Closing the books on an accounting period is a lengthy and complex process. No matter how complex, it needs to start somewhere. For every company, big or small, it starts with a trial balance. This is ...

A trial balance is a listing of a company's accounts and balances. This report may not be the most exciting output of a small business accounting system, but it gives the user a full glimpse of the ...

A balance sheet is a company's financial big picture for a particular moment in time. Every financial decision a business makes will eventually land on the balance sheet but understanding how the ...

Accounting practices in the U.S. have improved over the years, but there are still plenty of ways that companies can manipulate their financial results. And not just in the usual ways--the balance ...

Many accountants have made the investment in a write-up package. With this investment already made, they often use the write-up software even when it may not be the best tool for the task.Many ...

Many financial systems do a fine job of generating standard reports, but accountants often need more. In those cases, accountants can create custom solutions in Excel, but that approach has drawbacks.

Charlene Rhinehart is a CPA , CFE, chair of an Illinois CPA Society committee, and has a degree in accounting and finance from DePaul University. The balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow ...