operations, financing, capital spending and taxes so each decision can be checked.
AIA Billing: Progress Payments, Retainage and Reconciliation
AIA billing is a construction progress-payment process commonly supported by an application for payment and a detailed schedule of values. The payment request connects completed work, eligible stored materials, approved changes and retainage. Your accounting records must also track what was requested, certified, invoiced and actually collected.
How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost for a $1M-$5M Service Business?
Bookkeeping costs vary widely depending on transaction volume, complexity, and service level. Here are real pricing tiers for $1M-$5M service businesses—from DIY bookkeeping to full-service controllers—plus what to look for and when to upgrade.
Tax Strategist vs. Tax Preparer: What Work Are You Hiring For?
Tax preparation reports what happened and meets filing obligations. Tax planning evaluates decisions before they happen and coordinates their implementation. A CPA or enrolled agent may provide either or both services; compare the actual scope, deliverables, and ongoing support rather than relying on a job title.
Tax-Efficient Charitable Giving for High-Income Service Firm Owners
Giving to charity shouldn't mean leaving money on the table. For service firm owners earning $500k+, standard charitable deductions often phase out. Learn 5 tax-efficient strategies—DAFs, CRTs, appreciated stock, bunching, and QCDs—that recover thousands in tax savings.
Paying Your Spouse From Your Business: Work, Payroll, and Tax Tradeoffs
Paying a spouse can be appropriate when the spouse performs real work and compensation reflects that work. It is not automatically a household tax saving. Entity type, payroll taxes, ownership, benefit eligibility, and existing retirement contributions determine the result.
CPA vs EA vs Tax Preparer: Who Should You Actually Hire?
Not all tax professionals are the same. CPAs, enrolled agents, and tax preparers have different credentials, legal scope, and expertise. Understanding these distinctions helps you hire the right professional for your situation—whether you need a simple return prepared or comprehensive tax strategy.
Red Flags When Hiring a Tax Professional: What to Walk Away From
A bad tax professional can cost you more than you save. From guaranteeing refunds before knowing your situation to refusing to sign returns, these red flags signal that you should look elsewhere for tax advice and preparation.
Reasonable S-Corporation Salary: How to Document the Decision
An S corporation must pay reasonable compensation for a shareholder-employee’s services before making non-wage distributions. There is no universal salary percentage that establishes compliance. Document the duties, hours, experience, comparable pay, and sources of business revenue behind the compensation decision.
What Does a Fractional CFO Actually Do? A Week-in-the-Life Breakdown
It is not just spreadsheets. Here is what a fractional CFO actually does week to week for a growing service business.
Fractional CFO vs In-House Hire: The Real Cost Comparison
The math on a full-time CFO does not add up until you hit $20M+. Here is the real cost comparison.
CPA for Real Estate Investors: What to Look For (And What to Avoid)
Real estate investing has its own tax playbook. Your CPA should know it cold or you are leaving money on the table.
What a Proactive Tax Advisor Does (That Your Current CPA Does Not)
The gap between a tax preparer and a tax advisor is tens of thousands of dollars a year. Here is what you are missing.
Accountant for Law Firms: The IOLTA, Revenue Recognition, and Partner Comp Issues Generalists Miss
IOLTA compliance alone can trip up a generalist. Here is why law firms need an accountant who speaks their language.
Accountant for Marketing Agencies: Revenue Recognition, Contractor Management, and Tax Traps
Media buys, contractor armies, retainer billing. Agency accounting is its own beast. Your CPA needs to know the terrain.
Second Opinion on Your Tax Return: When It's Worth Getting One
Most people never question their tax return. But a second look can reveal thousands in missed savings.
The 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast: How Service Firms Avoid Surprises
If you do not know exactly how much cash you will have in 90 days, you are running your business blind. Here is the fix.
How to Hire a Fractional CFO: 10 Questions That Expose Amateurs
The fractional CFO market is flooded with bookkeepers who upgraded their LinkedIn title. Here is how to find the real thing.
10 Signs Your CPA Is Costing You Money (Even If They're 'Nice')
A friendly CPA and a good CPA aren't always the same thing. Here's how to tell the difference.
How to Fire Your Accountant: A 5-Step Transition Playbook (Without Losing Data or Filing Late)
Switching accountants feels risky. But staying with the wrong one costs more. Here's how to make the transition cleanly.