When it comes to tracking your company’s money, it is not only important for you to have a handle on it operationally, but you must also ensure that the financial statements prepared will address all of the needs of your business. It’s not simply a matter of ensuring you are protected from tax audit adjustments, but rather that you have sound accounting practices in place which will satisfy all parties who may need to review your company’s finances.
This may include the Board of Directors, senior administrators within the company, financial institutions and lenders, and could even be a requirement for potential clients in the event it is identified in a request for proposals. In all cases, you want financial records that are both timely and credible.
Key factors that your stakeholders might be looking at may include liquidity ratios, working capital requirements, inventory valuation, and debt-to-equity analysis. Under scrutiny, you may just need to prove that you have effective internal controls in place to manage your finances.