Tax season already brings enough stress. Unfortunately, it also brings a predictable surge in scams—and this year is no exception.

According to the Better Business Bureau, fraudsters are expected to return in full force during tax season, using phone calls, emails, texts, fake websites, and even “ghost” tax preparers to steal personal information, refunds, and money. In fact, taxpayers lost over $5.5 billion to tax scams in 2023 alone.
At GLM Accounting & Business Advisory, protecting our clients goes beyond preparing accurate returns. It includes helping you recognize red flags before a scam turns into a costly mistake.

Common Tax Scams to Watch For

Tax Identity Theft
This occurs when someone files a tax return using your Social Security number to steal your refund. Victims often don’t realize it until their legitimate return is rejected.
Scammers obtain information through:

• Phishing emails or texts
• Fake tax preparation services
• Data breaches or malware downloads

IRS Impersonation Scams
These usually start with a call, email, or text claiming to be from the IRS.
Red flags include:

• Threats of arrest or legal action
• Demands for immediate payment
• Requests for payment via wire transfer, prepaid debit card, or cryptocurrency
• Requests for sensitive information over the phone or email

Important reminder:
👉 The IRS will never demand immediate payment, threaten arrest, or ask for credit card or debit card information over the phone.

Email & Text Phishing
Scammers send messages that look like official IRS communications, often directing you to:

• “Update your IRS account”
• “Fix an issue with your tax return”
• “Claim a refund”

These links lead to fake websites designed to steal your personal information.

“Ghost” Tax Preparers
These are unqualified or fraudulent preparers who:

• Set up temporary offices during tax season
• Promise unusually fast or large refunds
• Don’t sign your return
• Disappear if issues arise

Once the damage is done, they’re gone—leaving you responsible for errors, penalties, or lost refunds.

Smart Ways to Protect Yourself This Tax Season

• File early. Filing as soon as possible reduces the chance that a scammer can file before you do.
• Work with a trusted tax professional. Always verify credentials and reputation.
• Be cautious with emails and texts. Never click unexpected links claiming to be from the IRS.
• Verify websites. Make sure you’re on the official IRS site when filing or researching.
• Ask about security. Your tax preparer should be able to explain how they protect your data.
• When in doubt, pause. Scammers rely on urgency. Taking a moment can save you thousands.

How GLM Helps Keep You Safe
At GLM Accounting, we take data security seriously. Our processes are designed to protect your information while ensuring your tax filings are accurate, compliant, and handled with care.

If you ever receive a suspicious tax-related message—or just aren’t sure if something is legitimate--reach out to us before responding. A quick conversation can prevent a costly mistake.

Most business plans are built on a simple assumption:

Things will go roughly as expected.

Revenue will grow. Expenses will stay in line. Clients will keep paying. The economy will behave. Your team will stay intact. And in the real world? None of that happens consistently.
The strongest businesses aren’t the ones with the most optimistic plans — they’re the ones that expect disruption and build around it.

At GLM, we see this every day. The difference between companies that survive tough seasons and those that panic comes down to one thing:

Did they plan for reality, or did they plan for a perfect year?

Your Business Is Not a Straight Line
Spreadsheets love smooth projections:

• 10% growth every year
• Stable margins
• Predictable cash flow
• Neat, clean charts

Real businesses don’t work that way.
Instead, growth looks like:

• A great quarter followed by a slow one
• A big client leaving unexpectedly
• A key employee moving on
• A vendor raising prices
• A market shift no one saw coming

These aren’t failures — they’re the normal operating conditions of running a business.
If your plan doesn’t account for them, it isn’t a plan. It’s a wish.

What “Planning for the Unexpected” Really Means
This doesn’t mean being negative or pessimistic.
It means being prepared.
Smart contingency planning answers questions like:

• What happens if revenue drops 15% for three months?
• How long could we cover payroll if sales slow?
• Which expenses could we cut quickly without hurting the business?
• Where could we get short-term cash if we had to?
• Which clients or revenue streams are too risky to rely on?

These aren’t fun questions — but they are the difference between calm decision-making and financial panic.

Cash Flow Is Your Shock Absorber
Most businesses don’t fail because they aren’t profitable on paper.
They fail because they run out of cash.
When things go off-plan — and they will — cash flow becomes your safety net:

• It gives you time to adjust
• It gives you leverage with lenders
• It lets you make decisions instead of being forced into them

One of the most powerful things we do with GLM clients is build cash flow forecasting into their planning — not just “how much money will I make,” but when will the money actually hit the bank?
That visibility changes everything.

