Book Description
The U.S. government began standardizing and regulating financial reporting in 1929 when the stock market crash made it painfully clear that businesses often made absurd claims and that investors were either gullible, unable to verify information, or both. Now, financial reports are used by a company’s management to measure profitability (or lack of it), optimize operations and guide the company, by banks and other lenders to gauge the company’s financial health, and by institutional or individual investors interested in purchasing stock.
Unless you’re financially savvy, annual reports with all those figures, frustrating footnotes, and fine print are boring and intimidating. However, once you have a fundamental knowledge of finance and its basic terminology, you can find the juicy parts. Reading Financial Reports For Dummies by Lita Epstein, a teacher of online financial courses and author of Trading for Dummies, gets you up to speed so you can:
- Go past the prose that can maximize the positive and minimize the negative and get information in dollars and cents
- Get an overview from the big three—the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows
- Understand the lingo and read between the lines
- Calculate basics like PE, Dividend Payout Ratio, ROS, ROA, ROE, Operating Margin, and Net Margin
It pays for investors to be somewhat skeptical instead of gullible. Pressured to please Wall Street, companies are sometimes tempted to use “creative” accounting. You’ll discover how to:
- Detect red flags (that, unfortunately, aren’t emphasized in red) such as lawsuits, changes in accounting methods, and obligations to retirees and future retirees
- Understand the different reporting requirements for public companies and private companies with various types of business structures
- Analyze a company’s cash flow, a prime indicator of its financial health
- Scrutinize deals such as mergers, acquisitions, liquidations and other major changes in key assets
Organized so you can start where you’re comfortable and proceed at your own pace, Reading Financial Reports for Dummies helps managers prepare annual reports and use financial reporting to budget more efficiently and helps investors base their decisions on knowledge instead of hype. Whether you’re in business or in the stock market, knowledge is always an asset.
Customer Reviews:
Even Better Than I Had Hoped..........2007-07-14
I've never taken the time to leave feedback about any books I buy, but this book I really got a lot out of, and highly recommend.
Although the description of the book seems to mostly focus on reading financial reports in order to evaluate companies you might want to invest in by buying stock, I bought the book because I wanted to be much more comfortable with reading - moreover analyzing and understanding - financial statements for business management purposes.
Boy, I was NOT disappointed! By reading the book and constantly referring to the financial statements of 2 companies (Mattel and Hasbro), and interpreting, analyzing and comparing the numbers, I have really learned quite a lot about how to manage by the numbers. Now, when I look at financial statements, I know what every line means, I know what I'm looking for, how to interpret the numbers and changes in the numbers and/or ratios over time - I'm truly just as pleased as punch! This book is worth every penny you pay for it.
And, because the author also tosses in a lot of revealing and useful information about analyzing financial statements to evaluate a company and the worth of its stock, I received quite an education there as well. Very eye opening.
Whether you're a business owner, manager, accountant or stock investor, if you're even considering getting this book to enhance your knowledge, get it. It's a very, very good book. I kept a highlighter and some post it notes at my side, you may want to do the same. In any event, after reading this book (which, by the way is NOT a 'dry' read) you will have deep knowledge of financial statements - balance sheet, profit and loss (income statement) and cash flow statement.
I highly recommend this book.
Learn to examine financial statements more effectively and efficiently........2007-05-28
I am a lawyer in technology, entertainment and corporate law. I bought this book for one of my children who is an undergraduate business major. After buying the book, I ended up reading the book myself. It helps the reader to review financial statements much more effectively and efficiently. It's the best book I've seen on the topic. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand what to look for and beware of in financial reports.
Excellent value ... just buy it!.......2007-03-25
I recently had to take a week long seminar about financial statements and didn't want to go in cold turkey and possibly embarass myself ... so I bought three books thru Amazon to help me learn about financial statements, this one being the most comprehensive.
I'll make this short and sweet ... this was an excellent book by any standard ... the other two books were brief and excellent overviews, but I'd have to judge Lita's (author) book as superb.
It was as if I learned detail from a text book (factual substance), but then had her sitting beside me saying ... ok, you know such and such, now this is how it really works, or this is how you apply it, or this is what it means, or this is what you need to do next, or these are the tricks of the trade only insiders know, etc. Plus her 10 real world discussions of what went wrong with certain corporations ... Enron, WorldCom/MCI, Tyco, etc., are very interesting reads.
