Subtitle from cover.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-234) and index.

The accounting dilemma: the gap in GAAP -- The basic financial statements: what your Mama didn't tell you about the balance sheet -- Essential ratios: rolling up your numerical sleeves -- What statements do not reveal: dirty little accounting secrets -- Footnotes, part one: an overview of the real disclosures -- Footnotes, part two: red flags you can find on your own -- Structure of the annual report: a public relations document -- The auditing role: accounting culture and the audit mentality -- How the numbers are manipulated: accounting shell games -- Sources of free information: you don't need to pay for help -- Modifying your game plan: a new form of portfolio management.

To the untrained eye, an annual report may seem like pages of confusing numbers surrounded by glossy photos and the upbeat Message from the CEO Annual Reports 101 is a straightforward guide to reading the primary financial documents that make up the annual report, and then extracting more information from the numbers themselves and from the often fluffy text than some companies want the public to know. Key features After all the high-profile accounting scandals (Enron, WorldCom, etc.), investors are less trusting (and need to be more vigilant) about where to put there money. They need a book like this to help them find out the whole truth about a company's financial condition The book shows how to watch out for 'red flags,' decipher footnotes, and see past common practices that, while legal, may not give the most accurate picture of a company's financial standing Shows how to interpret (or sometimes ignore) both numbers and text. What's accurate, what's spin, and what's irrelevant