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The Economy Beyond Wall Street

If you follow financial news, you could be forgiven for thinking the American economy begins and ends with Nvidia, Apple, and a handful of other S&P 500 giants.

But a recent analysis from Apollo’s Torsten Slok offers a useful reminder that those companies represent a much smaller slice of the actual economy than their coverage suggests. The numbers, instead, point straight to Main Street.

Slok’s data shows that S&P 500 companies employ roughly 18 percent of the total US workforce and account for about 21 percent of all capital investment in the economy. Privately owned firms, by contrast, drive nearly 80

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2026-03-02T19:04:03+00:00February 27, 2026|

Supporting Main Street Startups

Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has reintroduced the American Innovation Act (H.R. 1778), which seeks to modernize and expand the tax treatment of start-up costs for new businesses.

Under current law, entrepreneurs can deduct just $5,000 in start-up expenses in their first year of operation, with the benefit phasing out once expenses exceed $50,000. The Buchanan bill would increase that deduction to $20,000 and raise the phase-out threshold to $120,000. It also clarifies eligibility for partnerships and S corporations, ensuring the vast majority of new businesses structured as pass-throughs can fully benefit.

As S Corporation Association President Brian Reardon noted:

Nearly

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2026-02-26T16:39:20+00:00February 26, 2026|

The More Tariffs Change, the More They Stay the Same

Tariffs are a little outside our wheelhouse, but last week’s Supreme Court decision striking down the IEEPA tariffs has broader implications for the tax policy landscape. Here are some thoughts.

First, as we noted the last time tariffs were on the front page, striking down the IEEPA tariffs doesn’t really change the landscape for the next few years. As Bruce Mehlman posted over the weekend, the President has many options when it comes to tariffs, and has made clear he plans to use them:

Second, the decision is unlikely to affect

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2026-02-23T22:37:06+00:00February 23, 2026|

Main Street Backs Regulatory Relief Bill

This week, S-Corp joined more than 70 trade associations in urging House leadership to advance meaningful regulatory relief for Main Street employers.

The effort was led by the National Federation of Independent Business. It backs the Prove It Act (HR 1163), legislation that would strengthen the Regulatory Flexibility Act, a 1980 law that requires federal agencies to analyze the impact of proposed regulations on small businesses and consider less burdensome alternatives. Despite being on the books for 45 years, agencies have routinely found ways to sidestep these requirements.

The letter notes the dramatic regulatory shifts of recent years and the urgent need

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2026-02-11T22:44:56+00:00February 11, 2026|

OB3 Refund Story Includes Main Street

In October we chatted with Piper Sandler’s Don Schneider to preview what the One Big Beautiful Bill would mean for tax season. Don forecast one of the largest refund seasons in history, with the typical refund level expected to grow by nearly $100 billion.

Now the firm is out with new analysis confirming those predictions. It also details how Main Street businesses can expect to benefit.

Based on the latest numbers, Main Street business owners will receive an estimated $27 billion in additional tax refunds during the 2026 filing season. These immediate savings stem from the restored bonus depreciation, immediate expensing,

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2026-02-06T18:23:47+00:00February 6, 2026|