The latest edition goes beyond ho-hum analysis techniques and provides concrete problem solving. The text is sprinkled with real-world problems (and the analytical tools to solve them) that will be familiar to accounting professionals everywhere. A must-have for anyone looking to improve their company's decision making . . . and their own role in it. —George R. MacEachern President, Grosvenor Financial Services «Steve Bragg has presented yet another comprehensive reference tool for the finance professional. Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide is the perfect reference guide for today's controller, presenting not only traditional financial analysis information, but also various types of analyses that will benefit any type of organization. This book is a must-have for any financial professional desiring to make a relevant contribution to his/her organization.» —Jodi Nefzger, CPP Director of Finance, Masonic Home of Missouri Today's proactive controllers can soar past their mundane responsibilities and become active participants in their corporation's success with the visionary tools found in Steven Bragg's Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition. Now updated to include analyses of intangible asset measurement and performance improvement as well as evaluation methods to determine which products and services should be eliminated, Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition helps financial managers upgrade their skills so they can answer their organization's call for company operations reviews, investment evaluations, problem reporting, and special investigation requests. Controllers prepared to address this growing need for more innovative financial analysis will open doors to a variety of promotions and high-level interactions with other departments. Become a highly valued member of your company's infrastructure with the indispensable tools found in Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition.
According to research carried out by Ernst & Young, 35% of all investment decisions are based on nonfinancial attributes. A substantial body of literature deals with the management and measurement of nonfinancial assets. This book, by contrast, focuses on best practice in disclosure: How do companies present their vital resources in annual, quarterly, and corporate citizenship/sustainability reports and also in other publications and on their web sites? Do they provide a coherent, consistent, and convincing view of resources like management quality, brands, and intellectual capital? And how should they proceed to make stakeholders grasp what makes them a valuable investment, a preferred supplier of goods and services, or an employer of choice, and also a good corporate citizen? These are the core questions addressed in Reporting Nonfinancials. The book presents both best practice in nonfinancial disclosure and a pragmatic framework for action. It shows practitioners how to optimize the impact of their intangibles by first analyzing their companies’ strengths and then improving their disclosure through annual, quarterly, CSR, and other reporting formats. It also helps investors and other stakeholder groups evaluate the quality and relevance of information provided by companies. Thus it is important for both executives and outsiders.
This annual edition provides accountants and other financial professionals with assistance in understanding and applying the special considerations required in a single audit. It is an indispensable resource for auditors performing Yellow Book audits. This new edition provides up-to-date information and expert guidance on single audits and Uniform Guidance compliance audit requirements, including example auditor reports for both the reporting required under Government Auditing Standards and the Uniform Guidance compliance audit.
Written for controllers, CFOs, accounting managers, and business managers, Fast Close incorporates Steven Bragg’s own personally tested guidelines to help professionals speed up the closing process, especially in response to Sarbanes-Oxley’s more time-sensitive requirements. Bragg outlines numerous key improvements that, when gradually implemented together, are guaranteed to shrink the closing process down to as little as one day. Chock-full of helpful flowcharts and checklists to help readers prevent delays and bring accounting department closing procedures up to date, Fast Close explores specific instructions for closing faster, common areas of delay and how to overcome them, required controls to keep financials accurate despite the fast close, and much more. Create financial statements faster . . . much faster . . . with the expert guidance found in Steven Bragg’s Fast Close.
Praise for Fast Close: A Guide to Closing the Books Quickly «Steve captures the essence of the problems affecting the financial close process within corporations of all sizes; from the period close of subledgers and general ledger through financial reporting, and the relationship and interdependencies of governance, people and technology. A must-read for the corporate controller.» —David Taylor, ACMA, MBA, VP Strategy, Trintech Inc. «Fast Close: A Guide to Closing the Books Quickly, Second Edition is a must-read for today's busy controllers. Steven Bragg points out everything that can be done outside the close that you just never realized didn't actually have to be part of the month-end close process! Very commonsensical approach!» —Kathleen Schneibel, mba, cpa, Controller/CFO for Hire, KMAS Consulting LLC «A well-executed 'fast close' can bring many valuable benefits to any company, from improving organizational performance to transforming accounting executives from financial historians to trusted advisors. In Fast Close, Second Edition, Steve systematically breaks down the steps required to achieve a fast close in both public and private companies, providing financial executives with tips, checklists, and a cost-effective road map to implement fast close procedures in virtually any company.» —Matthew Posta, Esq., CPA, Vice President of Finance, Key Air, LLC FROM THE FIRST EDITION «This is an outstanding book in which Steve reveals his secrets to a fast close. Having personally experienced his (one-day) fast close for years and enjoyed the beneficial impact on my company, I highly recommend this book for all financial officers who desire to have a large, favorable impact on their company.» —Richard V. Souders, President and CEO, Kaba Workforce Solutions
The first English–Spanish translation dictionary of accounting terms to cover the differences in accounting terminology for Spanish-speaking countries This bilingual Accounting Dictionary offers not only English–Spanish and Spanish–English translations of accounting terms but also a Spanish–Spanish section correlating the different terms used in major Spanish-speaking countries. The only accounting dictionary to offer such coverage, this useful reference provides accounting practitioners and students with easy, accurate guidance for translating in and among: Argentina * Chile * Colombia * Mexico * Spain * Venezuela. Ideal for translating financial statements, conducting audits, and performing accounting functions in multinational companies, Accounting Dictionary is an essential tool for all accountants, financial managers, and students participating in the burgeoning Spanish-speaking market. Order your copy today!
