Steven M Bragg

A complete appraisal of analytical tools available to managers to assess performance Required reading for anyone starting, running, or growing a business, Business Ratios and Formulas, Third Edition puts answers at the fingertips of business managers, with nearly 250 operational criteria and clear, easy-to-understand explanations that can be used right away. The Third Edition includes twenty new measurements. Approximately 20 new measurementsOffers a comprehensive resource of nearly 250 operational criteriaAn Appendix including a dictionary of accounting and finance termsA thorough list of every ratio and formula, and how to compile and interpret that informationAlso by Steven M. Bragg: Fast Close: A Guide to Closing the Books Quickly, Second Edition An ideal tool for measuring corporate performance, this authoritative resource allows you to pick and choose the tools you need to best assess your organization's performance.

The handy problem-solver with helpful information for today's busy bookkeepers Bookkeeping Essentials: How to Succeed as a Bookkeeper is the handy problem-solver that gives today's busy bookkeepers and accountants the helpful information they need in a quick-reference format. Whether in public practice or private industry, professionals will always have this reliable reference tool at their fingertips. Packed with practical techniques and rules of thumb for analyzing, evaluating, and solving the day-to-day problems every accountant facesHelps bookkeepers and accountants quickly pinpoint what to look for, what to watch out for, what to do, and how to do itOffers hundreds of explanations supported by a multitude of examples, tables, charts, and ratios Filled with dozens of accounting best practices, Bookkeeping Essentials is a powerful companion for the ever-changing world of today's accountant and bookkeeper.

The latest and most important information for best practices in the inventory function Inventory Best Practices, Second Edition offers the latest and most important information on advanced techniques and strategies to improve on the accuracy of all ongoing inventories, configure a warehouse for optimum counting efficiencies, and more. Explains the difference between different types of distressed merchandise for disposal purposesShows how to maximize the efficiency of inventory tracking systems by shifting selected inventory items into floor stockExamines inventory picking, storage, transactions as well as warehouse layouts, and inventory measurement Inventory Best Practices, Second Edition will not only show professionals how to cut their business costs but will demonstrate how to optimize their company's effectiveness as well.

The go-to resource managerial accountants can turn to for sustaining their company's competitive advantage From flex budgeting to detailing the more sophisticated skills like throughput analysis for capital investments and the fast close for public companies, The Controller's Function, Fourth Edition offers numerous real-world examples, expertly balancing both the technical and managerial sides of the job. Provides an overview of the functions and responsibilities of the controller/management accountant in a corporationExplores how controllers can better perform their jobsOffers a solid foundation for those who are new to this area Comprehensive and practical, this book fully defines the role, functions and responsibilities of the managerial accountant in a corporation.

The definitive guide to all things IFRS IFRS Made Easy provides complete, easy-to-navigate coverage of all International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) with concise explanations and hundreds of supporting examples. This reference tool goes anywhere you go-to a client's office, on a business trip, or to an important lunch meeting, with on-the-spot answers to any questions that arise. Practical, plain -language explanation of the international financial accounting and reporting standardsSummarizes International Financial Reporting StandardsLiberally sprinkled with definitions and examplesNotes applicable IFRS source documents Written for every company struggling with the impact of convergence, IFRS Made Easy clearly explains how IFRS will impact your company, how you will need to account for various specific items, and more. This book is filled with practical techniques and rules of thumb for understanding the day-to-day IFRS issues every accountant, controller or CFO is sure to face-and puts all the answers you need at your fingertips.

