If an investment matures in more than 90 days, it should be classified in the section named “investments”. The intrinsic value of a business is generally considered to be the net present value (NPV) of all its future cash flows. After all, an investor purchases a company to make a return on investment (ROI), and the return comes in the form of cash. After all, an investor purchases a company…

They have a more comprehensive understanding of the bookkeeping role, allowing them to support or even lead the current bookkeeping staff with less experienced members. Accountants, on the other hand, operate at a higher level of financial strategy. They are usually involved in more complex financial planning, including tax planning and business analysis. While they also review financial statements, their work often focuses more on interpreting and analyzing financial data…

Still, it’s best to honor any language on a check—either deposit the check promptly or contact the check writer if you can’t make the deadline. Traveler’s checks might not ever expire, and can always be refunded if lost or stolen. As long as the issuer is still in business, you can use those instruments wherever what is a stale check they are accepted. Checks from the federal government, such as…

Due in part to these reasons, QuickBooks is our pick for the best hospitality accounting software. The software must have a mobile app to enable users to perform accounting tasks even when away from their laptops or desktops. Some of the features we looked into include the ability to create and send invoices, accept online payments, enter and track bills, and view reports on the go. Common payment processing options…

It allows you to look more closely at your finances over a specific period. For example, you can review your financial activity over the past year or shorten the time frame to the past 90 days. Without a detailed general ledger, your accounting can quickly become disorganized and inaccurate. Maintaining a general ledger is one of the best ways to gauge your business’s overall financial health. How a General Ledger…

In accounting, we do not depreciate intangible assets such as software and patents. Instead of depreciating such assets, we amortize them which is quite similar to depreciation. But because there are separate accounting rules to consider when applying amortization, most accountants refer to intangible assets as non-depreciable assets. Useful Life and Straight Line Depreciation If the number of years remaining is less than 1, the depreciation rate for that tax year is 1.0 (100%).…

Normally, these funds are used for working capital and fixed asset purchases (capital expenditures) or allotted for paying off debt obligations. Once your cost of goods sold, expenses, and any liabilities are covered, you have to pay out cash dividends to shareholders. The money that’s left after you’ve paid your shareholders is held onto (or “retained”) by the business. Your accounting software will handle this calculation for you when it…

A wide range of financial products all involve a series of payments that are equal and are made at fixed intervals. The two conditions that need to be met are constant payments and a fixed number of periods. For example, $500 to be paid at the end of each of the next five years is a 5-year annuity. The present value of an annuity refers to the current value of…

The right ecommerce automation software can help you reduce the risk of errors from manual data entry across business operations. If you have a staff, give them the tools they need to succeed in implementing the accounting cycle. This could mean providing quarterly training on best practices, meeting with your staff each cycle to find their pain points, or equipping them with the proper accounting tools. The better prepared your…

Not only that, but if you stick to hourly billing, you will need to take on and maintain more what is a single step income statement clients to increase your profits. With a fixed consulting fee, you charge for your value, above and beyond your time. Your clients pay you for your expertise, knowledge and guidance, and you will likely reap the rewards of that relationship in terms of more…