Urgency to Reduce Debt: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty urged European leaders to find a solution to their debt crisis quickly, or risk further harm to the global economy. “This dire and pressing problem threatens not only Europe itself, but all countries,” Flaherty told a business audience at a luncheon for the Canadian Club in Toronto…. Read more »
Posts Tagged: Cash Flow
New Revenue Recognition Standards on the Way for Contractors
Contractors should be educating themselves on the impact of the new proposed revenue recognition standards and the recently published (June 24, 2010) exposure draft pertaining to revenue from contracts with customers. Public comments are due October 22, 2010, and it is expected the standards will be finalized in 2011. Questions: 1. What are some of… Read more »
Small Discrepancies Grow Into a Giant Fraud
Satyam Computer Services, a leading Indian outsourcing company that served more than a third of the Fortune 500 companies, was at the heart of a huge 2009 fraud perpetrated through the significant inflation of earnings and falsification of accounts and assets for a number of years. Chairman, Ramalinga Raju, resigned in January 2009 after revealing that… Read more »
Madoff: Freedom in Prison?
In an extended expose, the New York Magazine reported that Bernard Madoff described his scheme as a real nightmare to him, as if he were the real victim, and complained about little old ladies bugging him for money. The article goes on to describe his celebrity in prison among the other inmates and his “freedom”… Read more »
Financial Instrument Accounting
On Wednesday, May 26, 2010, the FASB released an exposure draft for the purposes of improving accounting for financial instruments. The new rules, projected to take effect in 2013, incorporate both amortized cost and fair value information about financial instruments held for collection or payment of cash flows. Questions: 1. According to the article, how… Read more »
A New Twist for Job Seekers
Unemployed Individuals can increase their attractiveness to prospective employers by knowing about certain tax breaks that employers can secure by hiring them. One group , National Tax Credit Group, LLC, is promoting this advantage by creating a “Tax Credit Card” which they issue to prospective employees after screening them for hiring credit eligibility. This article… Read more »
What If You Can’t Pay Payroll Taxes?
What If You Can’t Pay Payroll Taxes? In this video, Darrin T. Mish, tax attorney discusses some of the questions businesses ask about non-payment of payroll taxes. His advice is to “get current” as soon as possible, even though the IRS may not catch the lapse for up to four years and because IRS payroll… Read more »
Fighting Back Against Payday Lenders
Wisconsin lawmakers agreed on Thursday, April 22, 2010, to regulate payday lenders. Wisconsin had been the only state not to regulate this industry, which consumer advocates said allowed its rapid growth and trapped too many borrowers who take out short-term loans with high interest rates in a cycle of debt. Questions: 1. What were some… Read more »
Late Payments Matter
Late Payments Matter According to new research, approximately 4,000 small and medium sized firms in the U.K. collapsed in 2008 due to late payments by customers. This amounted to approximately 62 billion pounds that were more than 30 days late and of this 15.5 billion that were more than 120 days overdue. For more than… Read more »
Avatar Accounting
A working knowledge of accounting is helpful for almost any career endeavor. In real estate, for example, brokers must have a thorough understanding of the numbers involved in the decision-making process. Real estate brokers traditionally determine whether a buyer can make payments to a bank, identify tax benefits of a purchase, and even determine whether… Read more »