Breakeven analysis can be useful when investing in new equipment, launching a new product or analyzing the effects of a cost reduction plan. The breakeven point is fairly easy to calculate using information from your company’s income statement. Here are the details. Analyzing your costs Breakeven can...
Financial statement auditors spend a lot of time evaluating how their clients report work in progress (WIP) inventory. Here’s why this account warrants special attention and how auditors evaluate whether WIP estimates seem reasonable. Accounting for inventory Companies must report the value of raw materials, WIP and...
Need cash in a hurry? Here’s how business owners can look to their financial statements to improve cash flow. Receivables Many businesses turn first to their receivables when trying to drum up extra cash. For example, you could take a carrot-and-stick approach to your accounts receivable —...
Business owners often complain that they’re required to provide too many disclosures under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). But comprehensive financial statement footnotes contain a wealth of valuable information. Here are some examples of hidden risk factors that may be discovered by reading footnote disclosures....
Owners of private businesses often wonder: How much is my business interest worth? Financial statements are a logical starting point for answering this question. Here’s an overview of how financial statements can serve as the basis for value under the cost, income and market approaches. Cost...
Today’s auditors spend significant time determining whether amounts claimed on the income statement capture the company’s financial performance during the reporting period. Here are some income statement categories that auditors focus on. Revenue Revenue recognition can be complex. Under current accounting rules, companies follow a patchwork of...
Do you remember the high-profile fraud that happened at drugstore chain Phar-Mor in the 1990s? Executives manipulated the company’s financial statements to hide approximately $500 million in losses. A key ploy that perpetrators used in the Phar-Mor case was to overstate inventory balances at individual stores....
Auditors assess their clients’ risk factors when planning for next year’s financial statement audit. Likewise, proactive managers assess risks at year end. A so-called “SWOT” analysis can help frame that assessment. Typically presented as a matrix, this analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats provides a...
Do you understand how auditors verify account balances and transactions? This knowledge can minimize disruptions when the audit team visits your facilities and maximize the effectiveness of your audit. Here’s a list of five common sources of “substantive evidence” that auditors gather to help them...
Tax reform legislation might be enacted before year end. If it is, companies following U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) will have to recognize the effects of the changes in 2017 — not when the changes go into effect in 2018 and beyond. Here’s what...