For instance, she tells you how to go about listening to a call between analysts and corporate executives, which honestly I did not know you could do. It's this added perspective of an experienced insider's knowledge of the business that puts her above the rest ... and this being a 362 page book, which I read cover to cover, there are plenty of these types of examples.
For anyone who is not well versed in this subject matter, but WANTS to learn about it, quit pondering the purchase and just buy the book. It is money well spent ... I guarantee it.
Oh, and by the way, Lita dedicates the book to her father, who was an auditor and savings and loan examiner ... so you know she was taught plenty by ole Dad ... this stuff was in her blood from the get go, and she communicates her extensive knowledge very well.
I sincerely congratulate her on such a fine work. I enjoyed it immensely! Thank you Lita ... Jim
opening the pandora s box.......2007-02-09
reading financial report for me before is just like reading numbers but reading this book is it s not just only reading but also analyzing and decoding the numbers found in the financial reports..The authors use laymans term in order that the reader can understand the different accounting jargons.it is just __knowing yourself and knowing your investments... this book is a must for a serious investor and this book is intended for a defenceless investor who have no knowledge in checking the financial health of the company.
Reading Financial Reports for Dummies.......2007-01-10
If you know nothing about Financial Reports, this is the book for you. Everything is written in terms that you can understand without being a Chief Financial Officer.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone, whether it be career-related or for personal financial review of annual reports, insurance, etc.
Book Description
Hidden somewhere among all the numbers in a financial report is vitally important information about where a company has been and where it is going. This is especially relevant in light of the current corporate scandals.
The sixth edition of this bestselling book is designed to help anyone who works with financial reports--but has neither the time nor the need for an in-depth knowledge of accounting--cut through the maze of accounting information to find out what those numbers really mean.
Customer Reviews:
great book.......2007-07-30
I spent a long time trying to find a book that could help me read a financial statement. It needed to be simple without sacrificing substance. Finally I found this book. It shows how income, cash flow, and balance sheet are related, in a visual, line by line way.
I think the only way you could do it better is by having a spreadsheet which linked all these together, which you could play with and see the linkages in action. But barring that, this book is great.
It does require study, but I don't think it requires much accounting background. I had no business or accounting background, and I found this book approachable.
The one downside is that it doesn't teach you how to interpret a financial statement. It teaches you to understand how one works, and how it fits together. But how to spot things that might be "troublesome" or in need of further inquiry in a real business report, this book doesn't tell you.
You need another book for that sort of thing. And I haven't found one of those yet -- that is simple and strong in its own way.
Excellent terse intro to financial statements.......2007-06-19
I loved this book. John Tracy does an outstanding job introducing financial statements: how to read them, how to make sense of the numbers, and the basic framework around the statements. His language is easy to understand, and his examples illustrate the new concepts very well. The book is 200 pages long, and there is zero fluff. I found everything to be very useful information - nice and crisp.
Tracy jumps in by introducing cash flows and basic financial statements. He continues through the first half of the book by going down the income statement and the balance sheet together, describing how the numbers from the two statements work together (i.e. which portions of the income statement affect various numbers on the balance sheet).
Next, Tracy jumps into cash flows and describes the cash flow statement. He nicely illustrates how cash flow and profit differ and how they can grow in opposite directions depending on whether the business is expanding or shrinking. Tracy then covers logistics - he talks about statement footnotes, the importance of CPA audits, and the organizations and standards surrounding financial statements. He continues by discussing the various methods of expensing the cost of goods (LIFO, FIFO, average) and various depreciation and amortization techniques, and wraps up with common financial ratios (ROE, ROI, P/E, etc.) and a brief FAQ of basic questions and answers.
There are many diagrams throughout the book, and they are, for the most part, very helpful. I found a couple small errors in the diagrams (and a couple typos throughout the text), but they didn't really hinder my understanding - it was obvious what the author was trying to say and show.
This book does not require any previous knowledge of the subject. In fact, Tracy does a fantastic job defining everything he discusses. I like how new terms and concepts are italicized to emphasize their importance. The book is well organized (see 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of this review), although I wish that chapters 20 and 21 (cost of goods expense methods, depreciation & amortization techniques) came earlier in the book - closer to where Tracy discussed these items on the income statement. However, I do understand his motivation to save these items for later - so as not to confuse the reader with more advanced topics while introducing the basics - and to postpone the discussion of various ways to affect the net income.
