Contents at a Glance

1. Chapter 1: Setting Up the Books
   1. Bookkeepers: The Record Keepers of the Business World
   2. Wading through Basic Bookkeeping Lingo
   3. Pedaling through the Accounting Cycle
   4. Tackling the Big Decision: Cash-Basis or Accrual Accounting
   5. Seeing Double with Double-Entry Bookkeeping
   6. Differentiating Debits and Credits
   7. Outlining Your Financial Road Map with a Chart of Accounts
   8. Starting with the Balance Sheet Accounts
   9. Tracking the Income Statement Accounts
   10. Setting Up Your Chart of Accounts
2. Chapter 2: Reporting Profit or Loss in the Income Statement
   1. Presenting Typical Income Statements
   2. Taking Care of Housekeeping Details
   3. Being an Active Reader
   4. Deconstructing Profit
   5. Pinpointing the Assets and Liabilities Used to Record Revenue and Expenses
   6. Reporting Unusual Gains and Losses
   7. Watching for Misconceptions and Misleading Reports
3. Chapter 3: Showing Financial Condition in the Balance Sheet
   1. Expanding the Accounting Equation
   2. Presenting a Proper Balance Sheet
   3. Judging Liquidity and Solvency
   4. Understanding That Transactions Drive the Balance Sheet
   5. Sizing Up Assets and Liabilities
   6. Financing a Business: Sources of Cash and Capital
   7. Recognizing the Hodgepodge of Values Reported in a Balance Sheet
4. Chapter 4: Reporting Cash Sources and Uses in the Statement of Cash Flows
   1. Meeting the Statement of Cash Flows
   2. Explaining the Variance between Cash Flow and Net Income
   3. Sailing through the Rest of the Statement of Cash Flows
   4. Pinning Down “Free Cash Flow”
   5. Looking at Limitations of the Statement of Cash Flows
5. Chapter 5: Controlling Costs and Budgeting
   1. Getting in the Right Frame of Mind
   2. Getting Down to Business
   3. Looking into Cost of Goods Sold Expense
   4. Focusing on Profit Centers
   5. Reducing Your Costs
   6. Deciding Where the Budgeting Process Starts
   7. Homing In on Budgeting Tools
   8. Preparing an Actual Budget or Forecast
   9. Understanding Internal versus External Budgets
   10. Creating a Living Budget
   11. Using the Budget as a Business-Management Tool
   12. Using Budgets in Other Ways
6. Chapter 6: Satisfying the Tax Man
   1. Tax Reporting for Sole Proprietors
   2. Filing Tax Forms for Partnerships
   3. Paying Corporate Taxes
   4. Taking Care of Sales Taxes Obligations
   5. Keeping Up with and Researching Tax Strategies and Rules
   6. Paying for Tax Help