Creators, coaches & info products

Books and taxes for trading and investing educators.

Monthly trading room dues, a broker affiliate commission for every referred account, course sales, and market data subscriptions to keep running. Your own bookkeeper sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MarchExample month
$17,600
what you made

March came in at $17,600. Broker affiliate commissions were unusually strong this month, so I kept that apart from the steadier room dues.

  • Discord trading room duesMembership dues
  • Broker affiliate commissionBroker referral income
  • Course sale, strategy courseCourse sales
  • Market data subscriptionData and research tools
  • Moderator paymentRoom moderation
Money in$26,000
Money out$8,400
Set aside for taxes$4,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A trading educator's books go wrong in a few specific spots.

A generalist sees a deposit and calls it revenue. Yours mixes steady monthly room dues with broker affiliate commissions that swing with how many people actually open accounts, plus data and research subscriptions that are a real cost of staying credible with the room.

  1. 1

    Broker affiliate income swings independent of dues

    A commission paid for every new account opened through a referral link can spike or dry up for reasons that have nothing to do with how many members are paying room dues, and mixing the two makes it hard to see which part of the business is actually steady.

    What we doKeeps broker referral income in its own line, separate from membership dues, so the steady, recurring part of the business is easy to see.
  2. 2

    Market data and research tools look like a routine software cost

    Charting tools, data feeds, and backtesting software can cost hundreds a month, and if lumped in with ordinary subscriptions, it is hard to see whether the research budget matches what the business actually earns.

    What we doKeeps data and research subscriptions in their own line, so that real cost of staying credible is visible against total income.
  3. 3

    Moderator pay for the trading room gets lost in general costs

    A moderator team keeping the room running during market hours gets paid regularly, but if it blends into a catch-all expense category, it is hard to see the true cost of running the community day to day.

    What we doKeeps moderator pay in its own line and tracks the running total for each person paid.
  4. 4

    Course sales and room dues get treated as the same product

    A one-time course sale and a recurring monthly membership are two very different kinds of income, and blending them hides how much of the business depends on new sales versus members staying subscribed.

    What we doKeeps course sales separate from recurring room dues, so you can see both the steady base and the one-time boosts clearly.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a trading education business.

Set up once for how the business gets paid and what it spends on. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Membership duesMonthly or annual trading room subscription fees.
  • Broker referral incomeAffiliate commissions for accounts opened through referral links.
  • Course salesOne-time strategy or education course sales.
  • Coaching upsellsOne-on-one mentoring sold alongside room membership.

Money out

  • Data and research toolsCharting, data feed, and backtesting subscriptions.
  • Room moderationPay for moderators keeping the trading room running.
  • MarketingAds and content costs to bring in new members.
  • Course productionVideo editing and hosting for course content.
  • Compliance and legal reviewLegal review of marketing claims and disclaimers.

What we watch for you

  • Dues versus referral split

    How much of income is steady room dues against broker referral commissions that can swing month to month.

  • Net member growth

    New members against cancellations, since gross dues alone hide how many left.

  • Data and tool cost

    What research subscriptions cost against total income for the month.

  • The set-aside

    What will be owed, tracked every month, so a strong referral month does not turn into a surprise bill.

Ask Gus

Things trading educators ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

My broker affiliate income was way higher this month than usual. Should I count on that every month?

I keep it in its own line, separate from your steady room dues, so you can see it for what it is, a swing that will not repeat exactly the same way each month.

I pay for three different data subscriptions for the room. Is that too much to track well?

No. I keep all of them in one research and data line, so you can see the total cost against what the room actually brings in.

Should I bring my moderators on as employees?

That call is above my pay grade. I keep a running total for each of them, and the accountant can weigh in on whether payroll makes more sense than contractor pay.

The tax side

The tax side of running a trading education business.

Most of what trips people up here is broker income that swings unpredictably, and a moderator team paid with no clean running total.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Paying a moderator $2,000 or moreA moderator not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus tracks that running total.
  • Self-employment taxAn educator not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
  • Form 1099-K from payment appsStripe and similar apps send a 1099-K once you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year. Room dues and course sales are taxable whether or not a form arrives.
  • The pass-through deductionMost education businesses can take up to 20 percent of profit off their taxable income. Above $201,750 single or $403,500 joint, the accountant checks how much applies.

Deductions trading and investing educators miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Market data subscriptions
  • Charting software
  • Backtesting tools
  • Moderator pay
  • Course production costs
  • Marketing and ad spend
  • Business phone and internet
  • Business liability insurance
  • Legal review of marketing materials
  • Accounting fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A trading education business's year, kept every month.

Room dues renew and course sales land all year long, not around tax season. Your team keeps the books closed every month. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the room's year

    Last year's return gets started, moderator 1099s are prepared, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is no scramble.

  2. April

    Filed, room still open

    The return is filed and signed while the room stays open, no scramble, since a slice of every month's dues has been set aside since January.

  3. July

    Membership pace check

    Where the business stands, what it will owe, and whether spring broker referral income changed the number.

  4. October

    Before year-end course promotions

    Many educators run a course sale before the year ends. Gus looks at what is planned and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for trading and investing educators. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions trading educators ask first.

Do I owe tax on broker affiliate income the same as room dues?

Yes, both are ordinary business income. Gus just keeps them in separate lines so you can see which part of the business each one represents.

My room dues are billed through Discord's own subscription tool. Can Gus still track that?

Yes. Gus works from your bank and payout statements regardless of which app processes the billing.

I pay for data feeds that cost several hundred dollars a month. Is that a normal cost to have?

Gus tracks it as its own line so you can judge for yourself whether the cost matches what the room brings in. He does not make that call for you.

My moderators are paid in a mix of cash and Venmo. Does that complicate the 1099 list?

No. Gus tracks a running total for each person regardless of how they are paid, so the year-end list is accurate either way.

My room dues, course sales, and broker income have never been tracked separately. Can Gus fix that?

Yes. Send the bank and payout statements you have. Gus sorts income by source, the accountant checks it, and most educators know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in creators, coaches & info products

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever