Many companies or organizations that borrow from a bank, are looking to raise capital, looking to potentially sell the entity, or meet certain Federal or state specifications, are required to have some kind of independent or outside assurance of their financial statements by a certified public accountant....

Many companies have life insurance on key employees and officers.  Kind of grim subject, but obviously if the key officers or shareholders get hit by a bus and dies, the company is going to have some rough times.  The life insurance proceeds can certainly help....

Increased financial pressures during the current economic downturn have led to an increase in fraudulent business behavior.  It seems like you can’t read the daily business news and not see some article regarding embezzlement.  It is occurring across all sizes of business and industries....

Many privately held companies have their financial statements compiled, reviewed or audited due to requirements from a governmental agency, lender, or a bonding company, but what other advantages can these services provide to a company besides meeting a requirement?  ...

There’s an old saying regarding family-owned businesses: “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” It means the first-generation owner started in shirtsleeves and built the company up...

Ever wonder why your auditors are asking for seemingly insignificant items or for detail on an insignificant financial line item?...

Year end can’t get here soon enough for some business owners — especially those whose companies have exceeded their annual budgets....

Your business financials — where they stand currently and where they might be going next year — are incredibly important....

Hundreds of years ago, prosperous towns managed the various risks of foreign invaders, thieves and wild animals by fortifying their entire communities with walls and towers. Today’s business owners can take a similar approach with enterprise risk management (ERM)....

Any business owner developing a succession plan should rightfully assume that regular business valuations are a must. When envisioning the valuation process, you’re likely to focus on its end result: a reasonable, defensible value estimate of your business as of a certain date....

With so much data flying around these days, it’s easy for a company of any size to get overwhelmed. If something important falls through the cracks, say a contract renewal or outstanding bill, your financial standing and reputation could suffer....

As we head toward year end, your company may be reviewing its business strategy for 2017 or devising plans for 2018. As you do so, be sure to give some attention to the prices you’re asking for your existing products and services, as well as those you plan to launch in the near future....