{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"ALG Accounting, Inc.","home_page_url":"https://algaccounting.com","description":"ALG Accounting, Inc.","author":{"name":"ALG Accounting, Inc."},"items":[{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/small-business-cybersecurity-what-the-irs-wants-owners-to-do-now","html_content":"

At 4:50 on a Friday afternoon, the bookkeeper at a small medical practice gets an email that looks like it came from the practice's biggest equipment vendor. The invoice is for $18,400, the amount is about right, and a n...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/small-business-cybersecurity-what-the-irs-wants-owners-to-do-now","title":"Small Business Cybersecurity: What the IRS Wants Owners to Do Now","summary":"At 4:50 on a Friday afternoon, the bookkeeper at a small medical practice gets an email that looks like it came from the practice's biggest equipment vendor. The invoice is for $18,400, the amount is about right, and a n...","date_modified":"2026-10-06T15:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/what-makes-a-dividend-qualified","html_content":"

An investor buys 20,000 shares of a stock on December 15, collects a $1.00 per share dividend a week later, and sells in January. The 1099-DIV shows $20,000 of dividends, and he assumes they will be taxed at 15 percent. ...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/what-makes-a-dividend-qualified","title":"What Makes a Dividend Qualified?","summary":"An investor buys 20,000 shares of a stock on December 15, collects a $1.00 per share dividend a week later, and sells in January. The 1099-DIV shows $20,000 of dividends, and he assumes they will be taxed at 15 percent. ...","date_modified":"2026-10-05T14:28:11Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/selling-farmland-how-the-new-four-year-installment-election-work","html_content":"

A retired physician inherits 120 acres in the Shenandoah Valley, leases it to a neighbor who grows corn and soybeans, and gets an offer from another farmer in the spring. The sale means a large capital gain in one year, ...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/selling-farmland-how-the-new-four-year-installment-election-work","title":"Selling Farmland? How the New Four-Year Installment Election Work","summary":"A retired physician inherits 120 acres in the Shenandoah Valley, leases it to a neighbor who grows corn and soybeans, and gets an offer from another farmer in the spring. The sale means a large capital gain in one year, ...","date_modified":"2026-10-02T18:53:15Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/new-irs-per-diem-rates-wont-save-the-self-employed-from-the-hote","html_content":"

Picture a real estate investor flying to Charlotte for the fourth time this year to walk two rental units she owns there. She books three nights every trip and eats out twice a day, and it would be easy to assume the gov...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/new-irs-per-diem-rates-wont-save-the-self-employed-from-the-hote","title":"New IRS Per Diem Rates Leave Self-Employed with the Hotel Bill","summary":"Picture a real estate investor flying to Charlotte for the fourth time this year to walk two rental units she owns there. She books three nights every trip and eats out twice a day, and it would be easy to assume the gov...","date_modified":"2026-09-25T15:25:09Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/congress-just-made-disaster-loss-tax-deductions-easier-to-claim","html_content":"

A family in Fort Myers comes home from evacuating for a hurricane to find storm surge filled the first floor of their house overnight. The drywall, the flooring, half the furniture, all of it is gone. The insurance adjus...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/congress-just-made-disaster-loss-tax-deductions-easier-to-claim","title":"Congress Just Made Disaster Loss Tax Deductions Easier to Claim","summary":"A family in Fort Myers comes home from evacuating for a hurricane to find storm surge filled the first floor of their house overnight. The drywall, the flooring, half the furniture, all of it is gone. The insurance adjus...","date_modified":"2026-09-16T16:19:05Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/5-tax-tips-for-small-businesses","html_content":"

On July 1, every governor's office in the country received a spreadsheet from the Treasury Department. It ran to thousands of rows, one for every census tract eligible for Opportunity Zone 2.0, the permanent program repl...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/5-tax-tips-for-small-businesses","title":"Opportunity Zone 2.0: A Decade-Long Decision Happening This Month","summary":"On July 1, every governor's office in the country received a spreadsheet from the Treasury Department. It ran to thousands of rows, one for every census tract eligible for Opportunity Zone 2.0, the permanent program repl...","date_modified":"2026-09-15T04:18:48Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/get-an-irs-identity-protection-pin-before-someone-files-as-you","html_content":"

