Finance operations
Maya C.
Maya writes across the site on the finance side of running a business: choosing software, getting clean books ahead of a sale, and knowing when a fractional CFO or outside accountant is worth paying for. She tends to pick up the pieces that sit between the other beats.
Articles by Maya C.
- Running a Practice
What 3,917 Accounting Firm Websites Say, and What They Leave Out
We read 3,917 US accounting and bookkeeping firm websites. Only 6% publish a price, a quarter offer a client portal, and one in five has no Google review.
- Accounting Basics
How Rebates Work: Redemption Rates, Tax Treatment and How to Book Them
A rebate is paid after you buy, so many go unclaimed. It is not income to a consumer; a business books it against cost or sales. The rules and entries.
- Running a Practice
Accounting Practice Management Software in 2026: Eleven Tools and the Prices They Publish
Every list price these eleven practice management products published in September 2026, the billing terms attached, and the two that quote only.
- Software by Industry
Accounting Software for Churches: What Differs, and Six Options Compared
Churches do not file Form 990, and clergy payroll follows its own rules. Six church accounting options compared, with September 2026 prices.
- Software Pricing
Acumatica Pricing in 2026: How Consumption-Based Licensing Works
Acumatica prices by transactions rather than seats and caps renewals at 10 percent a year. What the licensing guide says and what buyers report paying.
- Software by Industry
Best Accounting Software for Contractors in 2026: Job Costing, Retainage and Certified Payroll
Nine construction products judged on job costing, progress billing, retainage and certified payroll, with September 2026 prices where vendors publish them.
- Accounting Costs
How Much Bookkeeping Services Cost in 2026: What the Providers Publish
Entry prices for national bookkeeping services run $99 to $399 a month as of September 2026, and almost none of them includes your tax return.
- Software Comparisons
Business Central vs NetSuite: Which ERP Should You Buy?
Business Central publishes per-user prices and NetSuite does not. Where that matters, and where NetSuite's consolidation and revenue tools win.
- Accounting Basics
Cash vs Accrual Accounting: The Difference, the IRS Rules and How to Choose
Cash counts money when it moves. Accrual counts it when it is earned. The IRS lets businesses under $32 million for 2026 choose either one.
- Running a Practice
Client Accounting Services (CAS), Explained: What It Is and What the Benchmark Shows
CAS is recurring accounting sold at a fixed fee. The 2024 CPA.com and AICPA PCPS benchmark, 206 firms, puts the median practice at $1,606,409.
- Accounting Costs
CPA Hourly Rates: What Surveys Show, and Why Most Published Ranges Have No Source
No current survey of CPA billing rates exists. Here is what the 2020 and 2021 figures show, and why an accountant's wage is not what a client pays.
- Choosing an Accountant
CPA vs Accountant: What the License Actually Changes
Every CPA is an accountant; most accountants are not CPAs. What the state license adds, what it does not, and how to check one.
- Software Reviews
Digits Review: AI-Native Accounting for Small Businesses
Digits is an AI-native general ledger that books and reconciles as transactions arrive. What it costs, who it suits, and where QuickBooks still wins.
- Choosing an Accountant
Do I Need a CPA for My Small Business? When It Is Required and When It Is Optional
No law makes a small business hire a CPA. A lender, an investor or an attest requirement can, and this is exactly where that line falls.
- Accounting Costs
Fractional CFO Cost: What Is Published, and Why There Is No Going Rate
No survey prices independent fractional CFOs. Here are accounting firms' CFO fee bands, the packaged tiers from $1,500 a month, and their limits.
- Software Pricing
FreshBooks Pricing in 2026: Plans, Add-Ons and What You Will Really Pay
FreshBooks lists at $23, $43 and $70 a month. The $11 per-seat fee and the billable client caps decide what you actually pay each year.
- Accounting Costs
How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost in 2026? Employee, Freelancer or Firm
BLS puts the median bookkeeper wage at $24.36 an hour. That is a wage, not a price. Here is what an employee, a freelancer and a firm each cost.
