Century Accounting & Financial Services

01/15/2026

Let me say this clearly:

Not keeping perfect mileage records doesn’t make you careless.
It makes you human.

Most business owners don’t skip mileage on purpose — it just gets buried under everything else that feels louder.

The IRS allows reconstructed mileage logs when they’re reasonable and based on real information — calendars, emails, job locations, mapping tools.

And with the 2026 rate at 72.5¢ per mile, it’s worth slowing down and deciding how to move forward confidently, not reactively.

I wrote about how to recreate mileage responsibly — and how to build a simpler system going forward — in this week’s long-form post.

👉 If you appreciate steady guidance instead of “you should’ve known better,” subscribe to the newsletter or Substack. That’s where I teach.






NumbersWithMeaning

01/14/2026

Mileage feels small when you’re driving to a client meeting or running a quick errand.

But on your tax return?

It can matter more than you expect.

With the 2026 standard mileage rate now at 72.5¢ per mile, even a few thousand business miles can add up to a real deduction.

What I see every year isn’t people doing things “wrong.”
It’s people not realizing their miles were telling a story worth paying attention to.

Tracking mileage doesn’t require fancy tools or perfection.

It requires a habit you can explain and stand behind.

I shared a deeper look at how the IRS sets the mileage rate, how the deduction works, and how to reset if past years were messy in my Substack this week.

👉 If you want fewer surprises and more confidence, that’s where I unpack the details.






NumbersWithMeaning

01/13/2026

Every year, right around the same time, Ken and I hear it:

“Ugh… I meant to keep better mileage records.”

And honestly? We get it.

When you’re running a business, you track what feels urgent — income, expenses, deadlines. Mileage almost always slides to the bottom of the list.

This year, that detail matters a little more.

The IRS set the 2026 standard mileage rate at 72.5¢ per mile, and for people who drive regularly for work, those miles can quietly turn into a meaningful deduction.

The good news?

Mileage doesn’t have to be perfect to be helpful — it just needs to be consistent (and sometimes thoughtfully reconstructed).

I wrote more about how this works, including what to do if your records aren’t great, in this week’s newsletter and Substack.

If you like calm, plain-English explanations instead of panic and pressure — that’s where I go deeper. 💛

👉 Subscribe to the newsletter or Substack for the full breakdown.






NumbersWithMeaning

01/12/2026

“Oh… I meant to keep better mileage records.”

I hear that every tax season.

The IRS just updated the 2026 standard mileage rate, and it’s a good reminder that small details can have a big tax impact.

I shared a clear explanation — including how to recreate logs if needed — in this article.

As we jump into tax season each year, my husband Ken and I notice the same pattern. It’s not that business owners don’t care about their numbers.

01/12/2026

For a long time, I tried to fit everything I wanted to say into a caption.

Quick tips. Bite-sized advice. “Save this for later.”

But the truth is, the questions I get from clients don’t come with short answers. And, I started to feel burnt out making IG content that was scroll-stopping.

The answers my clients need come with context.

With nuance.

With “here’s what’s actually going on behind the numbers.”

Tax decisions. Mileage. Vehicle purchases. Business structure.

None of those live well in 10 seconds or one slide.

So I’m writing long-form now.

Because clarity doesn’t always come from more noise — it comes from slowing down and explaining things the way I do in real conversations.

If you’ve ever thought, “I wish someone would just walk me through this calmly,” that’s what I’m building.

I’ll still share here.

But when I go deeper — it’ll be in my newsletter and on Substack.

👉 If you want fewer sound bites and more understanding, that’s where to find me. Link in bio.

01/06/2026

Bought a new car?

A new tax rule may allow you to deduct car loan interest — something we haven’t seen before.

I explained who qualifies and what to gather in this short article.

If you bought a new car recently — or you’re thinking about it — you may be wondering whether that decision shows up anywhere on your tax return. For a long time, the answer was mostly no.

12/16/2025

We owe all of our clients a huge apology for doing these things in 2025 (and promise to continue doing them in 2026!). 😏

12/12/2025

Entering transactions.

Checking them twice.

And quietly fixing anything that’s been hiding in Uncategorized all year.

December bookkeeping isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about starting the new year with books that actually make sense.

And if you are the bookkeeping elf this year—and the mess feels a little bigger than you want to deal with—that’s okay.

This is exactly when a clean-up helps most.

A 2025 bookkeeping clean-up means I handle the catch-up, corrections, and clean-up work so you end the year with accurate, tax-ready financials… and a lot less stress.

Consider it a small gift to your future self.

Comment CLEAN or message me to book a 2025 clean-up before year-end.

12/10/2025

Most big tax bills aren’t bad luck. They’re a sign no one was looking closely enough during the year.

A new client came to us this year after getting hit with a painful tax bill in 2024. The return wasn’t the issue—the planning was.

No one had reviewed the books during the year.

No one was monitoring their quarterly payments.

No one had explained how their business could legally pay less.

Here’s what we did to turn things around in one year:

→ Cleaned up their bookkeeping so every deduction was documented, accurate, and audit-ready.

You can’t save money on taxes when the numbers are wrong.

→ Adjusted their quarterly tax payments to meet safe harbor.

That one move alone stopped the underpayment penalties and interest they kept getting every year.

→ Reviewed their structure and income mix to make sure they were getting the full benefit of the QBI deduction.
(This one still surprises people—most owners never realize how much they’re leaving on the table.)

Now that everything matches reality—books, payments, structure—their next tax bill won’t be a shock. It will be manageable. Predictable. Fair.

Ken handles all of our tax planning conversations, and this is exactly what he walks new clients through: clean records, smart payments, and a structure that actually fits the business.

If you’re worried you’re paying more than you should, let’s talk. You don’t have to leave tax savings to chance.

Comment TAXES if you would like to set up a free consultation!

12/09/2025

If you’re a small business owner who likes these things, you’ll LOVE doing your own bookkeeping! 🤭

12/08/2025

Not sure which is worse, an IRS notice or coal in your stocking! 🤷

12/05/2025

Most cash-flow problems don’t start when you can’t pay a bill. They start months earlier—unnoticed.

By the time a business owner feels the pinch, the problem has already been building.

I’m seeing more and more small business owners wait until the shortfall is obvious before taking action—missed bills, tight payroll weeks, or putting off payments just to buy time.

And here’s the part people don’t talk about:

Cash flow rarely collapses overnight. It slips in slowly, one unmonitored month at a time.

That’s why the businesses that stay healthy aren’t the ones that hustle harder.

They’re the ones that catch the pattern early.

Good bookkeeping gives you that early warning.

It shows you when numbers start to drift so you can course-correct before you’re in the red.

When you see the shift early, you have options. When you see it late, you have stress.

And that’s exactly why monthly bookkeeping matters. It buys you time to act before the problem becomes a crisis.

If you want a clearer picture of your cash flow before year-end, comment CASH and I’ll send you the checklist we use with clients.