Top Tax Deductions Every Small Business Owner Should Know

Small business taxes reward one thing: documented, legitimate spending tied to your business. If we’re contractors, real estate investors, or running any service-based business, deductions aren’t optional details—they’re the difference between a painful tax bill and a controlled one. Below are the deductions that move the needle, plus exactly what we need to track so...

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Best Bookkeeping Software for Small Business (2026 Guide)

If you’ve ever told yourself, “I’ll catch up on bookkeeping this weekend,” and then… didn’t, you’re not alone. Bookkeeping has a special talent: it’s boring when things are going well, and terrifying when they aren’t. The good news? The right bookkeeping software can make your finances feel less like a messy junk drawer and more...

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Using IBC to Fund Real Estate Investments

Real estate can be one of the most powerful ways to build wealth,but there’s one constant headache almost every investor runs into: funding. Banks tighten standards, interest rates climb, underwriters get picky, and suddenly a deal that looked perfect on paper becomes impossible to close. This is where the Infinite Banking Concept (IBC) steps in...

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The Foundations of the Infinite Banking Concept

What Is the Infinite Banking Concept? The Infinite Banking Concept (IBC) is a personal finance strategy that uses a specially designed high cash value whole life insurance policy as your own private banking system. Instead of relying only on traditional banks for loans and financing, you slowly build a pool of capital inside your policy...

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RJL Consulting’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bookkeeping System for Your Small Business

How to Choose the Right Bookkeeping System for Your Business Choosing the right bookkeeping system is one of the most important financial decisions you will make as a business owner. The platform you choose will affect how clearly you see your numbers, how quickly you can make decisions, and how confidently you can grow. The...

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Bookkeeping Tips for Contractors and Service-Based Businesses in Schenectady

Running a service-based business or working as a contractor in Schenectady means long days on job sites, constant calls, and juggling multiple clients. In the middle of all that, bookkeeping can feel like the last thing on your mind… until tax season hits, a client disputes an invoice, or you’re not sure where your money...

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Cash vs Accrual Accounting: What’s Best for Your Business?

Why This Choice Matters From Day One Choosing between cash and accrual isn’t just an accounting technicality,it affects taxes, how lenders see you, whether your forecasts are real, and how confident you feel making decisions. Pick well, and your books become a strategic dashboard. Pick poorly, and you’ll constantly wonder why profits and your bank...

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What Is the Infinite Banking Concept ?

The Infinite Banking Concept (IBC) is a cash-flow strategy that uses a specially designed, high cash value whole life insurance policy as a personal financing system. Instead of letting banks control the terms when you borrow for cars, equipment, real estate, or business growth, you build liquidity inside your policy, then use policy loans to...

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Bookkeeping for Real Estate Investors: Tracking Income, Expenses, and Depreciation

Real estate investing can be incredibly rewarding—but only if your books are in order. Whether you own a single rental or a multi-state portfolio, clean bookkeeping is the difference between “I think we’re profitable” and “I know our net cash flow, tax exposure, and next move.” This guide shows you—step-by-step—how to track rental income, categorize...

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Choosing Between the Standard Deduction and Itemizing

Why This Choice Matters When you file your federal tax return, one fork in the road can change your bill by hundreds—even thousands—of dollars: do you take the standard deduction or itemize? Both paths reduce your taxable income. The goal isn’t to be fancy; it’s to be factual about which produces the lower tax for...

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