#financial-reporting
Financial Reporting
Create accurate financial reports and statements for better insights
Writing Down Obsolete Inventory: A Small Business Guide to Lower of Cost or Net Realizable Value
Under GAAP's ASC 330, inventory must be carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value. This guide shows small businesses how to calculate NRV, book the write-down, document it for the IRS, and avoid the book-tax timing trap.
Related-Party Disclosures Under ASC 850: When Paying Your Spouse's LLC Needs a Footnote
ASC 850 requires four things in the footnote for every material related-party transaction — the nature of the relationship, a description, dollar amounts for each period presented, and any change in how terms were set — and it applies even when the price is fair. This guide identifies who counts as a related party for a small business (10%+ owners, officers, immediate family, and entities they control), shows a model two-paragraph footnote, and gives a 10-step year-end checklist plus a Beancount account structure that turns disclosure into a query.
Should Your Small Business Become a Certified B Corp in 2026? The New Standards, Real Costs, and What It Takes to Pass
Since March 11, 2026, B Corp certification no longer works on a single 80-point score — applicants must clear foundation requirements plus independently verified thresholds in all seven impact topics, with no offsetting between them. Covers what changed, the tiered fees ($1,000 to $25,000+ annually, roughly $2,000–$2,100 for a $1M–$5M company), the 40–80 hours of evidence-gathering a small business should budget, and how to structure your chart of accounts so verification is an afternoon rather than a forensic project.
New York Voids Construction Retainage Above 5%: A Contractor's Guide to the Prompt Payment Act
New York's Prompt Payment Act amendment voids private construction contract clauses that retain more than 5%, requires retainage release within 30 days of final approval, and adds 1% monthly interest on late amounts — here is how contractors should fix their contracts, book retainage as a contract asset under ASC 606, and run a 30-day closeout.
The Rule That Can Make Companies Look Riskier Overnight: What a Fix Would Mean for Your Financial Ratios
A pending accounting fix could stop companies from looking riskier overnight when short-term obligations roll — how to prepare ratios and disclosures.
Aplos vs. QuickBooks for Nonprofits: Why "Classes" Aren't Real Fund Accounting, and How to Actually Choose
QuickBooks uses Classes to tag nonprofit funds; Aplos does native fund accounting. Learn the balance-sheet, restriction, and audit differences that decide which to choose in 2026.
Federal Grant Cuts Are Hitting Small Nonprofits Hardest: How to Navigate the 2026 Funding Disruption
A third of nonprofits report government funding disruptions in 2026, with 300+ proposed changes to 2 CFR 200. Learn the fixed-amount award elimination, pass-through risks, and emergency steps.
GASB Statement 103 Is Effective for Fiscal 2026: What State and Local Governments Must Change
GASB 103 overhauls the 25-year-old GASB 34 model — new MD&A, unusual items, proprietary funds, and budget comparisons effective for years ending June 30 2026.
IRS Notice 2026-36: How OBBBA's Expanded 21% Excise Tax on Nonprofit Executive Pay Now Reaches Every Employee, Not Just the Top Five
OBBBA expanded Section 4960 from the top five to every current and former employee after 2016. Learn how Notice 2026-36 previews proposed rules, who counts as an ATEO, and what nonprofits must track for the 21% tax on pay over $1 million in 2026.
Pre-Need Funeral Trust Accounting: How to Track Future Obligations and Recognize Revenue Correctly
Pre-need funeral payments are not revenue until service — they're trust liabilities. Accrual, revenue recognition, and compliance for 2026.
Section 174A Is Back: How OBBBA Restored Immediate R&D Expensing for Small Businesses in 2026 (and the New Form 6765 Reporting Rules)
OBBBA created Section 174A to permanently restore immediate expensing for domestic R&E after Dec 31, 2024. Learn the retroactive window that closed July 6, 2026, the new mandatory Form 6765 Section G for 2026, and how to tag domestic vs foreign costs by business component.
Reading Your First P&L and Balance Sheet: A New Business Owner's Guide to the Two Reports That Answer "Am I Making Money?"
New business owners confuse cash in the bank with profit earned. Learn how to read your P&L and balance sheet together — revenue, COGS, gross margin, assets, liabilities, and equity — plus the seven bookkeeping mistakes that make beginners misread their own numbers.