HCJ CPAs & Advisors | audit * tax * consulting

A delayed SECURE 2.0 Tax Act provision gives certain workers and retirees a helpful way to use retirement savings: some defined contribution plans can allow distributions to be used to pay qualified long-term care insurance premiums without triggering the usual 10% early-withdrawal penalty. The rule...

The final quarter of the year has a way of arriving faster than expected. For business owners, now is the ideal time to look at your QuickBooks file before year-end deadlines, holiday schedules, tax planning, and 1099 preparation begin competing for your attention. Waiting until December—or...

For years, the answer seemed straightforward. Interest rates were historically low, stock markets generally rewarded long-term investors, and many financial experts encouraged people to invest extra money rather than aggressively paying down low-interest debt. That advice made sense when mortgages carried interest rates near 3% and savings...

Most people think of life insurance as simple protection for their family. And it is. But life insurance can also create surprising tax issues when the policy builds cash value, is borrowed against, is surrendered, is sold, or pays out early because the insured is...

If you use QuickBooks Online to manage your business finances, you may notice some changes this season. Throughout August and into Early Fall 2026, Intuit QuickBooks will release new automation and artificial intelligence capabilities designed to reduce routine bookkeeping work, provide faster financial insights, and help...

Why the smartest capital decisions start with a tax planning conversation “Buy it before year-end so you can write it off.” That advice gets repeated so often in business circles that it starts to sound like strategy. In reality, it is only a fragment of the story. A...

For more than a decade, business owners became accustomed to cheap money. Borrowing to expand, renovate, purchase equipment, or smooth out cash flow often felt like an easy decision because interest rates were historically low. Many businesses grew accustomed to financing growth with inexpensive debt—and for...

Cryptocurrency has moved from a niche topic for tech enthusiasts into everyday life. People use it to invest, to pay for goods and services, to receive compensation, to earn rewards, and even to donate to charity. But despite the "digital money" label, cryptocurrency is not...

Getting paid starts with sending a professional invoice. QuickBooks Online includes powerful invoicing tools that allow businesses to create, customize, send, and track invoices without leaving the platform. Whether you're a freelancer, contractor, consultant, or small business owner, here's how to get the most from QuickBooks Online...

Most taxpayers don't plan to get hit with an IRS penalty. Usually, it happens because life got in the way: a bill was missed, a return was filed late, or an estimated payment did not get made on time. For years, one of the best...