The comprehensive guide for CFOs who need an overview of leadership basics from strategies to management improvement tips Filled with pragmatic insights and proactive strategies, The New CFO Financial Leadership Manual, Third Edition is destined to become your essential desktop companion. This thorough guidebook is filled with best practices to help you, as CFO, to improve efficiency, mitigate risks, and keep your organization competitive. Includes updated information on the relationship of the CFO with the Treasurer, registration statements and Fedwire payments, acquisitions integration, legal types of acquisitions, and government regulationsContains control flowcharts for the main accounting cyclesProvides new chapters on Investor Relations and Risk Management for Foreign Exchange and Interest RatesFeatures an itemized list of the key tasks every new CFO should complete when first entering the position, a checklist of 100 performance measures, and a detailed discussion of employee compensation plans The reference CFOs and other financial managers can turn to for quick answers to questions they have as well as to help them plan their financial strategy, The New CFO Financial Leadership Manual, Third Edition is mandatory reading for every CFO wanting to play a strategic role in their organization.

Quick answers to your GAAP questions The Vest Pocket Guide to GAAP is the handy pocket problem-solver that gives today's busy financial executives the GAAP advice they need in a quick-reference format. Whether in public practice or private industry, professionals will always have this reliable reference tool at their fingertips because it easily goes anywhere-to a client's office, on a business trip, or to an important lunch meeting. Provides succinct answers to common GAAP questionsEasy-to-use Q & A format offers hundreds of explanations supported by a multitude of examples, tables, charts, and ratiosOther titles by Bragg: Running an Effective Investor Relations Department: A Comprehensive Guide, Accounting Best Practices, Sixth Edition, and Just-in-Time Accounting, Third Edition Convenient and comprehensive, The Vest Pocket Guide to GAAP is the handy reference you'll turn to again and again for quick answers to your GAAP questions.

The ultimate guide to investor relations Your one-stop resource for everything pertaining to your company's dealings with the investment community, Running an Effective Investor Relations Department provides investor relations professionals with essential day-to-day information. From creating and properly communicating a company's investment story, to dealing with both the sell side and buy side of the investment community, to providing guidance, and the form and frequency of that guidance, this authoritative resource covers it all. Addresses every possible area of the investor relations professionIncludes chapters covering disclosure, forward-looking statements, guidance, event management, and twenty other topicsOther titles by Bragg: The Vest Pocket Controller, Accounting Best Practices, Sixth Edition, and Just-in-Time Accounting, Third Edition Practical and thorough, this book offers the world-class guidance you need to effectively manage your investor relations department.

Discover the tools for knowing the costs your company should cut, without impacting its ability to deliver goods and services New from Steve Bragg, this book provides the tools for determining which costs a company should cut, without impacting its ability to deliver goods and services. It explains how to use throughput analysis in order to locate bottleneck operations in a company, which in turn dictates where capital investments should (and should not) be made. Delves into process analysis, to determine where excess resources are being used in a business processDescribes the total cost of ownership, showing how a single purchasing decision actually snowballs into a variety of ancillary costsShows how to create and use a spend management system to reduce procurement costsShows how just-in-time systems can be used to eliminate inventory costs Cost Reduction Analysis: Tools and Strategies provides examples to show how much cost can potentially be eliminated to avoid drastic action later that can imperil your corporation's direction and future.

TREASURY MANAGEMENT The Practitioner's Guide Treasury Management: The Practitioner's Guide describes all aspects of the treasury function. This comprehensive book includes chapters covering the treasury department, cash transfer methods, cash forecasting, cash concentration, working capital management, debt management, equity management, investment management, foreign exchange risk management, interest risk management, clearing and settlement systems, and treasury systems. If you are a treasurer, CFO, cash manager, or controller, Treasury Management: The Practitioner's Guide allows you to quickly grasp the real world of treasury management and the many practical and strategic issues faced by treasurers and financial professionals today.

