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Plain-English answers to the questions every owner has — and very few processors will answer honestly.

Articles, short videos, and (soon) a podcast. The goal isn't to sell — it's to make sure that when you do decide to talk to anyone in payments, you walk in knowing what they're saying. Pick anything below to start.

Featured topics

More articles are in progress. Have a question you want answered first? Use the contact form and I’ll prioritize it.

Featured · Statements · 9 min read

How to read a merchant statement

The page-by-page tour. What every line item is, which ones are interchange, which ones are markup, and which ones should never be there at all. Walked through with a real-shape statement so the lessons stick.

Ask me to send this one first
Side-by-side sample of a markup statement at 3.98% effective rate vs a flat-rate statement at 3.64%, both for the same fictional merchant.
IC Foundations · 7 min read

What is interchange?

The fee Visa and Mastercard charge to move your transaction. Why it's the floor, who actually keeps it, and how processors mark it up.

Coming soon — ask first
% Foundations · 6 min read

Your rate is not your real cost

Why “2.6%” doesn't tell you what you actually pay. The number that matters is the effective rate — and how to calculate it.

Coming soon — ask first
± Pricing models · 8 min read

Flat rate vs. interchange-plus

Square's 2.6%. Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢. Old-school interchange-plus. When each one wins and when each one quietly loses you money.

Coming soon — ask first
3 Pricing models · 6 min read

Qualified, mid-qualified, non-qualified

Tiered pricing in plain English. Why almost no transaction qualifies as “qualified.” And how to spot it on a statement.

Coming soon — ask first
$ Programs · 7 min read

Cash discount vs. surcharge vs. dual pricing

Three programs that let you stop absorbing card fees. Where they're allowed, where they're not, and how to roll one out without alienating customers.

Coming soon — ask first
! Risk · 6 min read

What to do if your processor freezes funds

The 24-hour playbook for getting your money moving and the long-term move for making sure it doesn't happen again.

Coming soon — ask first
§ Statements · 9 min read

How to read a merchant statement

The page-by-page tour. What every line item is, which ones are interchange, which ones are markup, and which ones should never be there at all.

Featured — see above
Coming Soon

The Cost of Getting Paid

A short-form podcast and video series teaching small business owners how payment processing, interchange, POS systems, statement reviews, and processor red flags actually work — without the industry jargon. Each episode is 10–20 minutes. No filler. No sponsor reads. Designed for owners listening between job sites, between tables, or in the truck on the way home.

What it'll cover

  • Real merchant statements (anonymized) walked through line by line
  • What you're actually paying vs. what you think you're paying
  • Owner Q&A — the questions processors avoid
  • POS war stories (good and bad)
  • Industry deep dives (restaurants, trades, service businesses, retail)

How to follow it

Distribution channels are still being set up. When episodes start dropping, we'll list them here with embed players and transcripts. Cover art and a launch list are next.

Want to be on the early list? Send a note and I’ll add you when episode one drops.

Want me to cover something specific?

If there's a question you've been meaning to get a real answer to, send it. Topic suggestions become episodes.

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