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61 long-form posts

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Long-form guidance on business debt and accounting, written by Spencer Holt and Tammy Houston. Plain language, real 2025 and 2026 data, no filler.

The Hamilton & Merchant blog is written by two senior specialists who have, between them, spent more than fifty years helping business owners dig out of debt they should never have gotten into.

Spencer Holt is our senior debt relief advisor: thirty-one years in the work, plain-spoken, Southern, a little grumpy, and trying to help. Spencer writes the operator's pieces on credit cards, MCAs, lifestyle downsizing, personal guarantees, and the conversations owners need to have with themselves.

Tammy Houston is our senior accounting and debt specialist: twenty-four years in small-business books, patient, precise, and a teacher by temperament. Tammy writes the accounting-lens pieces on bookkeeping systems, payroll and sales tax compliance, cash flow versus profit, and the numbers that quietly shape whether a business stays healthy or drifts into trouble.

Our editorial standard is 3,000+ words per post with real data from 2025 and 2026 sources. No filler, no product pitch, no softening of the hard parts.

All posts

  1. 01What to Do When You Get an MCA Default NoticeSpencer Holt · September 5, 2026 · 18 min read
  2. 02How to Respond When Your Business Bank Account Is FrozenTammy Houston · September 5, 2026 · 17 min read
  3. 03Closing a Business That Still Owes an MCASpencer Holt · September 5, 2026 · 18 min read
  4. 04How to Get a UCC Lien Removed After You Pay It OffTammy Houston · September 4, 2026 · 17 min read
  5. 05How MCA Brokers Make Money Off a Struggling BusinessSpencer Holt · September 4, 2026 · 18 min read
  6. 06When an Out-of-State MCA Funder Sues a Florida BusinessSpencer Holt · September 4, 2026 · 17 min read
  7. 07The MCA Renewal Trap: Why Refinancing an Advance Costs You TwiceTammy Houston · September 3, 2026 · 18 min read
  8. 08How to Lower Your MCA Daily Payment Without DefaultingSpencer Holt · September 3, 2026 · 17 min read
  9. 09What an MCA Funder Can and Cannot SeizeSpencer Holt · September 3, 2026 · 17 min read
  10. 10How to Stop MCA ACH Withdrawals the Right WayTammy Houston · September 2, 2026 · 17 min read
  11. 11How to Figure Out What You Actually Owe on an MCATammy Houston · September 2, 2026 · 17 min read
  12. 12Why Debt Collection Laws Don't Protect Your Business DebtSpencer Holt · September 2, 2026 · 17 min read
  13. 13After You Settle an MCA: Releases, Taxes, and Rebuilding CreditTammy Houston · September 1, 2026 · 17 min read
  14. 14When an MCA Funder Redirects Your Card SalesSpencer Holt · September 1, 2026 · 17 min read
  15. 15Signs Your MCA Is About to Sink Your BusinessSpencer Holt · September 1, 2026 · 17 min read
  16. 16How to Vet a Business Debt Relief CompanySpencer Holt · August 26, 2026 · 19 min read
  17. 17Business Financing Compared: MCA, Line of Credit, Term Loan, and SBA LoanTammy Houston · August 26, 2026 · 19 min read
  18. 18What to Do When You Can't Make PayrollSpencer Holt · August 26, 2026 · 19 min read
  19. 19MCA Stacking: How Three Advances Quietly Become TenSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  20. 20Confession of Judgment: The Signature That Skips the CourtroomSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 17 min read
  21. 21How to Settle With an MCA Funder for Less Than You OweSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  22. 22Reverse Consolidation: The 'Fix' That Often Digs the Hole DeeperSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 17 min read
  23. 23Reading Your MCA Contract: The Nine Clauses That Will Hurt YouTammy Houston · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  24. 24When to Stop Paying an MCA, and What Actually Happens NextSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  25. 25The MCA Reconciliation Right Most Merchants Never UseTammy Houston · July 24, 2026 · 17 min read
  26. 26UCC Liens: How an MCA Funder Can Reach Into Your Bank AccountTammy Houston · July 24, 2026 · 17 min read