Praise for Running a Public Company: From IPO to SEC Reporting "Steve Bragg's book is an essential read for anyone contemplating a public offering or taking on leadership responsibility in a public company. Not only does he explain the complicated aspects of registration and reporting, he provides practical examples of policies, procedures, and controls to keep a public company on the right track. This book is easy to follow and will continue to be a resource for the reader."—Tom Wilkinson , PMB Helin Donovan, LLP "I will recommend Running a Public Company: From IPO to SEC Reporting to my clients and consulting colleagues as an excellent resource. The book provides helpful guidance about the decision to go public, and about managing the requirements once a company is public. Steve Bragg's extensive knowledge stems from actual business experience, and his writing style makes a complex topic easier to follow and understand."—Valerie G. Walling, CPA, CMC, Management and Internal Controls Consultant "I highly recommend Steve's new book, Running a Public Company: From IPO to SEC Reporting, because it's a reference manual and insider's guide that contains a treasure trove of valuable insights certain to help managers, accountants, and attorneys navigate through the countless challenges that arise when taking (and keeping) a company public."—Matthew Posta, Esq., CPA, Vice President of Finance, Key Air, LLC "Mr. Bragg has done an excellent job of demystifying what is required to run your company and sell your stock in the public markets. I consider this a must-read for anyone considering a public offering or working with a public company."—Wray Rives, CPA "Running a Public Company: From IPO to SEC Reporting is an incredibly exhaustive guide to going public, spanning the process from first deciding to take the leap to filing with the SEC and everything in between—so comprehensive that it even includes the SEC's account number for paying filing fees! This is yet another Steven Bragg title for professionals that takes a complicated and oftentimes confusing process and breaks it down into simple, easy-to-follow steps. Should our company ever decide to make that jump, it is reassuring to know that Running a Public Company has laid out the path before us in perfect detail. Whether used as a reference or a guide, Mr. Bragg makes the process simple, clear, and amazingly straightforward."—Adrienne Gonzalez, Project Coordinator, Roger CPA Review, Chief Information Officer, JrDeputyAccountant.com "The first A to Z guide that I have seen. An excellent reference for management and investors alike."—Brian A. Lebrecht, Esq., President, The Lebrecht Group, APLC

Today's controllers are no longer seen as technicians who process transactions; they are now seen as business executives with a wide-ranging knowledge of total business operations, best practices, and corporate strategy. Providing a comprehensive overview of the roles and responsibilities of controllers in today's environment, this Eighth Edition of Controllership continues to provide controllers and vice presidents of finance with all aspects of management accounting from the controller's perspective, including internal control, profit planning, cost control, inventory, and financial disclosure.

Praise for Fast Close: A Guide to Closing the Books Quickly "Steve captures the essence of the problems affecting the financial close process within corporations of all sizes; from the period close of subledgers and general ledger through financial reporting, and the relationship and interdependencies of governance, people and technology. A must-read for the corporate controller." —David Taylor, ACMA, MBA, VP Strategy, Trintech Inc. "Fast Close: A Guide to Closing the Books Quickly, Second Edition is a must-read for today's busy controllers. Steven Bragg points out everything that can be done outside the close that you just never realized didn't actually have to be part of the month-end close process! Very commonsensical approach!" —Kathleen Schneibel, mba, cpa, Controller/CFO for Hire, KMAS Consulting LLC "A well-executed 'fast close' can bring many valuable benefits to any company, from improving organizational performance to transforming accounting executives from financial historians to trusted advisors. In Fast Close, Second Edition, Steve systematically breaks down the steps required to achieve a fast close in both public and private companies, providing financial executives with tips, checklists, and a cost-effective road map to implement fast close procedures in virtually any company." —Matthew Posta, Esq., CPA, Vice President of Finance, Key Air, LLC FROM THE FIRST EDITION "This is an outstanding book in which Steve reveals his secrets to a fast close. Having personally experienced his (one-day) fast close for years and enjoyed the beneficial impact on my company, I highly recommend this book for all financial officers who desire to have a large, favorable impact on their company." —Richard V. Souders, President and CEO, Kaba Workforce Solutions

