Financial statements are fundamental to any business, large or small. They are actually “report cards” on the performance of the business. When reading them, you will encounter odd terminology, strange calculations, and of course, big numbers. But what insight can they give you as a manager, owner, or investor? How can you use financial statements to manage the business or be a wiser investor without having to become a CPA? And what in the world do some of those terms mean and how do you use them? With the guidance in this book, if you can read a nutrition label or a baseball box score, you can learn to read basic financial statements.
There are four main financial statements. They are balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and statements of shareholders’ equity. It is important to note that a financial statement does NOT tell the complete story. Combined, however, they provide very powerful information for business owners, managers, and investors. Information is the best tool when it comes to managing and investing wisely. This new easy to follow book will make you an expert on financial statement interpretation including: profit and loss statements (income statements), balance sheets, financial analyses, profit analyses, break-even analyses, and ratios. The book includes an extensive glossary useful lingo and hundreds of hints, tricks, and secrets about how to read these statements and use them to your advantage.
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This book really exceeds expectations! It clearly explains the working of financial statements in everyday language. It is a book that would benefit anyone who has ever struggled to understand the jargon of the financial world and the details of financial statements. Despite the topic, it is not difficult to read or use at all and is very user friendly.
The book is well organized, explaining related terms which makes it much easier to navigate. The definition of each financial term is simply explained and links to websites provided. But it is more than just a way to look up meanings of financial jargon. The entries are small enough not to overwhelm, but give enough of a summary to teach about some of the basics of finance. I found myself wanting to read more as I understood concepts that have been difficult in the past. The explanations of charting and stock analysis were very helpful.
This book has helped me to get more confidence that I can be a more active, knowledgeable business owner. It is an excellent book that I can recommend for anyone who wants a simple guide to understanding the financial world.
Comment by Elle Johnson — February 6, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Before reading this book, I had heard of financial statements. I had been asked to pull financial statements for my company to include in proposals. I had even glanced at a financial statement. But I had never really understood a financial statement or really knew what was so important about them. As the author of this book states, a financial statement is “a summary of all the financial dealings that occurred within the business over a specific period of time.” The author then describes in detail how to read a financial statement and tells you what it means and how it is important in the business and investing worlds.
After reading this book, you will know why financial statements are important and who is responsible for compiling and ensuring the accuracy of them. You will know what they are used for and the formulas (explained in plain English) used to complete them. The book includes a glossary of financial terms, which is helpful in both reading the book and later in trying to decipher real life financial statements. This book tells you what you can (and can’t) learn from financial statements, balance sheets, income statements, etc. The chapters on the history of why financial statements exist (SEC, stock market crash) and corporate scandals (WorldCom, Tyco) were particularly interesting.
This book is great for the common-place business person or for someone just looking to learn more about financial matters of companies. Since it also discusses how to use the financial statements to make wise investment choices, it could be helpful to a potential investor.
4 star rating
Comment by J. Linnell — February 14, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
Book Review on Financial Statements: When you don’t know what you are looking at
Financial Statements has been written by Brian Kline and published by the Atlanta Publishing House in 2007 for business owners and investors. Brian is a successful investor of 25 years’ experience. For 12 of them, he was a Manager of the Dow Jones Industrial Company (Boeing Aircraft Company.He shares his vast experience in stocks, bonds and real estate. Rest assured he is not at present holding any of the stocks discussed in this book. This book may have incorporated most of his ideas as a successful businessperson and investor.