Tracy is unafraid to give his own personal advice. He often uses "I think" and "in my opinion" throughout the book to emphasize his own preferences and thoughts rather than the generally accepted ideas. He expresses his opinions on the GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles), the organizations that ultimately govern the GAAP, and, most importantly, on acceptable and average values for various financial ratios - I found this to be most helpful.
On a totally different note, the book has an interesting physical format - it is wider than it is taller. While this sucks for bookshelf storage, it gives lots of room for the large and clear diagrams.
In conclusion, I recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn about financial statements. You will not see very advanced topics, but you will get a great introduction and quite a bit of practical advice. Excellent job by John Tracy!
Pros:
+ very easy to read and understand - Tracy's explanations are simple and straight to the point
+ lots of diagrams, which nicely illustrate the flow of numbers
+ great intro to the 3 basic financial statements
+ additional useful and interesting info on the organizations and standards surrounding financial statements
+ practical advice (average values for certain ratios, what to look for first in the financial statements, etc.)
Cons:
- a couple small diagram errors and typos (not very significant)
- could include more info on advanced topics
A pleasure to read.......2007-06-17
I am only a little way through the latest edition of "How to Read a Financial Report". One area i can already see as a huge plus is the style in which the book is written. Candidly, clearly and entertainingly relaying information on a topic that can so easily become one of the dreariest around has helped me understand and retain much more information on the terms and concepts I need to know.
Without even finishing half of this book, I am compelled to offer a strong recommendation to anyone contemplating purchasing it. I have only done what could best be described as rudimentary level accounting previously. This has left me with a great number of terms and definitions but little real understanding on the interconnectedness of financial reports and the terms within them. "How to Read a Financial Report" essentially gathers all the pieces of the puzzle and clearly shows you how it is put together. Whilst I cannot comment on the latter half of the book, this explanation of the way the financial statements connect has already proven invaluable to me.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone wanting to truly understand the nature of financial statements
James.L,
Sydney,
Australia
Arrows, Diagrams, and Simple Explanations.......2007-05-18
If you already know how to read financial reports like a pro or you work in the accounting department as an auditor, this book is definitely not for you. However, if the reams of reports spit out by corporations dumbfound you or you just feel intimidated when your accountant hands you a P&L, this book is perfect for you!
The author starts by explaining, line-by-line, each item in each type of report: Cash Flows, Balance Sheets, and more. The author then uses good ol' fashion simple diagrams and arrows that show direct interactions between lines in each report. The concepts are as easy to grasp as "if this number goes up, this other number goes down and here's why." It's just that elegant!
In my opinion, this should be required reading for any college graduate. In today's world a certain level of business acumen is expected which includes the ability to read and comprehend basic financial reports. This book gives you enough knowledge so that you can comfortably understand those reports. Of course, you can always delve deeper, if you choose, but keep in mind that this book is for the uninitiated which is just perfect for most of us mere mortals.
Uses Visuals to Show Financial Relationships.......2006-12-07
How to Read a Financial Report uses a lot of visuals to show the relationships between balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flow. If you have ever looked at a financial report and wondered what everything meant, this book is for you. This book took me from knowing hardly anything about financial statements to being able to understand them. I highly recommend this book to both investors and business owners.
Book Description
Finally, a resourceful and unique primer on financial statements that uses a creative and different approach to explain every kind of financial report a small business owner or manager needs to succeed. Through an unique visual approach, this book leads users to a clear understanding of how business scores are kept and how to interpret the results.From balance sheets, cash flow statements and income statements, learn how to understand the basic elements that will pave the way to achieving financial success.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-09-10
I'm in an MBA program and have had numerous undergraduate accounting classes. This book is fantastic. It is FAR superior to "How To Read A Financial Report" by John Tracy. "Financial Statements: A Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports" by Thomas R. Ittelson is clear and concise. It's the best book I've found on the subject. I highly recommend it!
A Sound Basic Review of Financials.......2007-09-07
A sound review of what I learned almost 40 years ago and have not used in about 25 years. Brought back what I learned and used years ago.
