Small Business Advisors

06/03/2026

𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨?
Getting married changes how the IRS views your finances, but it doesn’t guarantee a lower tax bill.

For some couples, filing jointly can open up planning options. For others, filing separately may be the better option, especially when one spouse has high out-of-pocket medical expenses or other complications to their tax situation.

Getting married can change your...
• Filing status
• Tax bracket
• Credits you qualify for
• Deductions you can take
• Retirement savings options
• Workplace benefit choices

Want to talk through whether filing jointly or separately is the best option for you? Or just see if there are ways to lower your tax bill now that you're married?

Comment MARRIED below to request an appointment to talk this through.

06/02/2026

𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥?

Not every internship can be unpaid. The main question is: 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?

For an internship to be unpaid, the intern’s learning and career development needs to be the primary focus. The work should feel more like training than filling a role your business actually needs done.

A few things to think through:
• Is the training similar to what they’d get in a classroom?
• Are they learning, or mainly covering regular work?
• Are they replacing someone you’d otherwise pay?
• Is there a clear understanding that no job is promised afterward?

06/01/2026

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣?

Some people appreciate a quick note. Others value a private conversation, a public shoutout, or clear next steps they can act on.

The same goes for recognition.

A simple “thank you” can mean a lot, but it means even more when it’s given in a way the other person actually receives well.

So here’s a good question to ask your team, your clients, or even yourself:

When someone wants to acknowledge your work, what feels most encouraging to you?

05/29/2026

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨?

If you rent out your home, apartment, or spare room to guests, income taxes may not be the only tax issue on the table.

Occupancy taxes are taxes charged on the rental price paid by your guest. They’re sometimes called tourist tax, hotel tax, room tax, or lodging tax.

They’re different from income tax, which is based on your profit.

The confusing part is that occupancy tax rules can change depending on your city or county. And if the tax isn’t collected and sent in correctly, the penalties can be a real problem.

Have a short-term rental or thinking about starting one? Comment “RENTAL” to get help with the tax obligations.

05/28/2026

𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚?

If your business deducted tariff payments as an expense in prior years, you may not be able to treat the refund as tax-free money when it comes back.

Most of the refund will likely need to be reported as taxable income in the year you receive it.

There’s another piece to watch too: CBP may include interest with the refund.

For tax reporting, you’ll need to separate:
• The refund principal
• The interest paid on the refund

Don’t just plan for the cash coming in. Plan for how it may show up on your tax return too. DM us if you want help getting that plan in place.

05/27/2026

Google's updates to its search bar are really interesting: https://www.techbrew.com/stories/google-it-while-you-still-can

And you might be tempted to ask all kinds of tax questions with the new features. And the thing is, the answer might sound definitive in the results but actually still be wrong for your situation.

Tax questions need details that AI agents don't think to ask for.

Maybe your income changed. Maybe you got an IRS notice. Maybe you’re asking about a deduction, but the real issue is how your business is set up.

Don't rely on quick answers from Gemini when it comes to your IRS obligations.

Ask a professional you can trust (we're right here).

05/26/2026

𝘿𝙤 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢?

If you’re charging people to stay in your house, apartment, or even just a spare bedroom, that income may need to be reported on your tax return.

In the eyes of the IRS and state taxing authorities, you’re acting as a landlord once guests are paying to stay there.

But the tax treatment depends heavily on your personal use of the space.

Two questions to think about:
1. How many days did guests stay there?
2. How many days did you use the property yourself?

So if you’re renting out part or all of your home, don’t just look at how much money came in.

Your guest days and personal-use days matter too.

05/22/2026

"𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀?"

About 42% of full-time working Americans don’t have access to a retirement plan. And as a business owner, you have the power to influence that statistic.

If you've avoided offering a plan because of the administrative burden, it may be worth taking another look.

Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, eligible small businesses may qualify for:
1. A startup cost credit covering up to 100% of eligible administrative and employee education costs.
2. A credit that may help offset employer contributions for qualifying employees.
3. A separate credit for adding automatic enrollment.

But don’t add a retirement plan just to chase tax credits.

What we need to consider is: does the plan fit your cash flow and your long-term business goals?

Let's run the numbers and figure out whether a retirement plan makes sense for your business.

05/21/2026

Vehicle costs can sneak up on you. Fuel. Maintenance. Miles driven for work. It adds up fast, especially when your car is part of how you earn income.

Getting better gas mileage is one way to keep those costs down. Keeping better records is another.

If you use your vehicle for business, make sure you’re tracking mileage, expenses, and the purpose of each trip throughout the year.

It’s a lot easier to stay organized as you go than to recreate everything at tax time.

Are you tracking your business mileage as you go?

Toyota offers easy tips on how to get better gas mileage so you can drive more and fill up less. Learn simple tricks that will help you save.

05/20/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗘𝗘𝗣𝗔 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗘?
If you qualify for an IEEPA tariff refund, you’ll file through the CAPE tab in ACE.

Here’s what that process looks like:

1. Verify your ACE account -- Make sure your CBP Importer Record uses your company email, not your broker’s.
2. Set up ACH -- Refunds are paid by ACH, so your bank info needs to be set up in ACE.
3. Identify eligible shipments -- Review your Form 7501 records for IEEPA-related HTS Chapter 99 codes.
4. Prepare your CAPE declaration -- Your CSV needs one column titled “Entry Number,” with each entry number exactly 11 characters.
5. Submit and monitor your claim -- Upload the file in ACE under the CAPE tab and watch for your Claim Number.

A wrong digit, old email, or mismatched filer code can slow down the whole refund process.

We can help you review your records and figure out the right next step.