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TLC Business Solutions, 3900 N State St Spc 30, Ukiah, CA (2026)

10/13/2026

A paper check does not go straight from your desk to clearing. It may be handled, deposited, scanned, imaged, and processed through multiple systems and institutions.

Treat signed checks as sensitive financial information. Keep secure copies of issued checks and related approvals.

In a real client incident, a fraudulent check appeared a few days after the original paper check was destroyed. The bank told Tena the destruction complied with federal requirements, and that is possible. Federal rules set minimum retention periods for financial records; the period depends on the record and applicable rule, and rules apply independently. Minimums that can change, not promises for any item, include around five years under the Bank Secrecy Act for certain records, including checks and other monetary instruments, and at least two years under Regulation CC for evidence of compliance.

Here is the nuance that actually matters: retention generally can be satisfied by keeping a record or copy of the item, including a substitute check under Check 21, which is the legal equivalent of the original, rather than the physical paper. A bank can be compliant and no longer hold the original. These minimums have changed, and this incident was some years ago; confirm specifics with your bank. Keep your own copies and images, and report suspicious activity quickly.

During the holidays, keep weekly reviews running:
• Review older transactions.
• Compare checks, payees, amounts, and approvals.
• Save front-and-back images.
• Turn on alerts and ask about Positive Pay.
• Report promptly through your bank’s approved process.

For business accounts, consumer Regulation E liability limits generally do not apply. Your agreement, UCC Article 4, and applicable Nacha rules may govern instead.

Educational information for US businesses, not individualized advice. Controls reduce exposure, but no safeguard makes fraud impossible. Discuss procedures with your bank and a qualified professional.

Read the full article: https://www.tlcbusinesssolutions.com/blog/someone-copied-a-signed-check-and-stole-from-this-business-the-bank-account-safeguards-every-owner-should-set-up-d8ef2173/

10/08/2026

A signed check is more than a payment. It is sensitive financial information. 🧾

In a client incident, a scan of a signed check was used to create a signature stamp and fraudulent checks. It can show your business name, bank name, routing and account numbers, check number, and an authorized signature.

The fraud was timed to land a few days AFTER the original would have been destroyed. When Tena asked her bank to pull it for fingerprint review, the bank said it had already been shredded under its own retention schedule, roughly 60 days, in her experience. That is the bank's practice as explained to her, not a federal rule, and it varies by bank. Confirm your agreement.

The lesson: watch activity on OLDER items, not only the last few weeks.

Safeguards:
• Keep secure copies of signed checks.
• Save front and back of cleared checks when available.
• Retain payment approvals, invoices, and vendor instructions.
• Review bank activity weekly.
• Use a second signer or owner review where possible. For one-person operations, compensating controls such as periodic outside-accountant review can help.

Educational information only, not individualized accounting, legal, or financial advice. Confirm options with your bank and, where appropriate, a qualified professional.

Read the full article: https://www.tlcbusinesssolutions.com/blog/someone-copied-a-signed-check-and-stole-from-this-business-the-bank-account-safeguards-every-owner-should-set-up-d8ef2173/

10/05/2026

Can a business show a profit and still feel squeezed? Absolutely.

An income statement can look strong while cash in the bank is tight. Payroll, vendor bills, taxes, debt payments, and timing gaps may all come due before the next client payment arrives.

Profit and cash flow are connected, but they are not interchangeable.

A sale is not the same as collected cash. Cash is the room to make good decisions.

In Book 02 of 10 in the Business Growth Series, we explore how to better understand the movement of cash through your business, including:

• When revenue becomes cash
• How receivables and payment timing affect decisions
• Why upcoming obligations deserve close attention

This is educational information only, not individualized accounting, tax, legal, or financial advice. Consider speaking with a qualified professional about your situation.

Explore TLC Business Solutions: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com

Clearer numbers. Better decisions.

10/01/2026

Is your calendar full, but your profit still feels disappointing? Revenue is not profit. Growing sales and a busy schedule can still produce little, or no, profit when delivery costs and support demands are too high. 📊

Start with the basics:

Fixed costs stay broadly stable, such as rent, baseline software, insurance, and core administrative payroll. Variable costs rise with each project or customer, including materials, contractor pay, commissions, and transaction fees.

Your contribution margin is what remains after variable costs to cover fixed costs and generate operating profit.

Example:
$8,000 monthly fixed costs ÷ 60% contribution margin ratio = approximately $13,333 in break-even monthly sales.

Sales above that point can begin contributing to operating profit.

Then measure profitability by service, product, project, customer, channel, and month, not just total revenue. Compare price, delivery hours, direct labor, revisions, support, and collection effort.

