When I first started my business I didn't really understand the nuances of business finances. I made the mistake of assuming it would be pretty much the same for everybody. But over time working with almost a hundred different clients, both for-profit and non-profit we've come to realize that different types of businesses have different needs in their business finances and their bookkeeping. There's different considerations, different ways of setting things up, and different outcomes that they're working towards. Over the next month we're going to spend some time talking about things that different business types need to be looking at in their business finances and bookkeeping and how you can customize your own books to meet your needs. Here are just a few examples of what we're going to be looking at.

It can start out very subtly: you are stressed about money and you hate juggling the bills. Your partner offers to step in and manage the funds to alleviate the stress. Gradually, you have less and less access to funds and financial information. Maybe you have to start asking permission for every purchase, or you’re given an “allowance” that inexplicably becomes smaller and smaller over time.

Three things are certain: death, taxes, and someone's going to ask for a discount. Your inner circle includes your favorite people and it’s absolutely understandable that you may want to throw them a bone. But should you? Here are two perspectives & how to navigate the road you choose:

I can’t think of many topics that are less romantic than money. It’s not fun or sexy to talk about dollars and cents with your significant other, but it’s a really important topic if you want to last for the long haul. To avoid being one of the many couples that break up over money, here are a few questions you should ask each other to make sure you are on the same financial footing:

There’s a joke that goes something like this: “I’m Gen X, my retirement plan is to just die”. Unfortunately, it’s only barely a joke– the majority of Gen X'ers estimate that they will need to save $1 million for retirement, but on average only have about $70K

Your parents probably didn't talk to you about money. Studies show that many parents don’t talk to their kids about finances because of stress & shame around the topic. While it’s totally understandable that you don’t want your kids to carry that same shame, you’re doing them a disservice if you don’t teach them to manage their finances. Here are some tips to help teach your kids money management: