Returning Value Blog

How often do you reconcile your company’s internal financial records against your bank statements? Bank reconciliations are an essential internal control procedure that busy owners and managers sometimes overlook or neglect. Here’s why it pays to perform them regularly.

A chart of accounts is the foundation of accurate financial reporting, so it needs to be set up correctly. A disorganized chart or one that lumps transactions into broad, undefined “buckets” of data can make it difficult for management to evaluate financial performance and identify unmet customer needs — or open the door to accounting errors and fraud. Here’s some guidance on how to create a robust chart that’s right for your situation.

Running a closely held business is challenging. Owners usually prioritize core business operations — such as managing employees, serving customers, and bringing in new sales — over tedious bookkeeping tasks. Plus, the accounting rules can be overwhelming.

There are currently more than 33 million small businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.To succeed in today’s competitive markets, it’s essential for your business organization to have accurate books and records. 

Any recordkeeping system that suits you and your company and clearly shows your income and expenses is OK with the IRS. It's the business you're in that affects the type of records you need to keep for federal tax purposes.

Whether hiring contractors, buying equipment, or paying vendors, many businesses struggle with the procurement process. Here are some tips for streamlining your company’s purchase order (PO) approval process.

Accurate bookkeeping is essential to operating a successful small business. The problems created by inadequate bookkeeping practices can have significant, long-lasting consequences. Here are four common pitfalls — and how to avoid them with the right knowledge and tools.

Reconciling bank accounts is critical to ensuring the accuracy of your company’s accounting records. The primary purpose of a bank reconciliation is to confirm that the transactions recorded in your bank statement match those shown in your accounting records.

As year-end nears, many businesses and nonprofits are planning for 2024. QuickBooks® provides budget and forecast features to help management make financial predictions, as well as assess “what if” scenarios to help make more informed business decisions. Here’s how you can use these tools for your year-end financial planning.

Does your company struggle to close its books at the end of each month? The month-end close requires accounting personnel to round up data from across the organization. This process can strain internal resources, potentially leading to delayed financial reporting, errors, and even fraud. Here are some simple ways to streamline your company’s monthly closing process.