The Turnkey CFO Blog

Practical bookkeeping, cash flow, and financial-clarity guidance for small business owners — written to help you make better decisions about your money.

Cash flow & financial reporting

Profit vs Cash Flow Small Business: Why Your P&L Looks Great but the Bank Account Is Empty

Profit vs cash flow small business: why a profitable P&L leaves your bank account empty, plus the four cash traps and a diagnostic you can run this week.

July 2026
Cash flow & financial reporting

Small Business Financial Reports: The Three Numbers That Should Change How You Run the Month

The three small business financial reports every owner should read monthly — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow — and what each reveals about hiring and cash.

July 2026
Church and nonprofit bookkeeping

Church Payroll and Clergy Taxes: The Rules That Trip Up Most Churches

Church payroll and clergy taxes confuse most boards. Learn housing allowance, SECA vs FICA, dual tax status, and how to run clergy pay right in Gusto or QBO.

July 2026
Church and nonprofit bookkeeping

Designated Funds Church Accounting: Rules, Restrictions, and How to Track Them

Designated funds in church accounting are widely mishandled. Learn which gifts are truly restricted, the IRS control rule, and how to track funds in QuickBooks.

July 2026
Catch-up & cleanup bookkeeping

How to Catch Up on Bookkeeping: The Run-This-Today Audit

Learn how to catch up on bookkeeping with a run-today audit. Each item shows what a pass vs. a fail looks like, plus the deadlines and penalties that pile up while books sit undone.

July 2026
Church and nonprofit bookkeeping

Fund Accounting for Churches: The Questions Pastors and Treasurers Actually Ask

Fund accounting for churches explained through the real questions treasurers ask: what it is, how it differs from business books, and how to track funds in QBO.

July 2026
Payroll and contractors

Small Business Payroll Basics: How Payroll Really Works — and the Stack That Keeps It Sane

Small business payroll basics explained: pay frequency, payroll taxes, filings, contractor vs employee, and the Gusto + QuickBooks stack that runs it without chaos.

July 2026
Church & nonprofit bookkeeping

Church Bookkeeping Services: The Complete Guide for Churches and Ministries

Church bookkeeping services explained: fund accounting, designated giving, clergy payroll rules, and board-ready reports — plus the myths that get ministries in trouble.

June 2026
Outsourced & Austin bookkeeping services

Small Business Accounting Services Austin: What an Outsourced Bookkeeping Partner Actually Does

Small business accounting services Austin, walked through one owner's first 90 days with an outsourced bookkeeping partner: close, payroll, AP/AR, CPA handoff.

June 2026
Small business bookkeeping basics

Catch-Up Bookkeeping: How to Fix Months (or Years) of Behind Books

Catch-up bookkeeping done right: the exact step-by-step process to reconstruct months or years of behind books, what to gather, how long it takes, and what 'done' looks like.

June 2026
decision

QuickBooks vs Hiring a Bookkeeper: How to Decide What Your Business Actually Needs

QuickBooks vs hiring a bookkeeper — a clear decision framework for small business owners. Walk the if/then branches and choose software, a person, or both.

June 2026
decision

Outsourced vs In-House Bookkeeping for Small Business: 7 Trade-Offs That Decide It

Outsourced vs in-house bookkeeping for small business, decided honestly: 7 trade-offs across cost, control, and scale, and exactly when each one wins.

June 2026
informational

1099 Filing Deadline 2026: What Small Businesses Need to Know

The 1099 filing deadline 2026 lands on Monday, February 2. Here's who needs a 1099, the dates that matter, penalties for missing them, and how to stay clean.

June 2026
Cash flow management

How to Read a Profit and Loss Statement: The Four Numbers That Actually Drive Decisions

Learn how to read a profit and loss statement using one real, fully worked example, plus the four numbers that quietly drive every decision an owner makes.

June 2026
Hiring and outsourcing a bookkeeper

Finding a Bookkeeper Near Me: An Owner's Buying Guide

Searching 'bookkeeper near me' and not sure who to trust? An Austin founder walks through what local really means and how to vet a bookkeeper for your industry.

June 2026
Church & nonprofit bookkeeping

The Pastor's Guide to Church Financial Management: A Run-It-Today Audit

A run-it-today church financial management audit for pastors and boards — covering fund accounting, money handling, clergy payroll, donor compliance, and reporting.

June 2026
Hiring & outsourcing bookkeeping

Small Business Bookkeeping Austin: A Local Owner's Guide

A straight-talking Austin owner's guide to small business bookkeeping: franchise tax, no state income tax, sales tax, and the local rules that trip people up.

June 2026
Church & nonprofit bookkeeping

QuickBooks Online for Churches: Setup, Classes, and Fund Tracking

QuickBooks Online for churches has no true fund accounting, but classes and projects can mimic it. Here's the exact setup to track restricted funds cleanly.

June 2026
Church & nonprofit bookkeeping

Church Bookkeeping Guide for Pastors: Clean Books, Clear Funds, Trustworthy Reports

A plain-English church bookkeeping guide for pastors: how fund tracking works, what belongs in the monthly board report, and when to bring in outside help.

June 2026
Bookkeeping fundamentals & hiring

How to Do Bookkeeping for Small Business: The Owner's Playbook for Clean Books in 2026

A founder's playbook for how to do bookkeeping for small business: the setup, the monthly close rhythm, the numbers that matter, and where DIY breaks in 2026.

June 2026
Church and nonprofit bookkeeping

Church Bookkeeping: A Complete Guide to Fund Accounting and Compliance

A practical church bookkeeping guide for administrators: fund accounting, designated giving, clergy payroll, the monthly close, and the reports your board needs.

June 2026
Payroll and contractors

1099 vs W-2 Contractor: How to Classify Workers Correctly

1099 vs W-2 contractor confusion costs owners thousands in back taxes and penalties. Learn the IRS test, real service-business examples, and how to fix it.

June 2026
Small business bookkeeping basics

Small Business Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Owners in 2026

A plain-English small business bookkeeping guide for 2026: what it really is, the monthly close rhythm, the right tools, the reports that matter, and when to get help.

June 2026
Church & nonprofit bookkeeping

Bookkeeping for Churches: The Complete Guide for Pastors and Boards

A plain-English guide to bookkeeping for churches: fund accounting, restricted gifts, clergy pay, board reporting, and when to bring in outside help.

June 2026
Cash flow management

Cash Flow Management for Small Business: An Owner's Practical Guide

A practical guide to cash flow management for small business owners — read your cash position, build a 13-week forecast, and make confident weekly decisions.

May 2026