For example:
• Client A pays $3,000 and requires $900 in delivery labor: $2,100 contribution before other costs.
• Client B pays $4,000 but requires $2,800 in labor, extra meetings, and late-payment follow-up: only $1,200 before those added demands.

Revenue favors Client B. Contribution favors Client A.

Run a base case, conservative case, and capacity case. Change price, volume, direct labor, contractor rates, refunds, and owner compensation one at a time. Label assumptions and revisit them when reality changes.

Clean books and margin visibility help you decide which work to keep, price differently, improve, delegate, or stop. Profit is a signal, not a judgment.

TLC Business Solutions brings 30+ years of experience, flat-rate billing with no hourly surprises, and remote support across the U.S.

Read “The Cheat Sheet Every Small Business Owner Needs: 7 Powerful Accounting Formulas for Financial Success”: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com/accounting-basics/cheat-sheet-every-small-business-owner-needs-7-accounting-formulas

Ready for clearer financial insight? Visit https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com

09/30/2026

Is your retirement plan aligned with your business before year-end? 🗓️

Q4 is more than the final stretch of the year. It can be an important decision window for retirement planning. The right plan may influence this year’s taxable income while helping support your long-term goals. Retirement planning is a year-round financial management decision, not an April-only conversation.

Common options include:
• Solo 401(k): Designed for owner-only businesses, with both employee deferrals and employer contributions.
• SEP IRA: Generally simple to establish, with employer contributions only.
• SIMPLE IRA: Available to many businesses with 100 or fewer employees and includes employee deferrals plus required employer contributions.

Your choice should fit your entity structure, whether you have employees, owner compensation, profitability, cash-flow stability, and long-term objectives. Employer contributions are generally tax-deductible, and retirement accounts may provide tax-advantaged growth, but the rules, limits, and deadlines change.

Some 401(k)-style plans involving employee elective deferrals generally need to be established by December 31 of the tax year. SEP IRA contributions can generally be made by the tax filing deadline, including extensions. Confirm current requirements with your accountant.

If you have employees, also consider eligibility, vesting, matching or nonelective contributions, annual testing, and payroll integration. Do not commit to a contribution the business cannot comfortably sustain. Keep retirement funding separate from operating cash and document your decision.

At TLC Business Solutions, we coordinate accounting, tax planning, and payroll under one roof, with 30+ years of experience, transparent flat-rate billing, and U.S.-wide remote support.

Read our retirement planning article: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com/retirement-planning/small-business-big-future-securing-your-retirement-with-strategic-retirement-planning

Explore TLC Business Solutions: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com

09/29/2026

Hiring your first remote employee in another state? That decision can trigger payroll obligations where the employee actually performs the work, not just where your business is located. 🌎

Before or promptly after the first pay run, you may need to:

✅ Register for state income-tax withholding
✅ Register for state unemployment insurance (SUTA)
✅ Review local city or county payroll taxes
✅ Configure the correct state and local tax codes in your payroll system

A few details can create expensive surprises:

• An employee who relocates mid-year changes their work state, and possibly their local tax obligations. Update payroll records promptly.
• Reciprocal agreements between certain states may affect withholding.
• Remote employees can also raise questions about where your business is “doing business.”
• If an employee worked in more than one state, their W-2 must reflect accurate state and local wage allocations.

Missed registrations can lead to back withholding, penalties, interest, agency notices, employee filing problems, and a time-consuming cleanup across multiple state accounts.

Start with these steps: confirm the employee’s actual work location and any planned move, register with the appropriate agencies, organize your state and local tax IDs, and review remote arrangements annually, or whenever someone moves.

Rules vary by state, and the right treatment depends on your facts and circumstances. TLC Business Solutions provides U.S.-wide remote support and end-to-end payroll services, including filings and labor-law compliance. With 30+ years of experience and straightforward flat-rate billing, we help you stay organized without hourly surprises.

Need help getting payroll set up correctly? Visit https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com.

09/28/2026

Which accounting method is telling your business’s story? 📊

Cash basis records income when received and expenses when paid. Accrual basis records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred, regardless of when cash moves.

Example: A December invoice paid in January is December revenue on accrual books, but January revenue on cash books. Prepaid annual insurance or a major inventory purchase can also look very different.

This choice affects reported profit, taxable income, lender and buyer perceptions, year-over-year comparability, and tax timing and planning.

Rule of thumb: Many U.S. small businesses may choose cash basis under the IRS gross-receipts test, roughly $30 million in average annual gross receipts, indexed annually. Larger businesses and those carrying inventory may face accrual requirements or special rules. Some use accrual financial statements but file cash-basis taxes, or vice versa.