- Accounting Costs
How Much Does a CPA Cost in 2026? What the Data Actually Says
The last national survey put an itemized Form 1040 at $323 and an S corp return at $903; newer bands run $400 to $799. What the IRS and monthly services list.
- Running a Practice
How to Get Accounting Clients: What the Evidence Supports, and What Is Just Advice
Nobody has measured how businesses choose an accountant. Here is what the CAS and Ignition benchmarks do show, and what is only judgment.
- Running a Practice
How to Start a Bookkeeping Business in 2026: Licenses, Credentials, Tools and Pricing
No US state licenses bookkeepers. Here is what the law actually asks for, what each credential costs, and what firms charge in 2026.
- Running a Practice
Month-End Close Checklist: Every Step, in Order, and Why It Is There
Thirteen steps in the order they have to happen, each with the assertion it proves, the account it ties to, and where software does the work.
- Software Comparisons
QuickBooks vs Xero: Which Is Right for Your Business?
QuickBooks bundles its own payroll into one subscription. Xero includes unlimited users and a top plan at $97 from October 1 against Advanced at $340.
- Accounting Costs
How Much Does Tax Preparation Cost in 2026? Every Option Compared
The IRS puts the average 2025 return at 12 hours and $290 out of pocket, and 21 hours and $610 for a business filer. Every route, priced.
- Choosing an Accountant
Tax Preparer Credentials: What the IRS File Shows About 2,711 US Firms
We matched 4,874 accounting and tax firms against the IRS preparer file. At 18.1% of the matched firms, no preparer listed any credential at all.
- Software Alternatives
Xero Alternatives in 2026: Six Options and the Reason to Pick Each
Xero's Early plan allows 20 invoices and 5 bills a month, and projects wait for a tier rising to $97 on October 1. Six alternatives and when to pick each.
- Software Comparisons
Zoho Books vs QuickBooks: Is the Price Gap Worth It?
Zoho Books costs a fraction of QuickBooks at every tier. Where that saving is real, and where QuickBooks earns the difference.
- Exit Planning
Exit Planning for Partnerships: Buy-Sell Agreements, Funding and Buyouts
Leaving a partnership or multi-owner LLC: what a buy-sell agreement has to settle, what Connelly changed about funding it, and how buyouts get financed.
- Exit Planning
Business Exit Strategies and Options: The Five Routes Out of an Owner-Operated Company
The five realistic exits for an owner-operated business: third-party sale, owner buyout, family succession, ESOP and liquidation, and who each one fits.
- Exit Planning
Exit Planning Consultant: What They Do and Which Credentials Count
What an exit planning consultant does, what CEPA, ABV, CVA, ASA and CBA require, and which of them an SBA lender will accept on a valuation.
- Software Reviews
BlackLine Review: Close Automation That Sits on Top of Your ERP
BlackLine automates reconciliations and the month-end close on top of an enterprise ERP. What it does, how its pricing is changing, and who should skip it.
- Software Reviews
FinancialForce (Now Certinia) Review: Services Finance Built on Salesforce
FinancialForce is now Certinia, a services-business ERP and PSA built on Salesforce. What it does, what is known about cost, and who should look elsewhere.
- Software Reviews
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Review: Published Prices, Documented Limits
Business Central is Microsoft's ERP for smaller firms, at $80 to $110 per user a month. What it does, what it costs, and where Microsoft says it stops.
- Software Reviews
Sage Intacct Review: A Finance System Sold in Pieces
Sage Intacct is a cloud finance system built on a dimensional ledger. What it does, which parts cost extra, reported prices, and who should skip it.
- Software Reviews
WaveApps Review: What Wave's Free Plan Covers and What Pro Adds
Wave's Starter plan is free with unlimited invoices; Pro is $19 a month. What each covers, what payroll costs, and when Wave stops being enough.
- Software Reviews
ZipBooks Review: A Free Plan, Two Cheap Tiers and No Mobile App
ZipBooks is free for basic invoicing, $15 or $35 a month beyond that, and browser-only now its app is gone. What each plan includes and who should skip it.
