Guides for business owners

Plain-English answers to the money questions owners run into, from how to pay yourself to what to do with a good year.

Paying yourself and managing cash

• How to pay yourself from your businessOwner's draw, distribution or salary: how to pay yourself depends on how your business is taxed. What each means, how it's taxed, and the mistakes to avoid.
• How much cash should a business keep in reserve?How big a cash cushion your business needs, what changes the answer, where to keep it, and how it fits with paying yourself.
• How to build a 13-week cash flow forecastA step-by-step guide to the 13-week cash flow forecast: what goes in it, how to find your low point, and how to keep it current each week.
• What to do with extra profitA good year leaves extra cash in the business. A simple order for deciding what to do with it: cushion, taxes, debt, retirement, family goals and growth.