Accounting Control Best Practices, Second Edition Control systems are needed to ensure that a company's assets are used in the most productive manner and that they are not lost through fraudulent activities. However, an excessive use of controls can interfere with the efficient completion of activities within a company. Whether your company is in start-up mode, installing new systems, or simply dissatisfied with existing controls due to fraudulent losses, Accounting Control Best Practices, Second Edition is the reference handbook every accountant and systems analyst can use to ensure that their company has constructed a durable and efficient set of controls. This easy-to-use handbook clearly explains how to develop an effective system of accounting and operational controls and offers the best practices with pragmatic insights and proactive strategies to protect organizations from suffering further substantial losses of assets and reputation that occur from financial dishonesty within an organization. Author and renowned accounting expert Steven Bragg provides control flowcharts in every chapter for all major processes as well as a thorough set of corporate policies designed to support the system of controls. Now containing chapters on budgeting, collections, and acquisition integration, this valuable reference handbook offers essential information on control best practices for: Order entry, credit, and shipmentInventory managementBillingCash-handlingPayrollFixed assetsBudgetingFinancial reportingJust-in-time manufacturingPetty cashAnd many more Encompassing all of the major accounting and operational processes with nearly 500 controls presented in basic, intermediate, and advanced layers, from those needed for a very basic paper-based system, to computerized systems, to the use of advanced best practice enhancements in computerized systems, Accounting Control Best Practices, Second Edition is the only guidebook needed to devise a set of controls precisely tailored to every company's system.

Accounting expert Steven Bragg equips you with a working knowledge of the complete M&A process throughout Mergers and Acquisitions: A Condensed Practitioner's Guide, with comprehensive, reader-friendly, and straightforward advice on principal business terms, as well as the due diligence process, the customary contractual provisions, legal background, and how-to's applicable to business acquisitions. Destined to become a well-thumbed addition to every manager's library, this essential guide addresses the entire acquisition process with pragmatic information that will serve you as an excellent reference whether you are a novice or expert acquirer.

Now in a fifth edition, Accounting Policies and Procedures Manual: A Blueprint for Running an Effective and Efficient Department is a how-to guide on creating an effective and efficient accounting department policies and procedures manual. Written by Steven Bragg, the foremost authority in accounting and controllership issues, the new edition includes: A new, complimentary Web site providing readers with the foundation for creating or enhancing their accounting department policies and procedures manualMore coverage of accounting procedures including inventory, billing, cash receipts, pricing, order entry, credit, collections, sales returns, capital budgeting, cash forecasting, payroll, and closing the books Accounting Policies and Procedures Manual is the tool every accounting department needs to regularize and systematize its procedures to match the best in the industry.

Praise for Management Accounting Best Practices "It doesn't matter where you start reading, even the most experienced accountant will find some useful ideas." —Alan H. Boycott, Chartered Accountant, Düsseldorf, Germany "This is one of the best books about new accounting practices in practical accounting. I highly recommend this book for accountants of all levels." —Andrei Ralko, Controller, International Center for Transitional Justice, New York, NY The only practices worth followingare the best practices... Destined to become an essential desktop tool in helping professionals make management decisions in accounting, Management Accounting Best Practices introduces over 100 best practices from accounting expert Steven Bragg for questions such as: How does the system of interlocking budgets work? What does a sample budget look like? What best practices can I apply to the budgeting process? How can I integrate the budget into the corporate control system? How do throughput concepts impact the budget? Now, when members of your management team come calling with questions, you'll have the answers at your fingertips, in Management Accounting Best Practices. It's the easy-to-use, daily reference manual for every accountant in a management position.

