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RLJ Financial Services, Inc.

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Ceres, CA
RLJ Financial Services, Inc.

No annoying advisory and financial lingo. Just straight, authoritative and friendly advice. Visit us at: www.rljfinancial.com
Or give us a call: (209) 538-7758

RLJ Financial Services, Inc. located in Ceres CA is dedicated to leading small business and individuals to success. Our passion is to serve our clients with a top-quality team, supported by exceptional resources and unique services including Tax Preparation, Tax Reduction Strategies, Payroll, and many more. Our firm’s core values are Faith, Family, Integrity, Trust, and Honesty. We truly enjoy hel

ping clients with tax reduction strategies and assisting with organizing all their financial matters, including, tax, estate, retirement, and legacy planning. Cetera Disclosure:
Securities offered through Cetera Wealth Services LLC (doing insurance business in CA as CFGAN Insurance Agency LLC), member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment adviser. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

09/07/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁?

Leaving a personal charge in your accounting software as a business expense is a fast way to trigger tax issues and mess up your financial reporting.

Instead of leaving it there, reimburse the business promptly and record what happened.

And if you put personal money into the business, document that too. Depending on the situation, it may need to be recorded as a capital contribution or a formal loan.

09/07/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻?

If the IRS sends you Letter 525 or Letter 950, you’ll generally have 30 days to request consideration by the IRS Independent Office of Appeals.

Responding within that timeframe keeps the administrative appeal process available.

But what you submit depends on the amount in dispute:
• $25,000 or less you can qualify for a Small Case Request
• More than $25,000 a Formal Written Protest is generally required

If you don’t request Appeals review within the 30-day period, the IRS will continue processing the proposed audit changes.

For an income tax deficiency case, the next formal step is a 90-Day Statutory Notice of Deficiency. That notice gives you 90 days from its date to petition the Tax Court if you still disagree with the proposed tax.

If you’ve received Letter 525 or 950, comment below. We can review what the letter requests and help you determine the appropriate next steps.

09/07/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀?

Getting paid via Venmo or PayPal doesn't automatically make your side income a business. The IRS looks at how you operate and whether your primary goal is making a profit.

If you keep separate books, set aside regular work hours, and take on ongoing gigs like freelancing or tutoring, you're operating as a business.

If you're just making money here and there from something you do for fun, like streaming or selling a few crafts, that's usually hobby income. You aren't really trying to make a living off it.

This distinction completely changes your tax setup. Business owners report their earnings on Schedule C and can deduct ordinary expenses to lower what they owe. If your side income is more of a hobby, you report the earnings on Schedule 1 as other income, but you can't write off any expenses against it.

09/05/2026

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 “𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗺𝗮𝘅𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴” 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?

It’s the social media term for getting more value from your money, like cutting expenses or even putting rewards points to use.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?

09/04/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁?

Your strongest evidence depends on the type of audit:
• Correspondence audit: Receipts, canceled checks, and bank statements that match your return
• Office audit: Mileage logs, calendars, and meeting agendas that explain the business purpose
• Field audit: Contracts, company policies, vendor agreements, and the legal authority behind your position

The best documentation is created when the expense happens. Trying to reconstruct everything after the audit starts can make your position harder to prove.

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺?

09/04/2026

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸?

If you’re operating as a sole proprietor, there’s no legal separation between you and your business.

So if your business gets hit with a lawsuit based on actions of your employees or subcontractors, your personal savings, home, or vehicles could be exposed too.

As your business grows and you start hiring employees or outsourcing to contractors, make sure the way you operate reflects that growth.

That may mean forming an LLC or corporation, then moving your business banking, contracts, insurance policies, vendor accounts, and payment processors into the company’s legal name.

The goal is to create a clearer line between what belongs to you personally and what belongs to the business.

Please Note: The State of CA has a minimum $800 tax for both an LLC or an S-Corporation so that has to be factored into any decisions.

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵? 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

09/03/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻?
1. Map your annual lump-sum expenses alongside your regular monthly overhead.
2. Highlight your historical low-revenue months, so you know exactly when sales won't cover baseline costs.
3. Multiply your average monthly expenses by three to establish your ideal cash reserve buffer.

During peak months, sweep 5% to 10% of revenue into a separate reserve account to cover those lean periods without relying on high-interest credit lines.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸?

09/03/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?

Here is a step-by-step sequence to follow:

1. Stop active state enforcement first. If your state is threatening a bank levy, wage garnishment, or license suspension, handle it immediately. State appeal windows close in 30 to 60 days, and their actions hit faster.

2. Stabilize federal exposure next. If the IRS sends a Final Notice of Intent to Levy or threatens passport certification, pause IRS action using an installment agreement, Currently Not Collectible status, or Offer in Compromise steps.

3. Coordinate both payment plans together. Your state and federal plans must fit your actual cash flow. If a state payment plan drains your monthly budget, you won't have enough left to maintain your IRS agreement.

Handling two collectors at once requires a clear strategy. Comment 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡 below if you want help mapping out your next steps.

09/02/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱 𝗶𝗳 𝗜'𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀?

Because keeping up with your current tax obligations is a strict requirement to keep your IRS installment agreement or settlement active.

If you earn income from a business or side hustle, the IRS expects you to make quarterly payments on those new earnings. If you skip the September 15 deadline, the IRS can immediately terminate your existing agreement and start aggressive collections again.

Making payments on old debt does not cover your new tax obligations.

If you want to verify that your current payments are on track to protect your agreement, send us a DM. We can look into your account and see exactly where you stand with the IRS.

09/01/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆?

Instead of getting lost in long rows of financial data, focus on these three core metrics:
1. Gross profit margin: Reveals your core pricing power and production efficiency.
2. Days Sales Outstanding (DSO): Measures the exact number of days it takes to collect cash after an invoice goes out.
3. Quick ratio: Measures whether your business can cover immediate short-term debts without relying on new sales or clearing inventory.

Aim for a Quick ratio above 1.0 and keep your DSO under 30 days. Reviewing these metrics on the first of every month flags cash bottlenecks weeks before they hit your checking account.

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?
𝘈) 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯
𝘉) 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘋𝘚𝘖)
𝘊) 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰
𝘋) 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵

Address

1788 Mitchell Road, Ste 102
Ceres, CA
95307

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Website

https://rljfinancial.com/

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09/07/2026

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