Insights and Resources

Form 990 is more than a tax return; it's a public document that donors, grantmakers, and regulators use to evaluate your nonprofit. Common mistakes in filing, reconciliation, and narrative disclosures can raise questions about financial stewardship or put your tax-exempt status at risk. This article outlines the key errors to avoid and how to build a more reliable year-over-year filing process.

The IRS is replacing its First Time Abate program with a new Automatic Exemption from Penalty (AEP), which will automatically prevent certain penalties for eligible taxpayers with a strong compliance history. Starting with 2025 tax year returns and 2026 quarterly returns, qualifying individuals and businesses may avoid failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties without needing to call the IRS or submit a separate request. Understanding the eligibility requirements and transition timeline is key to making the most of this change.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the audit profession at a pace the industry has never seen before - and the biggest risk is not that AI will replace your auditor. It is that firms will trust it too much, too fast. Here is what responsible AI adoption in auditing actually looks like, and why it matters for your organization.

Although the June 30, 2026 deadline for the Section 179D energy-efficient commercial building deduction has passed, projects that began construction on or before that date may still be eligible for a significant per-square-foot deduction. Building owners with projects already underway should act now to confirm eligibility, secure required third-party certification, and file Form 7205 before documentation becomes difficult to reconstruct.

What if your accounting firm could do more than tell you where your money has been -- and instead help you decide where it should go? For too long, business owners have relied on their accounting teams for one thing: looking backward. There is a better way.

Starting January 1, 2026, many of the meal-related tax deductions your business has counted on for years will drop to zero -- and the clock is ticking. If your company provides on-site meals, cafeteria access, or even break room snacks, the after-tax cost of those programs is about to get more expensive. Here's what's changing, what still qualifies, and what you should be doing right now to get ahead of it.

What if some of the most significant tax changes in years were already in effect -- and your financial plan had not caught up yet? That is the reality facing many business owners and high-net-worth individuals in the wake of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025. From accelerated depreciation to restored research deductions, the OBBBA reshapes the tax landscape in ways that create real opportunities -- but only for those who act with intention.

If the words "year-end audit" make your stomach drop, you are not alone -- but the stress is more preventable than you think. A stressful audit is almost always the result of a year-round preparation problem, not a year-end one. Here is how to change that.

If you are self-employed and contributing to a SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or solo 401(k), you may be deducting your retirement contributions in the wrong place on your tax return without even knowing it. This common mistake doesn't just misplace a number; it can distort your self-employment tax calculation, throw off your allowable contribution amount, and cost you money. Read on to learn where the deduction actually belongs, why the distinction matters more than most people realize, and how choosing the right plan could potentially double your tax-sheltered savings.

Getting married triggers significant tax changes that catch many couples off guard, from a new filing status that takes effect the moment you say “I do,” to withholding gaps that can result in an unexpected tax bill in April. Beyond filing and withholding, newlyweds also need to address name and address updates, healthcare coverage decisions, HSA eligibility changes, and dependent-related credits before year-end. Tackling these adjustments proactively, rather than waiting until tax season, helps couples avoid penalties, protect their refunds, and start their financial life together on solid footing.

Hiring family members can create real tax advantages for small business owners, but the rules depend on entity type, relationship, age, reasonable compensation, and payroll compliance. Here’s what to know before putting relatives on payroll.

Estate planning discussions often focus on the federal estate tax exemption, but most families face different challenges when transferring wealth. Probate fees, state-level taxes, capital gains exposure, and administrative complexity can all erode inheritances - even for estates well below the federal threshold. A comprehensive estate plan addresses these hidden costs, not just headline tax numbers.

What if your business has been overpaying the government for years and no one told you? From fuel excise taxes on off-road equipment to billions in contested tariff charges, real refund opportunities exist right now that most companies are not capturing. The challenge is knowing where to look and how to act before the window closes.

Most households are sitting on more idle capital than they realize - it's just tied up in closets, garages, and storage rooms. This article reframes spring cleaning as a financial exercise, exploring how unused possessions carry real costs, how clutter limits flexibility, and how a focused decluttering effort can convert dormant assets into liquidity, tax-efficient giving, and a simpler estate.

Retirement timing is rarely about finding the perfect economic moment – it’s about preparation. If you’re wondering whether you’ll ever feel truly ready to retire, the answer lies not in waiting for markets to stabilize, but in building a plan flexible enough to withstand any conditions they bring.