Forms, checklists, and step-by-step instructions for choosing and implementing an ESOP Financial officers need to know how to compare an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) with other comparable plans and how to effectively present an ESOP proposal to corporate executives. ESOP Workbook: The Ultimate Instrument in Succession Planning is designed to help the corporate owner, financial officer, CPA, and attorney determine if an ESOP is appropriate for meeting a company's objectives and, if so, how to successfully implement a suitable ESOP. The Workbook's step-by-step use of forms and checklists shows the financial officer how to judge the feasibility of installing an ESOP versus other qualified or nonqualified plans or approaches. Divided into three sections– Decision Stage, Valuation and Financing Stage, and Transaction Stage– the Workbook answers such questions as: * How to decide upon your objectives * How to value your company * How to determine the feasibility of an ESOP * How to obtain financing * What to do about your present plan * How to invest the proceeds * How to do the accounting * How to communicate the ESOP to employees Once a suitable plan is chosen, the Workbook then guides readers through the entire implementation process. The Workbook also contains useful information for financial advisors and life insurance agents who need to know about ESOPs for their business. Valuable as a supplement to ESOP: The Ultimate Instrument in Succession Planning or as an independent resource, the ESOP Workbook is a one-stop practical guide for CPAs, attorneys, CFOs, and owners of private and public companies.
Praise for VALUE MAPS «Equivocator, Explorer, Experimenter, Exploiter, Extender—Chapter 12 might be well served as mandatory reading for all subject matter experts! SPARC is not a valuation, per se, but rather a separate consulting engagement that might interest a client—especially if that client is preparing for a sale or planning an exit strategy. Miller has taken the good ideas from five disciplines and married them with value enhancement, creating what could become a very good 'add-on' consulting engagement. NACVA recommends, and looks forward to, further dialogue related to this new approach. This book will open your eyes to new opportunities.» —Parnell Black, MBA, CPA, CVA, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA) «No one illuminates the murky intersection where business strategy and private company value creation meet better than Warren Miller. Now he's focused his extensive professional training and real-world experience to produce this intellectually rich, yet down-to-earth and fun-to-read road map we can all use. Business owners and leaders, financial analysts, management consultants, wealth managers, CPAs, business brokers, private equity investors, business appraisers—no one should plan to increase the value of an enterprise without Value Maps in their passenger seat.» —David Foster, CEO, Business Valuation Resources «Private-equity analysts do not often come across scholarly and technical professional reading laced with laugh-out-loud moments! Yet this is exactly what one finds in Value Maps. Warren Miller's advice stems from his career as a finance executive, a CPA, a valuation analyst, and a 'recovering academic.' With pitch-perfect balance, Warren has created both a must-have professional reference guide and a best-practices road map designed to enhance the profitability of your client's business and your own—all in a very readable style with just a 'spoon-full of sugar.' Enjoy the read!» —Gary M. Karlitz, ASA, CPA, Partner-in-Charge, Valuation Services, Forensic Services, and Forensic Accounting, Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP «Extremely readable, with numerous real-world examples—valuation specialists who don't read this book will soon be looking for a new profession. Miller takes the term 'valuation' to new levels, suggesting that appraisers can indeed add real value to their clients' businesses. Clients should demand that a valuation professional read this book before he or she will be hired.» —Alfred M. King, Vice Chairman, Marshall & Stevens, Inc.
Developed by a task force consisting of current and former employee benefit plan expert panel members, this alert offers a range of topics such as master trust reporting, cybersecurity, new proposed auditor's reports, electronic information, limited-scope certification, and new auditing standards such as PCAOB AS 3101. The increasing complexity of employee benefit plan auditing and increased focus by the DOL have resulted in significant pressure for CPAs and firms performing EBP audits. To help accountants meet the challenge of performing quality audits in this unique and complex area, the AICPA has developed this alert to assist them in identifying current sources of risk within EBP audit engagements. Accountants will find a targeted discussion on new developments, issues auditors may face in their current audits, as well as a look at what's in the pipeline that may affect your engagements. Key benefits of this work include: Coverage of emerging practice issues, including direct versus indirect investment in fully benefit-responsive investment contracts, readily determinable fair value, disclosures for investments in certain entities that calculate NAV per share (or its equivalent), plan expenses, and repurchase agreements An in-depth look at master trust reporting, electronic information and the new PCAOB auditing standard AS 3101 Analysis of high risk areas specific to defined benefit pension plans, such as pension benefit guaranty corporation premiums and reporting, demographic and economic assumptions, and pension risk management Current developments on health and welfare plans, including health care reform and its effect on employee benefit plans Up-to-date information on regulatory development from both the DOL and IRS