Clear, simple and extremly useful.......2007-07-19
For the person who buys stocks, this book is an absolute must. Ittelson's writing is clear and gets to the point. By the end, you will have a very good understanding of financial statements. I got interested in this book as an investor and I am very pleased with my time investment in reading this book.
Worst book I have bought yet.......2007-06-11
I bought 3 books, the one I am reviewing, "Reading Financial Reports For Dummies", and "Guide to Understanding Financial Statements". This book gives no information for beginners who are trying to learn how to understand financial statements. I read all 3 books twice, and I didn't get anything...and I mean nothing from this book. The other two were very well written. Reading Financial Reports For Dummies and The Guide to Understanding Financial Statements. I suggest not wasting your money on this book. It is basically a lot of numbers with very little explanation. It is also confusing because the definitions are different and there is no explanation why they defintions change when reading a financial report.
Good for beginners.......2007-06-07
This book would be an excellent supplement to a beginning accounting class. The author explains the material so that it is very easy to understand.
But if you've taken intermediate or advanced accounting classes, don't waste your money. There isn't anything new in this small book. It doesn't cover all areas of accounting and the areas that are covered are not in-depth. Example: There is a brief mention of straight-line deprection but nothing about salvage value and no mention about the other depreciation methods.
Book Description
Instructors, looking for a better way to manage homework? Want to save time preparing for lectures? Would you like to help students develop stronger problem-solving skills? If so, eGrade Plus has the answer you need.
eGrade Plus offers an integrated suite of teaching and learning resources, including an online version of Weygandt, Kieso, and Kimmel's Financial Accounting, Fifth Edition, in one easy-to-use website. Organized around the essential activities you perform in class, eGrade Plus helps you:
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Create class presentations using a wealth of Wiley-provided resources. You may easily adapt, customize, and add to this content to meet the needs of your course.
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Automate the assigning and grading of homework or quizzes by using Wiley-Provided question banks, or by writing your own. Student results will be automatically graded and recorded in your gradebook.
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Track you students' progress An instructor's gradebook allows you to analyze individual and overall class results to determine each student's progress and level of understanding.
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Administer your course eGrade Plus can easily be integrated with another course management system, gradebook, or other resources you are using in your class.
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Provide students with problems-Solving support eGrade Plus can link homework problems to the relevant section of the online text, providing context-sensitive help.
Customer Reviews:
The "study guide" IS your guide. .......2007-07-03
I found the Study Guide to be a big help when needing to understand a little more than what the Course book tries to teach you. In the guide, there were examples of problems that are not explained in the Course book. The guide helped me to make better grades on my assignments, better grades than what I was making before I purchased it. I really understand the concept of accounting more in several areas of the business. I would recommend any study guide book, in any subject, to any one!
This book rocks!.......2007-03-23
I am taking a condensed Accounting course and was somewhat lost in the first half of the course which is why I purchased this book. Each chapter is summarized and then there are various exercises and examples to work on. The most helpful part is having the answers for each problem right there, so one is quickly able to see where mistakes were made. This book is worth the price. And, if you're struggling with accounting, it will make a difference in your understanding of the material and your grade.
Book Description
Techniques to uncover and avoid accounting frauds and scams Inflated profits . . . Suspicious write-offs . . . Shifted expenses . . . These and other dubious financial maneuvers have taken on a contemporary twist as companies pull out the stops in seeking to satisfy Wall Street. Financial Shenanigans pulls back the curtain on the current climate of accounting fraud. It presents tools that anyone who is potentially affected by misleading business valuationsfrom investors and lenders to managers and auditorscan use to research and read financial reports, and to identify early warning signs of a company's problems. A bestseller in its first edition, Financial Shenanigans has been thoroughly updated for today's marketplace. New chapters, data, and research reveal contemporary "shenanigans" that have been known to fool even veteran researchers.
Customer Reviews:
Learn about accounting legerdemain .......2007-04-04
The great thing about this book: not only will you learn about accounting prestidigitation from the world's expert in this subject (Schilit's forensic accounting firm, the CFRA, is used by hedge funds worldwide to find problem companies), you can actually learn pretty much all there is to know about corporate accounting and financial statements. I found his explanations tremendously lucid; easily understood by an intelligent person who can add, subtract, multiply and divide. What is more; he made accounting not only accessible, but also somewhat exciting; not an adjective that generally describes accounting. He makes finding the cheating companies a jolly detective game of "spot the weasel!"
