The Ledger

Week 43
October 2026

Notes on the money side of running a business.

Published by Bookist
Editor’s note

We are here to make the money side of your business easier to understand — and easier to act on.

Every issue sets out to answer the questions owners and finance teams actually ask: how the numbers work, what they mean for the decision in front of you, and what to do next. Practical financial guidance, in plain language, whatever stage the business is at.

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19
Oct
2026
PlaybooksJune Talbert

A chart of accounts that splits where your return splits

Design the chart around the questions you ask each month and the lines your 2025 return already has. Where the return splits an expense in two, your accounts should split it too.

№ 02516 min read
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09
Oct
2026
StackMarcus Vail

Bookkeeper cost depends more on your books than the rate

A bookkeeper's salary is not what one costs you, and a freelancer's rate is not either. The in-house figure built from BLS data, and the six counts any monthly quote is priced on.

№ 02411 min read
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07
Oct
2026
SignalsEverett Sandoval

Reconcile your budget vs actual to the cash that left your account

A month can beat its budget and still leave the bank lower than it started. Four outflows never reach a profit and loss budget, and an eight-row bridge shows which one took the cash.

№ 02310 min read
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05
Oct
2026
BooksDelia Hartwell

Cash vs accrual accounting comes down to the balances only accrual keeps

Accrual books hold six balances cash books never record. Each opening figure comes from a document, the first month looks wrong without them, and for 2026 the IRS line that forces the switch sits at $32 million.

№ 02211 min read
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02
Oct
2026
DiligenceJune Talbert

1099 threshold: the part of each vendor's total that counts toward $2,000

A vendor's total in your books is not the number the IRS tests against $2,000. Which payments come out of it and why, seven vendors worked through, and the setup to do before December 31.

№ 02112 min read
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