Closing the books on an accounting period is a lengthy and complex process. No matter how complex, it needs to start somewhere. For every company, big or small, it starts with a trial balance. This is ...

A balance sheet is a company's financial big picture for a particular moment in time. Every financial decision a business makes will eventually land on the balance sheet but understanding how the ...

A trial balance is part of the accounting cycle. If the trial balance is equal, then the accountant or bookkeeper can proceed to the next step of the accounting ...

Joseph Nguyen is a contributing author at Investopedia and a research analyst with experience at a securities brokerage firm. Charlene Rhinehart is a CPA , CFE, chair of an Illinois CPA Society ...

Previously, we discussed some ways to improve cash flow within a company. This evolved from a question that was posed by contractors on a message board regarding the difference between profits and ...

Jared Ecker is a researcher and fact-checker. He possesses over a decade of experience in the Nuclear and National Defense sectors resolving issues on platforms as varied as stealth bombers to UAVs.

Julia is a writer in New York and started covering tech and business during the pandemic. She also covers books and the publishing industry. With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts ...

Many financial systems do a fine job of generating standard reports, but accountants often need more. In those cases, accountants can create custom solutions in Excel, but that approach has drawbacks.

A balance sheet is a type of financial statement that lists a company's assets, liabilities, and shareholders' equity. The assets should be in "balance" and equal the total liabilities and ...