Who should read this? If you are a serious investor; someone who treats investments like something other than gambling, this is an absolute must. I'm not talking about speculators; you can speculate well without this stuff (though you can speculate better with it), but for investors you can't afford to be without it. This will teach you how to read a company statement, and a 10-k. Even those who have a more casual interest in investing or business will likely find this an amusing and rewarding read.
Please Release A Third Edition!!!.......2007-03-29
This book is such an excellent review of accounting practices. It is like reviewing everything that was important from two semesters of intermediate accounting in an easy-to-read 264 pages. And the style of the book delivers something that there wasn't enough of in school - application. Real-life stories of companies who use or have used questionable practices and how it has effected their business. The only weakness in this book is that it is now too old. It has a summary of Enron (Schilit must have understood what happened there before Ken Lay even did), but it still lists Arthur Andersen as one of the big five firms. No mention of Tyco's [...] or Sarbanes-Oxley. Please, Please, Please Revise This Book! It is great!
Bible of Accounting BS.......2007-02-07
Wether you are an investor hoping to not be deceived or a CFO hoping to BS yourself up a bonus this is the book to read. Great examples to reinforce a simple concept. That its easy to make profit go up or down by simply moving income and expenses around.
My only gripe is I would like to have access to the service the author works for but it doesn't seem to cater to retail investors. Too bad.
Fraud detection.......2007-01-24
I loved this book and found it difficult to put down. I purchased it for a class I'm taking but I've already read it cover to cover before the first class.
Very Good - Highly Recomended.......2006-10-18
Buy this book and read it. I was looking for a professional, yet easy to read book and this is it. This book will improve your self confidence in approaching financial reports and understanding the numbers.
Book Description
Students are often overwhelmed by the amount of information presented in the introductory financial accounting course. By focusing on fundamental concepts in a logical sequence, students are able to fully comprehend the material rather than memorize seemingly unrelated terms and topics. The goal of Fundamental Financial Accounting Concepts is to enable students to understand how any given business event affects the financial statements. The "financial statements model" is a highly praised feature because it allows students to visualize the simultaneous impact of business events on all of the key financial statements (the income statement, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows). The mechanics of accounting coverage (debits and credits) is delayed until chapter 4. Instructors have flexibility as to the amount of emphasis they want to place on this topic.
Customer Reviews:
Best book on the market.......2006-01-07
I'm a professor at a large state university. On the rare occasions when I teach this course, I always order the Edmonds book.
I believe the purpose of introductory or fundamental financial accounting is to teach students how to read and use finanacial statements. If used properly by the instructor, this is one of only two books on the market (the other is for MBA students) that can be used for this purpose.
I whole-heartedly endorse the horizontal model used by Edmonds, et. al. Most text book writers use a form of it. I even use it in my writings.
Some students want to learn debits and credits. In my opinion, this is best left to technical courses in accounting for those interested in the nuts and bolts.
However, for anyone who want to get something long-lasting from the course, this text book combined with the right professor, will be about the only option.
If this or any text book is used to teach technical aspects at the fundamental level, you won't have a good experience. Techinical aspects are best covered in Intermediate Accounting.
Better download the PowerPoint®.......2005-08-01
This text is abysmal. It is riddled with errors and omissions, gives incomplete examples, and presents information unsequentially. It relies too much and for too long on the horizontal model without practical applicatoin to journals and statements. If your college uses this text (as Medaille College and Finger Lakes Community College currently do) run away!
Fortunately, many of the gaps are filled in by the PowerPoint® presentations they make available on their support site: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072472960/student_view0/ Note that these presentations are more extensive than the ones on the Topic Tackler CD that comes with the book. You must download these presentations if you want to have a chance with this book.
A good book with the right instructor.......2002-08-02
I've read the reviews stating that this is a confusing book. I disagree completely. Although the author does not immediately delve into traditional T-accounts, the introduction of the "horizontal model" serves as a good foundation for building the awareness of the accounting equation that should be second nature BEFORE tackling T-accounts. The text's preface states: "A horizontal financial statements model replaces the accounting equation as the predominant teaching platform. The model enables students to VISUALIZE THE SIMULTANEOUS EFFECTS OF A SINGLE BUSINESS EVENT on the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows." I felt as though this methodology was very effective for my learning style. Recording transactions in T-accounts came almost as second nature after mastering the horizontal model.
