There are two main types of business accounting methods: cash and accrual. In general, small-business owners have the option to choose which one to use. Both methods function to keep track of income ...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Should small businesses use cash or accrual accounting? This question gets asked almost as much as “paper or plastic?” and “debit or ...

Accrual basis accounting is typically the preferred method, but cash basis accounting may work for very small businesses. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising ...

Cash basis accounting records when cash actually changes hands in a transaction, providing a real-time view of your financial position that reflects the actual cash flow of a business or individual.

Small businesses may have losses in the first year or two of operations because it takes time to establish a market presence and generate enough revenues to cover costs. A loss does not necessarily ...

Learn what Cash Flow After Taxes (CFAT) is, how to calculate it, and why it's crucial for assessing a company's financial ...

Financial accounting is the process of recording and reporting your business’s income, expenses, assets and liabilities, often with the help of software. This information gives managers, owners and ...

Learn how outlay costs impact business decisions, differentiate between outlay and opportunity costs, and understand cash vs.

Not all forms of accounting are the same. Some focus on costs, others on audits and some focus on taxes. While having a solid handle on your business’s finances is essential, how you track business ...

Savvy investors look at a company's financial health before buying its stock. Some investors monitor a company's free cash flow and review its cash flow statements to gauge how well it manages its ...

Should small businesses use cash or accrual accounting? This question gets asked almost as much as “paper or plastic?” and “debit or credit?” While the IRS requires some companies to use accrual ...