Year-end budgeting: Where to look for cost-saving opportunities
As 2025 winds down, business owners and managers are ramping up their planning efforts for the new year. Part of the annual budgeting process is identifying ways to lower expenses and strengthen cash flow. When cutting costs, think beyond the obvious, such as wages, benefits and employee headcount. These cutbacks can make it harder to [...]
How often should your business issue financial statements?
For decades, quarterly financial reporting has provided the cornerstone for fair, efficient and well-functioning markets. However, President Trump recently posted on social media that public companies should move to semiannual financial reporting. He believes changing the frequency would lower compliance costs and allow management to focus less on meeting short-term earnings targets and more on [...]
FAQs about creating and optimizing customer profiles in QuickBooks
Small business owners might be tempted to rush through setting up customer profiles in QuickBooks® just to get invoices out quickly. But the extra data fields aren’t just busy work. Complete, accurate customer records help you generate more insightful reports, communicate with customers more effectively and save time on bookkeeping tasks later. Here are answers [...]
Evaluating business decisions using breakeven analysis
You shouldn’t rely on gut instinct when making major business decisions, such as launching a new product line, investing in new equipment or changing your pricing structure. Projecting the financial implications of your decision (or among competing alternatives) can help you determine the right course of action — and potentially persuade investors or lenders to [...]
FAQs about the going concern assessment
The going concern assumption underlies financial reporting under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) unless management has plans to liquidate. If a going concern issue is identified but not adequately disclosed, the omission might be considered “pervasive” because it can affect users’ understanding of the financial statements as a whole. So it’s critical to get [...]
Receivables Rx: Key metrics to assess the health of your cash flow
For many businesses, accounts receivable (AR) is one of the largest assets on the balance sheet. It represents the cash you’ve earned but haven’t yet collected. Efficient AR management is critical for maintaining healthy cash flow, reducing bad debt and fueling growth. But a key question often goes unasked: How do your company’s receivables compare [...]
Audit alert: Beware of potential conflicts of interest
As year end approaches, many businesses will soon be preparing for their annual audits. One key consideration is ensuring there are no potential conflicts of interest that could compromise the integrity of your company’s financial statements. A conflict of interest can cloud an auditor’s judgment and undermine their objectivity. Vigilance in spotting these conflicts is [...]
How do businesses report cloud computing implementation costs?
Today, many organizations rely on cloud-based tools to store and manage data. However, the costs to set up cloud computing services can be significant, and many business owners are unsure whether the implementation costs must be immediately expensed or capitalized. Changes made in recent years provide some much-needed clarity to the rules. Advantages of cloud [...]
Troubleshooting in QuickBooks
QuickBooks® can be a powerful tool for managing your company’s accounting records, but like any software, it’s only as accurate as the information entered into it. If you’ve ever generated a QuickBooks report that didn’t look quite right, you’re not alone. Inaccurate or incomplete reports are a common issue that, if left unresolved, can lead [...]
The financial triple play: 3 reports to help you stay at the top of your game
In baseball, the triple play is a high-impact defensive feat that knocks the competition out of the inning. In business, you have your own version — three key financial statements that can give you a competitive edge by monitoring profitability, liquidity and solvency. First base: The income statement The income statement (also known as the [...]