The "Working Papers" (a separate workbook) makes doing the assigned problems easy by providing a ready-made template for each problem. If you've had to draw your own T-accounts or your own journal in a notebook before, you will definitely appreciate this.
This text serves as a good introduction to the skills necessary to master financial accounting.
Most Confusing Accounting Textbook On The Market Today........2000-10-27
This Book begins using something called horizontial statments and then in chapter 5 switches to regular T accounts thus confusing students completely, I have yet to find a student that tells me the book is easy to understand or useful. It would be helpful if there was a solutions manual. Our school will change books next semester. It's not even good enough to make dorm furniture.
Great college companion!.......2000-10-20
This book is an excellent book to go with a Financial Accounting course. Everything is laid out in plain English, and shows you in diagrams and models exactly how each kind of transaction works. I recommend for professors everywhere to adopt this book for their clases. I'm glad mine did!
Book Description
A supplementary text for a variety of Business courses, including Financial Statement Analysis, Principles of Financial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Investments, Personal Finance, and Financial Planning and Analysis.
Understanding Financial Statements, retains its reputation for readability, concise coverage, and accessibility while incorporating the many new requirements and changes in accounting reporting and standards. The text gives students the conceptual background and analytical tools necessary to understand and interpret business financial statements. Its ultimate goal is to improve students' ability to translate financial statement numbers into a meaningful map for business decisions and thus enable each student to approach financial statements with enhanced confidence.
Customer Reviews:
Understanding financial statements.......2007-09-26
Great book for learning accounting for the novice. Easy to understand and the problems and discussion help the learning process.
Just as advertised.......2007-09-23
I bought this book for school. It is an easy to read, comprehensive guide to understanding what goes into financial statements.
exact product at an affordable price w a smooth transaction.......2007-05-14
exact product at an affordable price w a smooth transaction
You'll keep this close to your side for years to come..........2006-02-09
I purchased the fifth edition of this book back in 1997 and still have it. I work through it, from start to finish, every three months in order to keep myself fresh and thoroughly knowledgeable about income statements, balance sheets, and cash flows. The exercises are challenging enough to require you to do a little extra research and thinking on your own, i.e., not everything in the questions can be answered by consulting the book. IMPORTANT NOTE TO PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS OF THIS BOOK: You will have difficulty thoroughly understanding this material unless you have at least a year of financial accounting coursework under your belt. Although I already had 8 accounting courses under my belt by the time I purchased this book, it helped me understand financials like I had never understood them before. A very useful text for those interested in the analysis of, particularly, the income statement and the balance sheet.
Most confusing, wordy textbook I have ever used.......2005-10-02
I am in a graduate program and this is the first time in 16 years of education that I have ever come across such a poorly written textbook! As a previous rater stated, "The presentation of the content assumes that the reader has some knowledge of this content area and at times leaves him/her confused as to what was discussed, making it difficult to understand. Examples that are used are often incomplete and do not provide a complete picture of how statements are generated." I second his sentiment, "Too bad I could not give it zero stars." I would love to contact these individuals and their publisher and recommend they never write again. I need a book I can use again and again when my class is finished, not one I would sooner burn.
Book Description
Now in its Third Edition,
Financial Accounting by Kimmel, Weygandt, and Kieso has been tested and approved in the classroom. This best-selling text has helped students hit the road with a practical set of tools, and the confidence they need to use those tools effectively in making business decisions.
Financial Accounting provides students with an understanding of those concepts that are fundamental to the use of accounting. Starting with a "macro" view of accounting information, the authors present real financial statements and establish how a financial statement communicates the financing, investing, and operating activities of a business to users of accounting information. They motivate students by grounding the discussion in the real world, showing them the relevance of the topics covered to their future career.
Student Workbook: This valuable study guide, written to use side-by-side with the Financial Accounting textbook provides the guidance and assurance you need to exceeed in the course. Included a re study objectives, demonstration problems, true/false and multiple-choice questions, solutions, to exercises, chapter outlines, and blank working papers.
Customer Reviews:
No Code Included With Purchse Of "New" Text From Amazon.......2007-08-30
Potential Buyers,
If you are a student who is taking an accounting course and your instructor requires you to use the accompanying Wiley Plus website, do not expect to get a Wiley Plus, registration code with this product.