Flexible Plans Beat Perfect Plans
The best business plans are not rigid.
They are living documents that adapt as conditions change.
At GLM, we encourage clients to think in terms of:

• Base case: What we expect to happen
• Upside case: What happens if things go better than expected
• Downside case: What happens if things go worse

When you have all three mapped out, surprises stop being emergencies. They become decisions.

Planning for the Unexpected Is a Competitive Advantage
Most of your competitors are operating without:

• Cash flow forecasts
• Scenario planning
• Expense prioritization
• Real-time financial insight

That means when things get tight, they react late — and often in the wrong ways.
You don’t need to outwork them.
You need to out-plan them.

Where GLM Fits In
At GLM Accounting, we don’t just prepare tax returns or financial statements.
We help business owners answer the questions that actually matter:

• “What happens if this doesn’t go the way I hoped?”
• “How much risk can I safely take?”
• “What do I need to see in my numbers before making a big move?”

If you’ve never built a financial plan that includes real-world uncertainty, now is the time.
Because the only thing you can count on in business…
is that it won’t go exactly as planned.

Make 2026 the Year Your Business Money Finally Has a Plan
Every January, I have the same conversations with business owners.
They’re energized. They’re optimistic. They’re ready for “this to finally be the year things click.”
And yet, for many of them, by spring the stress is back. Cash flow feels tight. Decisions feel reactive. And even though the business might be growing, it still doesn’t feel stable.
That’s not because they aren’t working hard. It’s because most businesses don’t run on a financial plan — they run on momentum. And momentum is great… until it isn’t.
The start of 2026 is a perfect moment to step back and ask a simple but powerful question:
Is my money actually supporting the business and life I’m trying to build?

Your numbers should serve your life — not just your businessOne of the biggest mistakes business owners make is separating their business goals from their personal ones.
They’ll say, “I want to hit $1 million in revenue,” but when you ask why, they pause. What they really want is to stop worrying about payroll, to pay themselves consistently, to take a real vacation, or to finally feel like all this effort is worth it.
Money in your business should be doing something for you. It should be buying you freedom, stability, and options — not just keeping the lights on.

Revenue doesn’t fix stress. Cash flow does.
Plenty of businesses look successful on paper but feel awful to run. Sales are coming in, but the owner still doesn’t know if they’ll be able to pay themselves next month. That’s because revenue is easy to celebrate — but cash flow is what actually determines whether you sleep at night.
When your money is organized, you know where it’s going. You know what’s coming in, what has to go out, and what’s left for you and for growth. You stop guessing. You stop hoping. You start making decisions with confidence.
That’s when a business shifts from survival mode into something sustainable.

Debt doesn’t mean failure — ignoring it does
Many business owners quietly carry a lot of debt. Credit cards, lines of credit, old loans, or vendor balances stack up over time, especially during tough years. The problem isn’t that the debt exists — the problem is when it isn’t part of a strategy.
When debt is unmanaged, it drains your energy and limits your options. When it’s handled intentionally, it can actually be a tool. But either way, pretending it’s not there only makes it more powerful.
2026 is a great year to bring everything into the light and decide what role, if any, debt should play in your business going forward.

A business without savings is always one bad month away from panic
If your business has no cash buffer, every surprise feels like a crisis. A late-paying customer, a slow month, or an unexpected expense can throw everything off.
Even a small reserve changes the way you run your company. It gives you room to breathe. It lets you make better choices. It turns chaos into manageable inconvenience.
That kind of stability is what allows businesses to grow without burning out the people running them.

You didn’t start a business just to be stressed all the time
Too many business owners live in “someday” mode. They tell themselves they’ll enjoy life when things calm down, when revenue is higher, or when the business is finally stable.
But stability doesn’t show up on its own. It comes from having a plan.
A healthy business should pay you, support your goals, and still allow you to enjoy the life you’re working so hard to build. That balance isn’t a fantasy — it’s what happens when the numbers are aligned with the vision.

Where GLM fits into all of this
This is what we do every day at GLM. We help business owners stop guessing and start seeing clearly. We take the numbers that feel overwhelming and turn them into a roadmap that actually makes sense.
When you know where your money is going, what it’s doing, and how it supports your goals, the stress starts to fade — and the confidence starts to grow.

If you want 2026 to feel different, it starts with giving your business money a real plan.
Not a wish. Not a vague goal. A plan that supports both your business and your life.
And that’s exactly what we’re here to help you build.