Ariana Pooley, CPA

𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟰 - and it was the best decision I made all tax season. Tax season is chaos, and staying on top of communication is a challenge I struggle to keep up with. I used to think client retention was about being responsive. Turns out, that’s the bare minimum. Let me tell you about this guy. He owned a business, and I was set to handle both his business and individual returns. I sent over the standard annual questionnaire in January - no response. Followed up in March. Still nothing. Then, on April 14, his 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 finally emails me with answers, the best she could. The problem? They were all personal questions. So, I told her, “He needs to answer these himself.” She looped him in. His response? “I never received anything from you.” Which was wild - I’d sent him four quarterly emails. Clean layout. Useful planning tips. Reminders to pay estimates. Each one written in plain English. He admitted he never opened any of them. In total, 7 emails over the course of the year. “Thought it was just boring tax stuff.” That’s when it clicked: this wasn’t a communication breakdown; it was a 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. He didn’t want proactive support. He wanted a last-minute button to press and someone to clean up the mess. So I let him go. I’m not in the business of being ignored until someone panics. I’m in the business of 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - of guiding people who appreciate the assistance. That experience reshaped how I approach retention. Now:   • I work only with clients who want to engage, and I don’t hesitate to walk away when it’s not the right fit.   • I’ve stopped trying to save mismatched relationships.   • The way I communicate hasn’t changed, just the standard I expect in return. 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴. If your clients don’t know how to work with you: teach them. If they don’t care to learn, move on. Tax season is tough, but don’t be afraid to take action to prevent some of the less desirable outcomes.

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"My CPA told me: You don't have to spend your HSA — just let it grow." Last week, I reviewed a client's tax return. They contributed $8,300 to their HSA... and panicked thinking they had to spend it all. They'd been saving receipts all year, planning a December shopping spree for eligible expenses. I stopped them cold: "That's FSA thinking. Your HSA never expires." That money? Still sitting there, tax-free, compounding. Completely untaxed growth — potentially for decades. Their face when they realized their HSA could become a stealth retirement account was priceless. The HSA is the ONLY triple-tax-free account in existence: - Tax-deductible going in (immediate savings) - Grows tax-free (no capital gains taxes ever) - Withdraw tax-free for qualified medical expenses — even decades later And if you don't use it for medical expenses? At age 65, it works like a traditional IRA — withdraw for anything, just pay income tax (no penalties). Here's how to actually win with an HSA: - Max out the contribution every year ($8,300 family limit for 2024, rising to $8,550 in 2025) - Do NOT spend it. Pay medical costs out-of-pocket if you can  - Invest the HSA balance — don't leave it in cash earning nothing - Keep every medical receipt digitally. You can reimburse yourself years later, tax-free - Treat your HSA as part of your retirement portfolio — not a short-term medical fund Remember: The average couple needs $315,000 for healthcare in retirement. Your future self will thank you for this tax-free medical nest egg. If your CPA hasn't explained this strategy to you, you're leaving one of the most powerful tax advantages on the table.

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We have been using the EOS system for a fairly long time at Nimbl. We’re still using many aspects of it, but we’re now shifting from Rocks to OKRs. I’d be curious to hear how others have navigated this (maybe a hot take, maybe not). Early on, the EOS structure helped. There was momentum. But as the business grew, that same structure started to feel a little arbitrary. Every quarter we’d reset: reflect on what got done, sort the issues list, set new Rocks. It began to feel like we were operating in loops not scaling in a linear, sustainable way. Some goals we stretched for longer than needed to fit a quarter. Others we rushed and didn’t do them justice. But the bigger challenge wasn’t the goals themselves. It was connecting them to something larger: to company direction and meaning. There were priorities that didn’t fit neatly into a 90-day box. Still important, but harder to define and harder to measure in the way EOS asks us to. I kept reshaping how I thought to make it work. Eventually, I stepped back. That’s when I realized: the discomfort wasn’t resistance, it just wasn’t working for us anymore. I wasn’t against this structure, I just needed a different kind. And the small adjustments I was making to ease the friction started to look a lot like OKRs. OKRs provided us with a better language. Less reset. More continuity. Less pressure to define everything as a metric. More room to think in terms of direction, not just deliverables. We’re still adjusting. And this may not be the last shift we make. But it’s the first one in a while that actually feels like it meets the business where it is right now.

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The “Big Bill” passed the Senate and heads to the House. It raises the national debt by $5T in the best of circumstances. Albeit tax rates are going down and deductions are going up, and CPAs will feast on fees to make sure their clients get their fair share of both. But the Big 4 is stuck on doing audits even as de-regulation continues to make them less compelling, not to mention AI is doing more of the work and audit fees are falling. But tax is a new frontier just waiting for new accounting grads to enter. The “Big Bill” is over 1,000 pages long making tax work more complex. The President is also calling for 1% interest rates to go along with his “massive” tax cuts, in order to spur the economy to a new golden age. Even if the economy becomes tarnished by the tariffs and rising national debt, tax preparers have a golden opportunity to raise fees, and they can blame it all on research. After all, the Big Bill will create big deductions that no one can afford to miss. If SALT goes to 40k and tips are tax free, rich or poor, who won’t pay more for that? So, think tax young graduate and avoid the audit risk. There are 1,000 new pages of tax regulations versus the same-ole audit manuals that never change

