Accounts demystified : the astonishingly simple guide to accounting

Includes index

ContentsPreface xiAcknowledgements xiiPrologue xiiiIntroduction xvPart 1: The basics of accounting1 The balance sheet and the fundamental principle 3Assets, liabilities and balance sheets 4Sarah's 'personal' balance sheet 4The balance sheet of a company 7The balance sheet chart 10Summary 122 Creating a balance sheet 13Procedure for creating a balance sheet 13SBL's balance sheet 14The different forms of balance sheet 38Basic concepts of accounting 40Summary 423 The profit & loss account and cash flow statement 43The profit & loss account 43The cash flow statement 45'Definitive' vs 'descriptive' statements 46Summary 484 Creating the profit & loss account and cash flow statement 49Creating the profit & loss account 49Creating the cash flow statement 53Summary 615 Book-keeping jargon 63Basic terminology 63The debt and credit convention 66Part 2: Interpretation of accounts6 Wingate's annual report 75Accounting rules 76The reports 77Assets 78Liabilities 86Shareholders' equity 91Terminology 93The P&L and cash flow statement 94The notes to the accounts 99Summary 1007 Further features of company accounts 101Investments 102Associates and subsidiaries 104Accounting for associates 105Accounting for subsidiaries 107Funding 108Debt 109Equity 111Revaluation reserves 113Statement of recognised gains and losses 115Note of historical cost profits and losses 115Intangible fixed assets 116Pensions 117Leases 118Corporation tax 121Exchange gains and losses 121Fully diluted earnings per share 123Summary 125Part 3: Analysing company accounts8 Financial analysis - introduction 129The ultimate goal 130The two components of a company 133The general approach to financial analysis 140Wingate's highlights 142Summary 1449 Analysis of the enterprise 145Return on capital employed (ROCE) 145The components of ROCE 148Where do we go from here? 151Expense ratios 152Capital ratios 157Summary 16310 Analysis of the funding structure 165The funding structure ratios 165Lenders' perspective 168Gearing 170Shareholders' perspective 173Liquidity 179Summary 18211 Valuation of companies 183Book value vs market value 183Valuation techniques 185Summary 18912 Tricks of the trade 191Self-serving presentation 192Creative accounting 193Why bother? 212Summary 214 Glossary 215Appendix 235Index 249

An astonishingly simple guide to the fundamental principles of accounting, written specifically for those without a financial background. Simple, easily absorbed and clearly explained, this book will guide you through all the major accounting concepts. You will learn how to master company accounts, understand balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and cash flow systems and how to analyse and monitor your company's financial performance. This new edition is updated throughout to incorporate changes in accounting regulations and includes a new chapter on keeping personal accounts. Whether you manage a small company, are a trainee accountant, an entrepreneur, a business studies or MBA student, an investor on the stock market or a manager in a big corporation, you will not want to be without this definitive and user-friendly guide to the fundamental principles of accounting.