Picture a self-employed contractor who sits down in early February to file, only to get an instant rejection from the IRS e-file system. Someone else has already filed a return under her Social Security number three week...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/get-an-irs-identity-protection-pin-before-someone-files-as-you","title":"Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN Before Someone Files as You","summary":"Picture a self-employed contractor who sits down in early February to file, only to get an instant rejection from the IRS e-file system. Someone else has already filed a return under her Social Security number three week...","date_modified":"2026-09-10T17:20:05Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/irs-watchdog-no-deadline-for-unfiled-tax-returns","html_content":"

A lady had three years of unopened IRS envelopes in a box. She’d converted a condo to a rental in 2022, the property lost money that year, and she figured a loss meant nothing to report. No return, no problem. Two years ...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/irs-watchdog-no-deadline-for-unfiled-tax-returns","title":"IRS Watchdog: No Deadline for Unfiled Tax Returns","summary":"A lady had three years of unopened IRS envelopes in a box. She’d converted a condo to a rental in 2022, the property lost money that year, and she figured a loss meant nothing to report. No return, no problem. Two years ...","date_modified":"2026-09-09T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/charitable-deduction-changes-cut-into-high-earners-write-offs","html_content":"

Priya runs a solo cardiology practice and writes a $30,000 check to her hospital's foundation every December, the same as she has for the last six years. She has always itemized, and she has always assumed that gift save...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/charitable-deduction-changes-cut-into-high-earners-write-offs","title":"Charitable Deduction Changes Cut Into High Earners' Write-Offs","summary":"Priya runs a solo cardiology practice and writes a $30,000 check to her hospital's foundation every December, the same as she has for the last six years. She has always itemized, and she has always assumed that gift save...","date_modified":"2026-09-08T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/getting-ready-for-september-15-a-final-checklist","html_content":"

September 15 is eleven days out as I write this. Two separate deadlines land on the same date for a lot of business owners, and it's close enough now to actually prepare for properly.

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/getting-ready-for-september-15-a-final-checklist","title":"Getting Ready for September 15: A Final Checklist","summary":"September 15 is eleven days out as I write this. Two separate deadlines land on the same date for a lot of business owners, and it's close enough now to actually prepare for properly.","date_modified":"2026-09-04T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/what-a-cost-basis-actually-is-and-why-it-matters-when-you-sell","html_content":"

An investor sold a rental property last year and was stunned by the size of the taxable gain, since depreciation had quietly cut the property’s basis down for a decade without him tracking it.

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/what-a-cost-basis-actually-is-and-why-it-matters-when-you-sell","title":"What a Cost Basis Actually Is (and Why It Matters When You Sell)","summary":"An investor sold a rental property last year and was stunned by the size of the taxable gain, since depreciation had quietly cut the property’s basis down for a decade without him tracking it.","date_modified":"2026-09-03T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/the-backdoor-roth-ira-how-it-works-and-who-it%E2%80%99s-for","html_content":"

A software engineer making $240,000 a year assumed the Roth IRA was simply off the table for her. It wasn't, it just required one extra step most people never hear about.

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/the-backdoor-roth-ira-how-it-works-and-who-it%E2%80%99s-for","title":"The Backdoor Roth IRA: How It Works and Who It’s For","summary":"A software engineer making $240,000 a year assumed the Roth IRA was simply off the table for her. It wasn't, it just required one extra step most people never hear about.","date_modified":"2026-09-02T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/vehicle-deductions-standard-mileage-vs-actual-expenses","html_content":"

A landscaper I worked with had been using the standard mileage rate on his F-250 for years out of habit, never once running the actual expense method. When we finally ran both, the actual method won by almost $4,000 that...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/vehicle-deductions-standard-mileage-vs-actual-expenses","title":"Vehicle Deductions: Standard Mileage vs. Actual Expenses","summary":"A landscaper I worked with had been using the standard mileage rate on his F-250 for years out of habit, never once running the actual expense method. When we finally ran both, the actual method won by almost $4,000 that...","date_modified":"2026-09-01T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/why-your-balance-sheet-matters-as-much-as-your-pl","html_content":"

A business owner showed me a P&L with a healthy profit margin last spring, three weeks before he couldn't make payroll. The balance sheet had been telling that story for months. Nobody had looked at it.