You may have outgrown cash basis if revenue is growing fast, receivables, payables, or inventory are significant, you’re seeking financing or a buyer, or statements no longer tell the full story.

Changing methods may require IRS approval via Form 3115. It’s not DIY: apply consistently and coordinate with tax planning, not just year-end.

Review annually or after major changes. Ask your accountant what method or combination fits your entity, revenue, and goals.

TLC Business Solutions offers flat-rate billing with no hourly surprises and 30+ years of experience. Learn more: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com

$Stuck between basic bookkeeping and a full-time CFO you’re not ready to hire? There’s a practical middle ground: fractio...$

09/27/2026

Stuck between basic bookkeeping and a full-time CFO you’re not ready to hire? There’s a practical middle ground: fractional CFO-level financial guidance. 📊

Fractional means you gain seasoned financial expertise on a recurring basis. Sized to your business’s stage and needs. You keep decision-making authority while gaining a strategic partner to help with:

• Budgeting and forecasting
• Cash-flow strategy
• Margin and pricing analysis
• KPI and dashboard reviews
• Tax-planning coordination
• Lender and bank conversations
• Financial roadmap development

Demand for interim and fractional CFO support has surged 14% year over year as capital gets tighter and routine bookkeeping becomes increasingly automated. The value of experienced human judgment is moving toward strategy, clarity, and better decisions.

You may be ready if your books are clean but reports aren’t driving decisions, pricing or hiring choices rely on gut feel, margins or cash are tightening without a clear explanation, or a major expansion, equipment purchase, location, hire, or financing decision is ahead.

At TLC Business Solutions, we provide fractional CFO-level advisory backed by 30+ years of experience, transparent flat-rate billing with no hourly surprises, and remote support throughout the United States.

Ready to turn your financial information into a clearer growth plan? Visit https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com to learn more. 🤝

09/25/2026

Who handles your business money, and who checks the work? 👀

Internal controls aren’t just for big companies. In a small business, one person may receive cash, record deposits, write and sign checks, reconcile the bank account, and manage payroll. Without a second set of eyes, errors or fraud can go unnoticed for months.

The basic principle: the person handling the money should not be the only person recording or reviewing it.

When you have a team, separate these responsibilities when possible:
• Cash handling
• Recording transactions
• Bank reconciliations
• Payment approval

Operating solo? That’s where compensating controls help:
✅ Personally review PDF bank statements and canceled items
✅ Set bank alerts and dual approval for larger payments
✅ Use a second signer where possible
✅ Keep business and personal accounts and cards completely separate
✅ Require receipts and backup for every expense
✅ Restrict who can add vendors or change direct-deposit details
✅ Have an outside accountant periodically review your books and bank reconciliations

Once a year, check who has access to your accounting software and bank accounts. Confirm payroll and sales-tax accounts reconcile, and make sure you’re reviewing reports, not just account balances.

Most losses are discovered late. A periodic review and a second set of eyes are among the most affordable protections available. 🛡️

With 30+ years of experience, TLC Business Solutions provides proactive financial support with transparent flat-rate billing and remote service throughout the U.S.

Learn how we can help strengthen your business controls: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com

09/24/2026

How should you pay yourself from your business? The answer is not one-size-fits-all. It depends on your entity type, profitability, cash-flow stability, tax treatment, and the benefits you need.

Owner’s draws may be common for sole proprietors and many LLCs. They are not payroll, so taxes generally are not withheld. You may owe self-employment tax and need quarterly estimated tax payments.

A W-2 salary is typically used by corporations. An active S-corporation owner must receive reasonable compensation for services before taking shareholder distributions. A C-corporation owner-employee is generally paid through payroll as well. The right approach depends on your specific facts.

Keep these practical safeguards in place:
• Profit is not automatically personal spending money.
• Don’t use draws to avoid payroll taxes when you are performing services.
• Don’t transfer more cash than the business can support.
• Document every draw with the date, amount, and purpose.
• Keep business and personal bank accounts separate.
• Use a consistent compensation method, not ad-hoc transfers.
• Review your approach annually and whenever your entity, profitability, or cash flow changes.

Your choice can also affect withholding, estimated taxes, retirement plans, health coverage, and other benefits. TLC Business Solutions brings 30+ years of experience, transparent flat-rate billing with no hourly surprises, and US-wide remote support to help business owners make informed decisions.

Read “Small Business Owners! Choose the Right Way to Get Paid: Owner’s Draws vs. Payroll Salaries”: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com/accounting-basics/small-business-owners-choose-the-right-way-to-get-paid-owners-draws-vs-payroll-salaries

Visit TLC Business Solutions to get started: https://tlcbusinesssolutions.com

TLC Business Solutions

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