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Financial Planning
Plan and optimize your financial future with data-driven insights
Your Credit Union Trust Account Just Got a Simpler (and Possibly Smaller) Insurance Rule
Effective December 1, 2026, the NCUA insures all credit union trust accounts — revocable and irrevocable alike — under one formula, $250,000 per beneficiary capped at $1,250,000 per owner per credit union, matching the FDIC's 2024 bank rule. Trusts naming more than five beneficiaries may lose coverage they hold today, so this guide walks through a five-step balance check to run before the deadline.
C-PACE Financing for Commercial Property Energy Upgrades: Rates, Terms, and the Lender Consent Catch
C-PACE financing lets commercial property owners fund HVAC, solar, and resiliency upgrades with 100% financing repaid through the property tax bill at 5.5%-9.5% fixed rates over 20-30 years, though the senior-lien structure requires existing mortgage lender consent, which is the most common closing bottleneck.
Your Electricity Bill Isn't Wrong: Why Commercial Rates Keep Climbing and How to Budget for It
Commercial electricity rates have risen more than 20% nationally since 2018, and demand charges — the single highest 15-minute power spike in a billing cycle — can account for 30-70% of a business's bill; separating the two in your chart of accounts and shopping contracts 60-90 days before renewal are the most effective ways to control the cost.
The DOL Fiduciary Rule Is Dead Again: What It Means for Your 401(k) in 2026
The DOL's 2024 Retirement Security Rule was formally vacated in March 2026, reverting fiduciary status for 401(k) rollover advice to the 1975 five-part test — here's what plan sponsors and savers should ask advisors now.
FAA Part 108 Explained: A Small Business Guide to BVLOS Drone Rules
The FAA's proposed Part 108 rule creates two tracks for beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone flights — Permitted Operations capped at 100 delivery aircraft or 10 agricultural aircraft, and uncapped Certificated Operations — with a final rule expected around spring 2026 and implementation six to twelve months after.
FDIC Insurance and Payroll Accounts: A Small Business Guide to the Main Street Depositor Protection Act
The Main Street Depositor Protection Act (S. 4198) would raise FDIC coverage for noninterest-bearing business payroll accounts to between $250,000 and $5 million, up from today's flat $250,000 limit, but the bill had not passed Congress as of March 2026.
Parametric Insurance: The Faster Payout That's Changing How Small Businesses Survive a Disaster
Parametric insurance pays out within days of a measurable trigger like wind speed or flood depth, instead of the 6-12 week claims process of traditional business interruption coverage — but its basis risk means it works best as a fast-cash layer alongside, not instead of, traditional coverage.
Family Business Succession: A Governance and Bookkeeping Guide for the Third Generation
Only about 12% of family businesses reach a third generation, and the failure usually traces to unclear governance and commingled finances rather than a lack of talent; this guide covers the access-apprenticeship-authority framework, separating family council from board, and the bookkeeping habits that make succession planning possible.
The New Wage-Based H-1B Lottery: What Small Employers Need to Know for 2026
DHS's new H-1B rule replaces the random lottery with wage-weighted selection starting the FY2027 cap season, cutting entry-level (Level I) selection odds from about 30% to roughly 15% while pushing Level IV odds above 61%, and DHS estimates it will affect 5,193 small business petitioners.
HOA Reserve Fund Accounting: How Boards Fix Underfunded Reserves
Roughly 70–75% of U.S. homeowners associations hold underfunded reserves, and about a third sit below 50% funded. This guide covers what state reserve laws actually require, how to read a percent-funded number, the bookkeeping mistakes that compound the gap, and a multi-year funding plan boards can adopt without shocking homeowners.
Indoor Skydiving Wind Tunnel Facility Bookkeeping: A Financial Guide
A recirculating wind tunnel costs $7-10 million to build, and running one full-speed at 230 km/h can draw over 570 kW, making electricity, not rent or payroll, the largest line item on most indoor skydiving facilities' income statements.
Small-Group Health Premiums Are Jumping 11% in 2026 — Here's How to Keep Coverage Without Blowing Your Budget
Small-group health insurance premiums are rising a median 11% in 2026, per Peterson-KFF analysis of 318 insurer rate filings, with 2–5 employee firms up 23% since 2022. What's driving it — GLP-1 drugs, a shrinking risk pool, 9% medical inflation — and seven concrete cost levers, from level-funded plans to ICHRAs.