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/why-your-balance-sheet-matters-as-much-as-your-pl","title":"Why Your Balance Sheet Matters as Much as Your P&L","summary":"A business owner showed me a P&L with a healthy profit margin last spring, three weeks before he couldn't make payroll. The balance sheet had been telling that story for months. Nobody had looked at it.","date_modified":"2026-08-31T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/estimated-tax-safe-harbors-explained-the-90100110-rule","html_content":"

A client asked me last week what the "90/100/110 rule" meant after hearing it thrown around at a networking event. It's referenced constantly and explained clearly a lot less often.

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/estimated-tax-safe-harbors-explained-the-90100110-rule","title":"Estimated Tax Safe Harbors Explained: The 90/100/110 Rule","summary":"A client asked me last week what the \"90/100/110 rule\" meant after hearing it thrown around at a networking event. It's referenced constantly and explained clearly a lot less often.","date_modified":"2026-08-28T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/the-kiddie-tax-when-you-pay-your-kids-from-the-business","html_content":"

A father paying his 15-year-old $18 an hour to help with real inventory work at the family shop asked me last month if that money would get hit by the kiddie tax. It won't, and the reason why comes down to a distinction ...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/the-kiddie-tax-when-you-pay-your-kids-from-the-business","title":"The Kiddie Tax: When You Pay Your Kids From the Business","summary":"A father paying his 15-year-old $18 an hour to help with real inventory work at the family shop asked me last month if that money would get hit by the kiddie tax. It won't, and the reason why comes down to a distinction ...","date_modified":"2026-08-27T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/multi-member-llc-vs-partnership-what%E2%80%99s-the-actual-difference","html_content":"

A client introduced his business partner as "my LLC partner" last month, which is a phrase that doesn't quite mean what he thinks it means. These two terms get used almost interchangeably, and that mix-up causes real con...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/multi-member-llc-vs-partnership-what%E2%80%99s-the-actual-difference","title":"Multi-Member LLC vs. Partnership: What’s the Actual Difference?","summary":"A client introduced his business partner as \"my LLC partner\" last month, which is a phrase that doesn't quite mean what he thinks it means. These two terms get used almost interchangeably, and that mix-up causes real con...","date_modified":"2026-08-26T16:00:00Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/longevity-risk-protecting-your-retirement-income","html_content":"

Why outliving your savings is the No. 1 retirement risk—and how lifetime‑income strategies can guard

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/longevity-risk-protecting-your-retirement-income","title":"Longevity Risk: Protecting Your Retirement Income","summary":"Why outliving your savings is the No. 1 retirement risk—and how lifetime‑income strategies can guard","date_modified":"2025-09-30T17:46:21Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/irs-to-phase-out-paper-tax-refund-checks-for-individual-taxpayers","html_content":"

The IRS announced that beginning September 30, 2025, it will phase out paper refund checks for individual taxpayers and shift toward electronic refunds wherever feasible.

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/irs-to-phase-out-paper-tax-refund-checks-for-individual-taxpayers","title":"IRS to Phase Out Paper Tax Refund Checks for Individual Taxpayers","summary":" The IRS announced that beginning September 30, 2025, it will phase out paper refund checks for individual taxpayers and shift toward electronic refunds wherever feasible. ","date_modified":"2025-09-30T05:03:50Z"},{"id":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/mastering-tax-preparation-essential-tips-for-small-businesses","html_content":"

Tax season can be a challenging time for small business owners. With ever-changing regulations and the complexities of financial reporting, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, understanding the essentials of tax prep...

","url":"https://algaccounting.com/articles/f/mastering-tax-preparation-essential-tips-for-small-businesses","title":"Tax Preparation: Essential Tips for Small Businesses","summary":"Tax season can be a challenging time for small business owners. With ever-changing regulations and the complexities of financial reporting, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, understanding the essentials of tax prep...","date_modified":"2025-09-29T17:27:05Z"}]}