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The Plug [Newsletter]

I've been a CPA for nearly 20 years - serving private small business and real estate the entire time. I take the lessons learned in serving and now running a small business and share them here. For business owners, investors, and advisors looking to lower their cost of capital, subscribe for delivery straight to your inbox πŸ‘‡ Also on YouTube at PlugAccountingandTax!

Featured Post

Did Your CPA Read Your Operating Agreement? πŸ’Ό

The IRS doesn't care what you meant as much as it cares what the document says. Your tax pro has to file returns based on what the document says. If those two things are not aligned, you pay for it. Most operating agreements handle the legal relationship well. βš–οΈ Few handle the tax reality. Here are five questions to bring to your CPA before you sign the next operating agreement: 1) Does the allocation language match the deal you're actually making? Most owners read the distribution waterfall...

Our firm has been building and iterating on the next phase of client experience πŸ‘¨πŸ’» and we're excited to share the first look at it. Here's what it feels like what it will do πŸ‘€: Avatars and Life Events We started plotting out the most common tax strategies πŸ“Š a few years ago. That evolved with documenting a separate Notion page for each major strategy to help our team recognize and execute that item. Things like, "where to find this," "how to calculate it," and "how to know it works" are all in...

Every year, countless small business start-ups hear about the Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) exclusion and lock in πŸ”’ on that being their ticket to a tax-free seven + figure exit. πŸ’° And for some, it is. But a bigger percentage of others never make it there. Or worse, they get there and don't have a qualifying stock sale. 🫣 Today, we're talking about one way to bail out of a QSBS set-up without being double-taxed to death. QSBS Background For anyone not in the know, QSBS is an exclusion...

If you own multiple short-term rentals (STRs), 🏑🏠 you need to Ctrl+F in your 1040 for your "grouping election" or "469." This lets you combine these properties into one activity so your hours count together for material participation. And by qualifying for material participation, you can use those losses against your other income. πŸ”€ The problem is there are two different elections, and a lot of tax pros file the wrong one (if they file one at all). The Choices The two elections are Reg....

Whether you're a high-earning W2 employee πŸ‘¨πŸ­ or crushing it as a small business owner πŸ’†β™‚οΈ, getting smart about tax follows the same formula: What: πŸ€·β™‚οΈ spend money on the right things + When: ⏰ spend money on the right things at the right time + Where: πŸ—ΊοΈ spend money on the right things at the right time from the right accounts What - Spending Smart Tax is a penalty for spending money on the wrong things. ⚠️ If you want to save taxes, you need to know what types of spending will have the...

I am convinced that Anthropic ("Claude"), ahead of their IPO this year, is engaging in major guerrilla marketing. 🦍 Paying X-influencers to go on and on about how much their work is changing with: swarms πŸ€–, Ralph Wiggum loops ↩️, autonomous agents πŸ‘¨πŸ’», clawdbot on Mac Minis 🀏, etc. Most of the examples I've seen are basic admin tasks πŸ€·β™‚οΈ and not at all intriguing to me from a real impact point. I've personally spent the last 4-5 months overhauling processes within our firm with AI that I...

Over the last week I, along with 10 million others πŸ‘€, saw Dan Koe's X article on how to change habits realistically. If you didn't see it, it's worth the read ‡️ DAN KOE @thedankoe http://x.com/i/article/2010742786430021632 4:31 PM β€’ Jan 12, 2026 3326 Retweets 29272 Likes Read 474 replies This resonated because one theme that constantly comes up in new client calls is a dissonance of tax efficiency. Business owners are unsure if they are being the most efficient they can be and want help from...

This is it. We've reached K1 season again πŸ“† - where returns are rushed out before March 31 only to sit with the LP's CPAs until October 14th at which time all the questions come. But how can you, as either a LP, GP, or an advisor, look at the K1 in March and tell if something is off? πŸ€·β™‚οΈ I'm glad you asked. Today, we're jamming on 5 things βœ‹ to check when you first get the K1: Debt classification and allocation Distribution and contribution amounts Capital account ending balance QBI allocated...

One of the most confusing parts of the recent tax bill that passed in July was the different effective dates. πŸ“† Some parts were effective retroactively, some immediately, and others not until 2026. With a new tax filing season barreling down upon us, I wanted to share a reminder of the items that impact 2025 πŸ‘‡ - with a focus on small business and individuals. Note this is not a comprehensive list, so as always chat with your tax pro for specific impacts to you! Individual Provisions No Tax on...

In the world of small business and private real estate, accounting is a necessity 🀝 - but good accounting is a luxury. πŸ’ One of the differences in a seasoned business owner πŸ‘΄ and novice πŸ‘©πŸΌ is how seriously they take the need for smart people on the accounting team. Because accounting salaries are usually far less than the sales team is making, it's an opportunity for leverage πŸͺ“ - and is much more than a "sunk cost" or "cost of doing business." Here are a few ways I've seen firsthand how...