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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 Shenaniganspulls 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 Shenaniganshas been thoroughly updated for today's marketplace. New chapters, data, and research reveal contemporary "shenanigans" that have been known to fool even veteran researchers.
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"Regulators, outside auditors and investors should all keep a copy handy."Barron''s Secrets for Protecting Yourselfand Your Investmentsfrom Today''s New Breed of Financial Schemes and Scams Inflated profits ... questionable write-offs ... hidden expenses ... These and other dubious financial maneuvers have become more widespread, and harder to detect, as companies pull out the stops to satisfy Wall Street.Financial Shenanigans,2nd Edition,describes how investors and analysts can use today''s state-of-the-art tools and tactics to decipher convoluted financial reportsand identify early warning signs that a company is in trouble. Praise for previous editions ofFinancial Shenanigans... "Is there any way an ordinary investor can protect against being torpedoed by financial scams and gimmicks? ... The answer lies in investors, large and small, becoming more skeptical and informed consumers of glowing financial reports, and efforts like Schilit''s may help us get there." Louis Rukeyser "Financial Shenanigansis must reading for every investor who desires to avoid financial losses created by the mine fields associated with ''generally accepted accounting principles.''" Thornton L. O''glove, Publisher,Quality of Earnings Report "Deftly guides analysts through the obstacle course which financial statements can present. Financial statement users will find that study of the many examples and case studies presented in this work will greatly aid their financial task." Leopold A. Bernstein, Author,Financial Statement Analysis: Theory, Analysis, and Interpretation "Indispensable to investors who are so often victimized by ''cooked books,'' as well as those attorneys, forensic accountants, and government regulators whose work involved the discovery and pursuit of financial statement fraud." William S. Lerach, Partner, Milberg Weiss Bershad Specthrie & Lerach Today''s tumultuous corporate and financial markets and blinding new technologies combine to make accounting fraud much more high-impact and difficult to detect than in the past. As an investor or decision-maker, you must arm yourself with the latest investigative tools and techniquesor run the daily risk of falling prey to these increasingly complex, costly scams and schemes. Financial Shenanigans,2nd Edition, helps you fight fire with fire, giving you the state-of-the-art weapons you need to identify warnings of a company''s problemsbeforeearnings come out and the damage becomes irreversible. Detailing theseven fundamental tricksthat companies have used to fool auditors and investors for decades, yet providing updated information and techniques on how these shenanigans are being used in today''s technologically advanced, financially savvy investment world, this fast-paced book provides updated explanations of how anyone can uncover and sidestep: Revenue tricksSide agreements lacking economic substance, investment income listed as revenue, release of revenue improperly "held back" before a merger, and more Expense trapsShifting of current expenses to an earlier period, costs amortized too slowly, impaired assets not written down, and others Liability scamsFailure to record expenses and their related obligations, creation of sham rebates, reducing liabilities by changing accounting assumptions, and more Also included in this one-of-a-kind primer are recommendations of oversight committees charged with investigating questionable financial practices. Insights are provided into history''s most well-known and financially devastating fraudsincluding the all-too-familiar warning signs behind this decade''s massive Enron debacle. Numerous checklists, graphs, tables, and an accounting tutorial appendix make in-depth explanations both clear and accessible, even for those with little or no background in accounting or financial analysis. |
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