  27. 27Business Debt Consolidation: The Good, the Bad, and the Loan SharksSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  28. 28The Cash Flow Autopsy: Why the Business Needed the MCA in the First PlaceTammy Houston · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  29. 29Can You Still Get an SBA Loan After MCA Debt?Tammy Houston · July 24, 2026 · 17 min read
  30. 30Sued by an MCA Funder: A Survival Guide for the First 30 DaysSpencer Holt · July 24, 2026 · 18 min read
  31. 31The Quiet Drip: Surprise Recurring Expenses That Are Bleeding Your BusinessTammy Houston · April 28, 2026 · 16 min read
  32. 32Always Get Three Bids (Five If It's Over Five Thousand): The Math That Ends the DebateTammy Houston · April 30, 2026 · 15 min read
  33. 33Your Merchant Processing Statement Is Bleeding You: A Line-by-Line AuditTammy Houston · May 2, 2026 · 17 min read
  34. 34The SaaS Subscription Audit: Finding the Zombie Subscriptions Eating Your BusinessTammy Houston · May 4, 2026 · 15 min read
  35. 35The Business Insurance Audit (Including the Workers Comp Mod You Can Actually Dispute)Tammy Houston · May 6, 2026 · 17 min read
  36. 36Your Utility Bill Is Negotiable (Yes, Even Yours)Tammy Houston · May 8, 2026 · 16 min read
  37. 37Ditch Custom Google Workspace: Cheaper, Professional Business Email AlternativesTammy Houston · May 11, 2026 · 14 min read
  38. 38Evergreen Contracts: The Waste Management and Cintas Trap You Can't Seem to LeaveTammy Houston · May 13, 2026 · 16 min read
  39. 39Negotiating Your Commercial Lease With the Landlord (Before You Sign and After)Tammy Houston · May 15, 2026 · 17 min read
  40. 40How to Lower Your Commercial Property Taxes (Even If You Rent)Tammy Houston · May 18, 2026 · 15 min read
  41. 412/10 Net 30 and the Thirty-Six Percent Return Your Accountant Keeps MentioningTammy Houston · May 20, 2026 · 15 min read
  42. 42If You Have an Accountant, Why Did He Let This Happen?Tammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 14 min read
  43. 43Alternatives to QuickBooks That Won't Break the BankTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 12 min read
  44. 44Why You Should Not Use Business Cards for Personal ExpensesTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 13 min read
  45. 45Read This Before You Finance EquipmentTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 15 min read
  46. 46Get It Used on Craigslist or Finance New? The Honest MathTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 13 min read
  47. 47Profitable on Paper, Broke in the BankTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 14 min read
  48. 48Sales Tax Debt: The One Bill You Can't Negotiate Your Way Out OfTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 15 min read
  49. 49The 941 Problem: Payroll Tax Debt Follows You PersonallyTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 16 min read
  50. 50How to Untangle Business and Personal Finances After Years of Mixing ThemTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 14 min read
  51. 51What a Merchant Cash Advance Actually Costs When You Do the MathTammy Houston · April 21, 2026 · 16 min read
  52. 52Stop Being Stupid With Business Credit CardsSpencer Holt · April 3, 2026 · 14 min read
  53. 53Merchant Cash Advances: When They Make Sense and When They'll Eat You AliveSpencer Holt · March 27, 2026 · 15 min read
  54. 54Your Business Is Drowning and You're Still Ordering Inventory — Knock It OffSpencer Holt · March 13, 2026 · 13 min read
  55. 55The One Creditor You Always Pay FirstSpencer Holt · February 24, 2026 · 14 min read
  56. 56Downsize Your Life to Save Your BusinessSpencer Holt · February 6, 2026 · 14 min read
  57. 5730–60 Day Cash Squeeze: How to Pull Real Money Out of Your Life Right NowSpencer Holt · January 19, 2026 · 15 min read
  58. 58If the Creek Don't Rise: Building a 90-Day Business Cash Reserve Without Losing Your MindSpencer Holt · December 15, 2025 · 14 min read
  59. 59Personal Guarantees: The Four Words That'll Follow You HomeSpencer Holt · November 24, 2025 · 14 min read
  60. 60Equipment Financing Gone Wrong: When the Truck Owns YouSpencer Holt · November 3, 2025 · 13 min read
  61. 61Bankruptcy vs. Debt Settlement vs. Restructuring: Quit Beating Around the BushSpencer Holt · October 8, 2025 · 16 min read
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