I purchased the text "new" directly from Amazon for an accounting class I am taking and I assumed that I would recieve the registration code I needed; I assumed wrong as there was no registration code included with my book.
If you do need the code for class and you do choose to buy this book from Amazon, you'll be best off buying the cheapest, used edition and going to the Wiley Plus site directly to get a standard registration code for around $60 dollars. Of Course keep in mind shipping costs may eat up any savings you'd get buying from Amazon in the first place!
The 1 star review actually reflects my dissatisfaction with the description of this product on Amazon's site, and not the quality of the text.
Happy Shopping!
accounting.......2007-07-17
the book arrived a little later than i expected; but, it's a very helpful book if you want to go for accounting. the book's website is extremely useful.
Good for its purpose -- learning.......2007-05-28
The authors have put together a text that is long on examples. It might seem redundant to some, but I think this is the right way to teach a process discipline like accounting.
Much of the book is problem sets, in fact.
Let's see, the chapters begin with study objectives. Then there are highlighted "key points." Then at the end of each lesson, there are demonstration problems, self-study questions, questions, a set of brief exercises, exercises, then problem sets A and B.
I bought the 3rd edition, although the 4th is now available. The fourth edition has different problems in the first two chapters. In many instances, only the names of the company and an occasional number are different. It would matter if you are taking this for a class where the homework is graded. If your purpose is to learn the principles that underly financial accounting, though, you are as well served by the 3rd edition.
Great Book for Non-Finance Managers.......2007-02-24
This was a textbook used in my Managerial Finance class. It was easy to understand, aside from just a few concepts not explained as clearly as I would've liked. My background is engineering, however, I learned a great deal from this book. Great job Kimmel.
simple and easy understanding.......2007-01-05
the book provides examples and graphs to help demonstrate the text.
it has a lot of details and online reviews if u want to learn more and deeper
Book Description
In this project the student obtains and analyzes an annual report from a publicly traded corporation. Activities include: identifying corporate operations, gaining familiarity with the financial data presentation, recognizing trends, calculating ratios, and performing industry and primary competitor comparisons. This project takes approximately 8 to 20 hours to complete (average 10 hours).
Book Description
This text helps students hit the road with a practical set of tools, and the confidence they need to use those tools effectively in making business decisions. The goal is to introduce a new Principles of Accounting text that better reflects a more conceptual and decision-making approach to the material.
The authors have taken a new "macro- to micro-" approach to the Principles of Accounting course by starting with a discussion of real financial statements first, rather than starting with the Accounting Cycle (although the Accounting Cycle is thoroughly covered in Chapters 3 and 4). The objective is to establish how a financial statement communicates the financing, investing, and operating activities of a business to users of accounting information. They motivate students by grounding the discussion in the real world, showing them the relevance of the topics covered to their future career.
Customer Reviews:
Great service.......2007-05-15
The book was as good as it was described and delivered on time
Excellent Introductory Text.......2006-03-09
I have never written a review on here, but I felt like I should give praise for this book, beacuse I really liked it.
I just finished my second principles of accounting class, and thus completed this text book. I found it to be an excellent learning resource. The book is well written to make the subject entertaining and accessible. There is a wealth of problems after each chapter, and many illustrations to aid in understanding. Even if you get a bad professor, you can easily learn the subject just from this text.
Principles of Accounting, with Annual Report.......2005-09-27
Book used for accounting classes...very complete and thorough. Entertaining and helpful stories and illustrations to help understand concepts.
Best single volume accounting text out there.......2005-08-15
I found this to be the best single volume accounting text to include both financial accounting and managerial accounting topics at a reasonable price.
I use this in my accounting courses. The other reviewers mentioned that the text uses jargon. It does not, though one will need to know or learn standard American business terminology. If you are not interested in American business, you should not be taking an accounting course in the first place. Many of my students are taking this course because it is required. Many of them would be better off in another major, as they have no interest in American business.
Difficult to read.......2005-08-02
This textbook is very difficult to read and comprehend. When I took Principles of Accounting the textbook was very unhelpful and left myself and others looking for alternate resources to understand the basic concepts of accounting. But for those who are in classes that must use this textbook, I recoomend finding the best ways to avoid buying this, such as sharing with two or three friends or buying used.
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