#plain-text-accounting
Plain-Text Accounting
Discover the power of version-controlled, human-readable financial records
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Bookkeeping: Why Every Truck Is Its Own Profit Center
Carpet cleaning chemistry should run 5–7% of revenue, a $25,000 truckmount costs about $10 per operating hour in wear, and drive time between jobs is the biggest hidden margin leak. How to book chemistry, trucks, and routes as three separate cost centers.
June 2026 Inflation Report: Why a Cooler CPI Doesn't Mean Lower Supplier Costs
June 2026 CPI fell 0.4% — the largest monthly drop since April 2020 — cutting annual inflation to 3.5%, but core prices were flat and producer inflation still runs 5.5%. What the CPI/PPI gap means for small-business supplier costs, tariff pass-through, and fall contract negotiations.
New York's Financial Data Rights Act: What State-Level Open Banking Means for Small Businesses
New York's A10640/S9483 would be the first state law giving small businesses a free, enforceable right to machine-readable bank data via mandated APIs, with $10,000 civil penalties per violation — a state-level backstop while the federal Section 1033 open banking rule remains stalled in court.
The SAFE Banking Act Is Back in 2026: What Cannabis Operators Should Do While Congress Stalls
The SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced in June 2026 with bipartisan Senate and House sponsors, after passing the House seven times since 2019 and dying in the Senate each time. Roughly 70% of U.S. cannabis businesses still operate in cash, paying $2,000–$7,500 in monthly banking fees when they can find a bank at all. Here's what the bill would change, why it keeps failing, and how operators can protect themselves now with cannabis-friendly banks, reduced cash exposure, and audit-ready books under Section 280E.
Extended Warranty Revenue Isn't Yours Yet: Why ASC 606 Says You Can't Book It at the Point of Sale
ASC 606 treats a separately priced extended warranty as a distinct performance obligation, so a $150 three-year service contract is booked as unearned revenue and recognized at $4.17 per month over 36 months — not as sale revenue on day one. This guide explains the assurance-type vs. service-type distinction, the three standalone-selling-price allocation methods for bundled pricing, and the journal entries small retailers need.
Fishing Charter Bookkeeping: Why Fuel and Bait Are COGS and Your USCG License Deserves Its Own Line Item
A well-run fishing charter nets roughly a 25% margin even when booked solid. This guide shows how to structure a charter's books — classify fuel, bait, and ice as cost of goods sold for per-trip margins, track the $1,300–$1,600 USCG six-pack license and its five-year renewal cycle, and accrue maintenance reserves per engine hour to survive the off-season.
Bookkeeping for Medical Billing Services: How Claim Denials Hit Your Own Cash Flow
Initial claim denial rates reached 11.8% in 2026, and billing services paid 4–10% of collections absorb every denial in their own books. A practical guide to recognizing fee revenue when claims actually pay, tracking denial rework as a separate cost, segregating client trust funds, and building a chart of accounts for a contingent-fee business.
Your Bookkeeping Firm Just Got Sold. Again. Here's What That Means for You
Prosperity Partners' July 2026 sale to Lightyear Capital is the third major accounting firm to flip private equity owners in 18 months, and over 1,000 firms worldwide have taken PE money. Here is what an ownership change means for outsourced bookkeeping clients — staff turnover, pricing resets, data migration — and how a portable plain-text ledger keeps your books out of the churn.
Vinted Just Came to America. Here's Why Your Bookkeeping Needs to Change, Not Just Your App.
Vinted's January 2026 US launch charges sellers zero fees — buyers pay a ~5% protection fee instead — but its Wallet holds funds 7–10 days before they reach your bank. Here's how to book Vinted sales with a dedicated wallet asset account, why the zero-fee model makes 1099-K reconciliation a one-step check, and what marketplace facilitator rules mean for sales tax.
Bookkeeping for Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers: Fund Accounting When You Can't Charge for Care
Most states bar wildlife rehab centers from charging for care, so every dollar is a donation—and raising one raccoon still costs about $500. How fund accounting under ASU 2016-14, per-animal cost tracking, and permit-mandated intake logs fit together for donation-only nonprofits.
Debanking in 2026: What the End of 'Reputational Risk' Means for Your Business Bank Account
Federal regulators eliminated "reputational risk" from bank supervision in 2026 — a joint OCC-FDIC rule effective June 9, an SBA lender audit, FTC warnings to payment processors, and new state disclosure laws now limit when banks can close accounts. Here's who remains exposed and what to do if your business account is frozen or terminated.
Direct Mail Is Beating Email Again: Why Small Businesses Are Going Back to the Mailbox in 2026
USPS Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) lets small businesses reach every address on a mail carrier route for about $0.26 per piece, no mailing list required — and direct mail's roughly 4.4% response rate now dwarfs email's 0.12%. How EDDM Retail and BMEU work, what real campaigns returned, and how to track cost per acquisition in your books.