Guide to Financial Reporting and Analysis

Book excerpt: Navigate A Sea of Financial Complexity Due to the intricacies of contemporary business transactions, the numerous standards issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and the vast variety of accounting and disclosure practices with their ever-changing terminology employed by reporting companies, financial statements and related disclosures have become very complex. This complexity can impede the work performed and the decisions reached by all users of financial statements-especially equity and credit analysts. Guide to Financial Reporting and Analysis is designed to remedy this situation by offering practical, user-friendly guidance. Through the use of contemporary financial statement examples, extant generally accepted accounting principles are explained and their application is demonstrated. Here are indispensable resources, including: * Comprehensive, point-by-point summaries and glossaries provided with each chapter * Hundreds of examples of contemporary financial disclosures taken from actual, highly recognizable companies * Thorough information on how reporting and disclosure rules impact reporting practices-and the implications these practices have for analysis * Goes beyond anecdotes and integrates throughout relevant findings from the financial reporting and analysis research literature . . . and much more, to help working professionals gain clarity and begin making better-informed decisions today by taking advantage of the rich treatment offered in this timely, much-needed guide.