How to Read a Financial Report: Wringing Vital Signs Out of the Numbers [Paperback]

John A. Tracy CPA (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0471478679 | ISBN-13: 978-0471478676 | Edition: 6

Hidden somewhere among all the numbers in a financial report is vitally important information about where a company has been and where it is going. This is especially relevant in light of the current corporate scandals.
The sixth edition of this bestselling book is designed to help anyone who works with financial reports--but has neither the time nor the need for an in-depth knowledge of accounting--cut through the maze of accounting information to find out what those numbers really mean.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

How to Read a Financial Report

Lurking somewhere amidst all the figures in a financial report is vitally important information about where a company has been and where it is headed. But without a guide to isolate and interpret those numbers, the dizzying array of columns and rows doesn’t add up to a hill of beans. That’s why thousands of professionals and savvy individuals have referred to this bestselling resource that shows anyone how to make sense of all those numbers.

If you’re someone who works with financial reports or needs to understand them—but have neither the time nor the need for an indepth knowledge of accounting—this book will help you cut through the maze of accounting information to find out what those numbers really mean. It steers you quickly and painlessly through the basic accounting concepts and line-by-line explanations of the basic financial statement. Complete with a visual guide that leads you through the intricacies of financial reporting, How to Read a Financial Report shows you how the three essential parts of every financial report—the balance sheet, the income statement, and the cash flow statement—fit together and what it all means to you and your company.

Updated throughout, this new edition addresses the many changes in the financial world in the past few years, including new pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, new income tax laws, and emerging financial reporting problems. Also, all exhibits have been made easier to follow. Features updates on:

• Tax reform
• Recent FASB rulings
• Depreciation methods
• Spotting fraudulent reporting

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Whether you’re just beginning to invest in the stock market or have been in the market for many years, there is one skill that can help you make better-informed investment decisions—the ability to read a financial report. With the sixth edition of How to Read a Financial Report, you’ll quickly learn how to make sense of the numbers that make up a financial report. Fully revised and updated to reflect the way today’s organizations publicly report their financial status, this book will help you understand where a company had been and where it is headed.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 6 edition (February 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471478679
• ISBN-13: 978-0471478676
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 0.5 x 6.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John A. Tracy is an award-winning Professor of Accounting, Emeritus, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His other books include The Fast Forward MBA in Finance, Second Edition, Accounting For Dummies, Fourth Edition, and Accounting Workbook For Dummies, all published by Wiley.