Now fully updated and at your fingertips the most practical, authoritative guide to implementing GAAP Get the answers you need to prepare financial statements and keep up to date on the latest FASB requirements. Now fully revised and updated, Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures, Second Edition is an ideal companion to the Wiley GAAP guide and provides the practical application information essential to ensuring that a company's accounting systems are fully capable of incorporating the most recent GAAP. A concise version of the more detailed GAAP found in the Wiley GAAP guides, Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures, Second Edition features handy, illustrative decision trees showing how to determine which GAAP ruling to use in a variety of situations, eliminating hours of time wading through detailed GAAP rulings and presents: * New chapters on interim reporting, segment reporting, and accounting changes and correction of errors * Updated content on FAS No. 151, Inventory Costs, FAS No. 153, Exchanges of Non-monetary Assets, FAS No. 154, Accounting Changes and Error Correction, FAS No. 156, Servicing of Financial Assets * Implementation on nineteen newly issued EITFs * Specific accounting policies that comply with GAAP, especially in terms of creating controls that mesh with GAAP * The most common accounting transactions modified to work within GAAP restrictions * Specific controls that allow the maximum level of control over accounting systems while remaining in compliance with GAAP * Templates for forms and reports that can be used in a GAAP-compliant accounting system * Numerous examples of footnotes that can be used to describe GAAP-mandated financial disclosures * Hundreds of GAAP-compliant journal entries for most accounting transactions Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures, Second Edition is a valuable tool for CFOs, controllers, accounting managers, and general ledger accountants who need to ensure that their company properly treats all types of accounting transactions in accordance with GAAP.

Praise for Throughput Accounting: A Guide to Constraint Management "Throughput Accounting provides managers with a fresh set of eyes to identify and control bottlenecks. The drum, buffer, and rope will become part of the cost accounting lexicon in the future." —Geoffrey Garland, Controller, StacoSwitch, Inc. "This is good stuff! Steven Bragg has introduced us to an accounting structure that will enhance our bottom line utilizing throughput accounting methodology. Finally! We have a presentable means to transform a company's financial functions to support the cultural change to throughput accounting." —Rick J. Stevens, President, LeanThinkingbyAccountants, LLC "A thought-provoking, insightful, and useful book that explains how older conventions of accounting can lead to poor management decisions. Instead of focusing on typical cost-cutting methods only, Mr. Bragg provides CFOs with a systemic approach on how to instead focus on maximizing profits and become better business partners." —Arif Iqball, Executive Director and CFO, Avon Products Co. Ltd. Japan "Throughput Accounting by Steve Bragg presents a new way to evaluate and apply the concepts of cost accounting with greater impact on operational efficiencies. An interesting, understandable, and useful guide for anyone who needs a valuable source of information and ideas relating to financial and accounting affairs." —Carlos Millan, Director of Finance and Operations, NOLA, Grupo Quanam Throughput Accounting addresses every possible area of constraint management that would be of interest to an accountant. This groundbreaking book includes chapters covering financial analysis scenarios with case studies that show specifically how throughput accounting can be used to find the best solutions in a large number of real-world situations. If you are an accounting manager, financial analyst, production planner, or production manager, Throughput Accounting contains the tools you need to improve your company's performance.

"The latest edition goes beyond ho-hum analysis techniques and provides concrete problem solving. The text is sprinkled with real-world problems (and the analytical tools to solve them) that will be familiar to accounting professionals everywhere. A must-have for anyone looking to improve their company's decision making . . . and their own role in it." —George R. MacEachern President, Grosvenor Financial Services "Steve Bragg has presented yet another comprehensive reference tool for the finance professional. Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide is the perfect reference guide for today's controller, presenting not only traditional financial analysis information, but also various types of analyses that will benefit any type of organization. This book is a must-have for any financial professional desiring to make a relevant contribution to his/her organization." —Jodi Nefzger, CPP Director of Finance, Masonic Home of Missouri Today's proactive controllers can soar past their mundane responsibilities and become active participants in their corporation's success with the visionary tools found in Steven Bragg's Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition. Now updated to include analyses of intangible asset measurement and performance improvement as well as evaluation methods to determine which products and services should be eliminated, Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition helps financial managers upgrade their skills so they can answer their organization's call for company operations reviews, investment evaluations, problem reporting, and special investigation requests. Controllers prepared to address this growing need for more innovative financial analysis will open doors to a variety of promotions and high-level interactions with other departments. Become a highly valued member of your company's infrastructure with the indispensable tools found in Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition.