Research and development often brings to mind laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, or technology startups building new software. That narrow picture can cause business owners to overlook activities inside their own companies that may fall under federal research and experimental expense rules. The rules themselves have also changed. Recent federal legislation created Section 174A, changing the treatment of domestic research and experimental expenditures for tax years beginn

When business owners think about labor costs, salary or hourly wages usually come to mind first. An employee earns $60,000 per year, so the company treats $60,000 as the approximate cost of that position. The actual financial impact is considerably broader. Payroll taxes and benefits increase the amount a business spends to employ someone. Paid time off, overtime, and insurance can add more. Even after those expenses are calculated, the company still needs to consider how muc

The budget your business created at the end of 2025 was built around assumptions. You estimated how quickly revenue would grow, what payroll might cost, and how much customers would spend. You probably made assumptions about vendor pricing and operating expenses too. By September 2026, you no longer need to rely entirely on those assumptions. You have eight months of actual financial data showing what the business has really done. Continuing to manage the rest of the year aga

For years, businesses have built cash flow management around delays. A customer submits a payment, the payment moves through the banking system, and the business waits for the funds to clear and become available. Weekends and bank processing schedules can add another layer of timing. That model is beginning to change as instant payments become more widely available in the United States. The Federal Reserve's FedNow Service allows participating banks and credit unions to send

Debt can help a business grow faster than its available cash would otherwise allow. A loan can fund equipment that increases capacity, while a line of credit can help manage temporary differences between customer collections and operating expenses. Used carefully, business financing gives owners access to capital that can create additional earning power. The problem begins when debt stops supporting future earnings and starts filling recurring holes in normal operations. That

The final months of the year often bring a familiar question for business owners: should we buy that equipment now or wait until next year? Taxes usually become part of the conversation. A business may hear that purchasing equipment before December 31 can create a large deduction and assume that buying sooner automatically makes financial sense. In 2026, the tax rules do make certain equipment purchases particularly relevant because federal law restored permanent 100 percent

September is a useful point in the year for business owners to start looking beyond current revenue and expenses and think about what their 2026 financial results could mean at tax time. Waiting until December can leave very little room to adjust major purchases, organize records, or discuss tax planning opportunities with an accountant. That conversation is particularly important this year because several federal tax provisions affecting small businesses have changed. Some o

Tariffs can sound like an issue that belongs primarily to large manufacturers and companies importing products directly into the United States. For many small businesses, the financial impact is much closer to home. A company may never import a product itself and still pay higher prices for materials, equipment, inventory, packaging, or components purchased from domestic vendors. That makes tariffs increasingly relevant to financial planning in 2026. The Federal Reserve's lat

A business can have a strong month and still be moving in the wrong direction. Revenue may jump because of one large project, expenses may temporarily fall, or a few customers may pay outstanding invoices at the same time. Looking at that month by itself can create an overly positive picture of financial performance. Quarterly financial reviews provide more context. Three months of financial data makes it easier to separate temporary changes from developing trends and gives b

Higher revenue usually feels like confirmation that a business is moving in the right direction. More invoices are going out, the sales numbers look stronger, and the Profit and Loss Statement may show meaningful year-over-year growth. Yet the bank account can tell a completely different story. That disconnect is common because revenue, profitability, and cash flow measure different parts of financial performance. A business can report record sales while waiting weeks or mont

The Profit and Loss Statement tends to get most of the attention from business owners. Revenue increased, expenses changed, and the bottom line shows whether the company made a profit. Those numbers matter, but they do not tell you everything about the financial health of the business. A company can report a profit while cash reserves are shrinking, debt is increasing, or working capital is becoming dangerously tight. That is where the Balance Sheet becomes valuable. It shows

Growth usually looks positive from the outside. A company hires more employees, purchases equipment, increases marketing, or moves into a larger space because management expects revenue to follow. The problem appears when those investments start consuming cash faster than the business can generate it. That risk matters in 2026 because small businesses are showing renewed interest in expansion while financing remains relatively expensive. In June, 20 percent of small business