Business news, tax planning services, pro accounting tips, tutorials for QuickBooks, software reviews, & more.

The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment, beginning with benefits payable in January 2027. If you receive Social Security payments, check our personalized notice before adjusting your budget. It will show your specific benefit amount and any deductions.

stock gift can be more efficient than a cash gift when the shares have risen substantially in value. If an investor transfers eligible shares directly to a qualified charity, the investor generally does not recognize the built in gain. An itemizing donor may also start with the shares' fair market value when calculating the charitable contribution, subject to the federal rules that limit what can be deducted in the current year.

A Roth conversion trades a current tax bill for the possibility of tax free qualified withdrawals later. The move can be useful when the tax rate paid now is lower than the rate reasonably expected on future withdrawals, but the conversion itself does not guarantee savings. Income taxes, Medicare premiums, credits, cash flow, investment horizon, and state law can all change the result.

Family financial planning works best when your own limits come first and tax questions are answered before money moves. When adult children need help and aging parents need more support, a single decision can affect retirement savings, cash flow, taxes, insurance, benefits, and an estate plan. The family member coordinating those decisions is sometimes called the family CFO. The role is not about controlling everyone else's finances

Qualifying Medicaid waiver payments can produce two federal tax results at the same time. A caregiver may exclude the payments from gross income under IRS Notice 2014-7 and still choose to count the entire qualifying amount as earned income when calculating the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. The best choice depends on the payment, living arrangement, work status, and the caregiver's complete tax return.

Cryptocurrency tax rules can apply to ordinary investing, online purchases, freelance work, mining, staking, gifts, and charitable contributions. The core federal rule is simple: digital assets are treated as property, not currency. The reporting can still become complicated because one activity may create income when units are received and a separate gain or loss when those units are later sold, traded, or spent. The IRS definition of digital assets includes cryptocurrency,

Public Law 119-21 changed several federal tax rules affecting business deductions, investments, research costs, employee benefits, and reporting. Many provisions are already effective, but the Treasury and IRS are still issuing guidance on how particular rules should be applied. Small business owners should plan on using the guidance available now, document the assumptions behind important decisions, and schedule a review before filing or completing a major transaction.

nherited IRA rules in 2026 can require very different actions depending on who inherited the account and whether the original owner died before or on or after the owner's required beginning date. For many adult children and other nonspouse beneficiaries, the 10-year rule is only part of the answer. The final required minimum distribution regulations generally apply to calendar years beginning January 1, 2025. Under those rules, some beneficiaries must take annual required

QuickBooks Online changes in 2026 affect more than the look of the software. For some subscribers, the immediate impact is a higher renewal price. For others, the larger change is a new set of AI-assisted tools for bank feeds, invoicing, reporting, and everyday bookkeeping. The important detail is that these updates are not arriving at the same time for every customer, and they are not included in every plan.