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“I have a bookkeeper, but I’m getting nothing from them.” 🤔 “I know they’re handling the books and filings… but I have no idea how we’re doing as a business.” That’s what a business owner recently told me during a discovery call. And honestly? It’s not the first time I’ve heard this. ➡️ Yes, the books were “done.” ➡️ Yes, the tax filings were submitted. But that’s where it stopped. What was missing? ✨ Financial visibility. ✨ Clarity on how the business is performing. ✨ Strategic guidance to grow and thrive. As we chatted, I brought up a few KPIs they could start tracking, explained how those numbers tell a story, and how I could support them with growth strategy — not just reporting. Suddenly, his face lit up. “That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!” 🙌 ✅ Bookkeeping is just the foundation. 📊 What you do with the data is what drives smart decisions and sustainable growth. If you’re feeling in the dark about your numbers, let’s change that. #BookkeepingMatters #PropertyManagement #CFOForHire #SmallBusinessFinance #RealEstateInvesting #FinancialClarity #OutsourceSmart #LeadershipChoices

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After taking hundreds of interviews over the past year, I noticed a clear pattern. Most professionals confidently say: ✔️ Issue a 1099 if payments exceed $600 ✔️ Corporations are generally excluded But ask this one question: 👉 Do we need to issue a 1099 to an LLC? And that’s where the confusion starts. Here’s what every accounting & finance professional should know: 🔹 LLC is a legal structure, not a tax classification. An LLC can be taxed as: o  Sole Proprietor o  Partnership o  C Corporation o  S Corporation 🔹 1099 depends on how the LLC is taxed, not the “LLC” label 🔹 Single-member LLCs (disregarded entities) → 1099 required (if criteria met), unless C-Corp or S-Corp taxation is elected 🔹 Multi-member LLCs (partnerships) → 1099 required 🔹 LLCs taxed as C-Corp or S-Corp → generally exempt for most payments, with exceptions (e.g., legal services) 🔹 W-9 is your best friend → Always rely on it to determine 1099 treatment. 💡 Bottom line: 1099 compliance isn’t just about the $600 threshold. It’s about understanding entity structure and tax classification. If you work in accounting, finance, payroll, or compliance, this is a non-negotiable basic. Have you seen this confusion in interviews or teams? #1099 #USAccounting #TaxCompliance #AccountingProfessionals #Finance #W9 #LLC

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We turned away two prospective clients last week. Not because they were a bad industry fit. Because we knew we couldn’t win for them. We specialize in the QuickBooks Online ecosystem. Period. Not “platform-agnostic.” Just really good at what we’re built for. One was a $4M marketing agency running a niche ERP with no compelling reason to make an expensive change. The other, a software company better served at their current stage by their incumbent provider. We gave them clear reasons why we weren’t the right fit, and pointed them to better-suited providers. We don’t wait for a contract to start being useful. Helping someone make the right call—even when it’s not us—is still a win.

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New Tax Credit Starting in 2027: Education Freedom Tax Credit Each state has the option to opt into this one, which is a bit unique from anything I've seen with other credits. Starting in 2027, residents of states that opt in can claim a dollar for dollar federal income tax credit for up to $1,700 ($3,400) based on dollars they donated to approved SGOs (scholarship granting organizations). The idea behind this credit is to incentivize funding of organizations that fund school choice (different alternative options for kids' schooling). Credit is non-refundable and there are no income phase outs to being able to claim it as of this point in time.

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Let's talk about what it costs to hire a Fractional or Interim Controller. I keep seeing ads for Controllers for $55-75/hour. And I wonder - do these companies actually want a Controller? Or are they title-inflating a bookkeeper or staff accountant? Because I don't know a single qualified Controller who is at that range. Double it to get a good senior accountant who can stretch into the role. 3x it if you want someone who has actually done the job before. And that's just in the Midwest - I imagine the coasts are even higher. Of course, if you want someone who claims to be a Fractional CFO but has never held the title before, they'll probably take this gig. But as always, you're getting what you pay for. If you want the real thing - and trust me, the cost of redoing the work is always more than just doing it right the first time - it's important to understand the market for talent. #FractionalController #Yougetwhatyoupayfor #Realisticpricerange #Doitrightthefirsttime

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Most AI tax prep tools promise accuracy. Wish someone could test them and share honest review? Well... we did that last month. We ran the AI Prep Study with Juno. We pushed multiple returns through the system. Tracked every error. Measured where AI saved time… and where it slipped. The result? A report that shows AI tax prep through a clear lens. It’s public now. No gatekeeping. No forms. If you’ve been wondering whether AI is ready for tax season, this study has the answers. What I have shared above is just a teaser. Download the complete report here -https://lnkd.in/dPzPzdq4 #accountingandaccountants #cpa #taxseason #aifortax

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Most business owners miss the easiest tax deductions. 🤑 I see this constantly. Especially with real estate investors. Mostly because no one ever showed them how to think about tax planning the right way. Some of the biggest missed opportunities are basic: • Home office (only when it’s truly exclusive) • Vehicle use — mileage or depreciation when business use is 50%+ • Cell phone and internet • Reimbursing yourself correctly through an accountable plan This is money you’re already spending. The only question is whether it stays personal or becomes deductible... Then there’s the money that should be coming back to you: • HSA contributions ($4,300 individual / $8,550 family) • Backdoor Roth when income is too high • Solo 401(k) with profit sharing (up to $70k) • Defined Benefit plans that can create six figure deductions I hear the same story all the time: “I’d rather put the money back into the business or into another deal.” That’s fine. Just don’t confuse reinvesting with overpaying the IRS. Same income. Very different outcome!

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What makes a good bookkeeper? It’s not just about knowing QuickBooks. It’s about: - Catching details before they become problems - Communicating clearly - Being dependable month after month - Making your life easier, not more complicated A good bookkeeper keeps your business clean. A great one helps it grow.

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