He starts by defining financial statements and its components. The comparison of Financial Statements of different competitors reveals the health status of a company. Only close reviews not evident at superficial viewing will give the actual picture. The various years’ statements must be scrutinized. Several equations accompany his writing highlighted in small boxes with enlarged lettering to signify important information. He states that the prospectus may give the best information about a company. The responsibilities of the CEO,CO, the Board of Directors and Manager are elaborated. Financial closure has to be good for preventing the Stock Market crash. Various terminologies are explained in detail. The growth of a business using the four financial statements and performing a ratio analysis are explained in relationship to a ‘Pretend Toys’ company. Financial statements provide information about past performance. Investment must be undertaken by forecasting coming financial performance and business strategy. These are only speculative and may not be expressed in actual results. Each step towards investment has to be taken cautiously. The legalities involved, the relevant laws and offices are given in detail. The significance of audits and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are spoken of. The topic of frauds in business are dealt with. Scandals like the Enron, Arthur Andersen and the World Com/MCI have been elaborated and how they had ‘far reaching’ results on the public investors. The risks running a business are highlighted. Case studies have been included. Investment strategies, business funding and the different types of shares are detailed. He asserts that elevation speeches and full presentations to lure investors to invest in a business are the expertise of a successful businessman. Selling off a business at an opportune moment is used as an exit strategy to save the face of the company and give the investors their returns. Starbucks which has eateries spread all over the world has been studied. It satisfies all the requirements of a growing company but has a P/E ratio not consistent with growth. It still has risks of being toppled as a growing industry. Future strategies are being planned for survival and continuing growth.
Brian Kline’s book is sophisticated and bound to be informative to all those who read it. The readers who have some basic information on investing should be absolutely thrilled to get such positive information from one who has been a good businessman and investor. The shrewd selection of good investment is revealed as dependent on real figures on statements and one should spend plenty of time in studying these and working out the possibilty of growth.
I would rate this book 5 .
Comment by sarojam — February 20, 2008 @ 5:35 am
Reading a financial statement can be a daunting task. There are so many different numbers and columns. Then there are the different types of statements like balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements. Which is which?
This book helps answer the “which is which” question. Mr. Kline breaks down financial statements for the reader into everyday language and goes into detail about each aspect of the financial statement means.
The nice thing about this book is that it does dig a little deeper than just giving basic definitions by giving the story behind the definitions and statement descriptions. The reader learns what roles organizations like SEC and GAAP play in financial statements. Mr. Kline walks the reader through how to stay in line with SEC requirements. “How to Read and Understand Financial Statements” even has tips for developing a business plan, how to do presentations, preparing proposals. The chapter on investment strategies tells the reader about certain risks and other investment issues such as credit and inflation.
Going into great detail to explain facts about corporate business to the layman is a definite strength. However it can also be a weakness as some explanations can seem long or drawn out. Overall this book is good for someone starting a small corporation or just someone who wants to know more about the accounting aspect of corporations or other larger businesses.
4 star
Comment by Terrence McElhaney — February 28, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
This is one of the most easy-to-understand books on a complex financial topic that I have ever read. As an amateur investor in the stock market, I have often been perplexed at what I have read about publicly-owned companies and their financial reports. Perusing their reports, I have wondered, “Are these companies financially stable? Are they growing? Profitable?”
Answers to these important questions can be found within the pages of their financial disclosures, IF one knows how to interpret them.
And that is where this informational and explanatory book comes in: it clearly explains the elements of the four different kinds of financial statements; how to read them, compare them and interpret them with the end result being that the reader will be able to make more INFORMED decisions with regard to his or her possible investments.
The writer of this book covers the entire spectrum of information from the actual transaction to how it is recorded in the company’s books, and then how transactions are translated into line items in a financial report.
He also teaches the reader how to extrapolate the desired data from these reports for whatever purpose the reader may have. Not only important for investors, knowing how to read financial reports is necessary for business owners facing the task of applying for business loans. The business owner must also track his company’s progress towards its goals; the financial reports are a concrete, black-and-white reflection of that.
I would recommend this book to anyone in the business world who needs a good overview of the world of financial reports and how to read and interpret them. There are examples used that are very helpful in understanding the concepts described.
Comment by Robin Springer — April 9, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
***** 5 Stars
Financial statements can be a scary subject if you don’t know what you are look for in them. The author breaks down financial statements into an easy to understand format that provides insight into what the statements really show and how to use the data they provide.
This is a very detail-oriented book that will guide the reader through using real-life examples of the many financial statements that businesses encounter. This book should be used by anyone that requires more knowledge of financial statements.
Comment by Angela Waseilewski — September 21, 2008 @ 4:42 pm