Tangmade the Taxlady

10/20/2026

We are excited to share the following opportunity through the NBA All-Star Business Initiative, which aims to connect small businesses with opportunities surrounding the NBA All-Star events..

Applications for the All-Star Pitch Competition open today, Monday, October 5th and close October 23rd
A presentation deck is attached for further information....

All-Star Pitch Competition
The All-Star Pitch Competition is one of the NBA Foundation’s signature entrepreneurship initiatives held in conjunction with NBA All-Star Weekend. The competition identifies and invests in early-stage entrepreneurs whose businesses create economic opportunity and community impact, while providing participants with mentorship, coaching, networking opportunities and access to investors and business leaders.

NBA Rewards Program
The NBA All-Star Rewards Program is a local-business initiative designed to drive engagement, excitement and foot traffic leading up to the event. The 2027 program will be spend-based, allowing fans to earn points by shopping at participating businesses and redeem those points for NBA All-Star and Phoenix Suns prizes.

Small Business Impact
This initiative creates opportunities for Phoenix-area entrepreneurs to connect with business leaders, investors, and members of the NBA community. Through mentorship, networking and idea sharing, the program is designed to support collaboration, innovation, and economic empowerment.

Next Steps:

Please share the interest form below with your members, small businesses, and networks so they can indicate which initiatives they would like to learn more about.

Interest Form: https://suns.formstack.com/forms/allstarinitiatives

Organizations, chambers, etc. may also submit their own interest through the form if they would like to receive more detailed information or participate in a future discussion. If you would like to submit on behalf of a member or business in your network, please feel free to do so.

We will use the responses to schedule separate informational calls for each initiative: All-Star Pitch Competition, NBA Rewards Program and Small Business Impact. These calls will provide an opportunity for interested organizations and businesses to learn more and ask initiative-specific questions.

Important: Pitch Competition Application Timeline

Applications for the All-Star Pitch Competition open this upcoming Monday, October 5th and close October 23rd. If this opportunity may be relevant to your members or network, please share the interest form as soon as possible. We plan to schedule the Pitch Competition informational call next week so interested businesses have enough time to learn more and apply before the deadline.

10/20/2026

OWE THE IRS? YOU MAY NOT HAVE TO PAY THE FULL AMOUNT!

Have you heard of an Offer in Compromise (OIC)?

This is an IRS program that allows some taxpayers to settle their tax debt for less than what they owe.

But here’s what you need to know!

The IRS doesn’t just take your word for it. They look at your income, bank accounts, expenses, assets, and your ability to pay.

And yes, you can apply yourself for FREE through IRS.gov!

Start by using the IRS Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier tool to see if you might qualify.

Just remember, not everyone qualifies. The IRS has financial standards, and you must provide accurate information and supporting documents.

You can’t hide money or assets from the IRS. They review your financial information, and leaving things out can cause problems with your application.

You don’t have to pay someone thousands of dollars just to find out whether you might qualify.

Visit www.irs.gov and search “Offer in Compromise” to get started.

TANGMADE THE TAX LADY
Educating taxpayers one return at a time.

10/15/2026

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO FILE YOUR EXTENDED TAX RETURN!

DON'T LET SLOTH BE THE ONE REMINDING YOU!

One important tax detail: October 15 is generally the deadline for individual returns with a valid extension. Missing it can trigger a failure-to-file penalty if tax is owed. If you're due a refund, there's generally no federal late-filing penalty.

10/15/2026

Before you start spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on Christmas gifts this year, I want you to think about last Christmas.

What did you buy your kids? The Jordans, the PlayStation, the expensive clothes, the toys, and everything else they just had to have. How much did you spend? And where is all that stuff today?

I’m not saying don’t buy your children gifts or make Christmas special. But sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to give our kids everything they ask for that we end up putting ourselves in a financial bind.

There’s nothing wrong with buying one or two nice gifts instead of ten. There’s nothing wrong with setting a budget and telling your children that’s what you can afford. And there’s definitely nothing wrong with teaching them that Christmas is about more than what comes wrapped in a box.

Families can do Secret Santa, set a $25 or $50 gift limit, have a family game night, cook together, or create traditions that don’t require spending hundreds of dollars.

And here’s something else I want you to think about. How many people are already planning to use their income tax refund to pay off what they’re about to spend for Christmas?

That refund isn’t guaranteed to be what you expect, and even if it is, imagine what you could do with that money if you weren’t already spending it before you received it.

You can give your children a beautiful Christmas without putting yourself in debt. The memories should last longer than the payments.

GET TANGMADE!

10/08/2026

BUSINESS OWNERS, LET’S TALK BOOKKEEPING!

A client recently asked me how their bookkeeping should change as their business grows. So let’s talk about something many business owners don’t understand: Cash Basis vs. Accrual Basis Accounting.

Let me break it down like we’re in the fifth grade!

CASH BASIS: You do somebody’s hair in September, but they don’t pay you until October. You count that money in October because that’s when you got paid.

ACCRUAL BASIS: Same situation, but you count that money in September because that’s when you earned it, whether they paid you or not.

NOW HERE’S THE PART THAT MATTERS!

Most small businesses start with cash basis because it’s simpler. Larger businesses often use accrual because it helps them track money earned, bills owed, and their overall financial picture.

Your books might show $20,000 in revenue, but you only have $8,000 in the bank!

Just because your business is profitable on paper doesn’t mean you have cash available to spend.

Growing a business means understanding your numbers, not just watching your bank account.

GET TANGMADE!
www.tangmade.com

09/28/2026

09/22/2026

One last tax post because apparently I went on a whole tax rampage tonight and didn’t schedule NONE of it. I just posted it all. Lol.

But I’m not gonna keep telling y’all to stop filing exempt. Go look at that check stub and fix that W-4 NOW. If you’ve been filing exempt or not having enough federal tax withheld, changing it now could at least help you for the rest of the year.

Don’t wait until tax season and look at me crazy.

09/22/2026

There is no IRS program officially called the “IRS Forgiveness Program.” It’s called an Offer in Compromise, and not everybody qualifies.

You can research this yourself directly through the IRS. Stop letting these third-party companies sell you a dream and hustle you out of thousands of dollars promising to “wipe away” your tax debt.

09/22/2026

If you’ve NEVER taken a tax class and you’re out here preparing people’s tax returns, you’re a fraud.

That’s the post.