Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 35
 A pleasure to read June 17, 2007
James J. Love
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am only a little way through the latest edition of "How to Read a Financial Report". One area i can already see as a huge plus is the style in which the book is written. Candidly, clearly and entertainingly relaying information on a topic that can so easily become one of the dreariest around has helped me understand and retain much more information on the terms and concepts I need to know.
Without even finishing half of this book, I am compelled to offer a strong recommendation to anyone contemplating purchasing it. I have only done what could best be described as rudimentary level accounting previously. This has left me with a great number of terms and definitions but little real understanding on the interconnectedness of financial reports and the terms within them. "How to Read a Financial Report" essentially gathers all the pieces of the puzzle and clearly shows you how it is put together. Whilst I cannot comment on the latter half of the book, this explanation of the way the financial statements connect has already proven invaluable to me.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone wanting to truly understand the nature of financial statements
James.L,
Sydney,
Australia
Arrows, Diagrams, and Simple Explanations May 18, 2007
Jason C. Weaver (Austin, tx United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you already know how to read financial reports like a pro or you work in the accounting department as an auditor, this book is definitely not for you. However, if the reams of reports spit out by corporations dumbfound you or you just feel intimidated when your accountant hands you a P&L, this book is perfect for you!
The author starts by explaining, line-by-line, each item in each type of report: Cash Flows, Balance Sheets, and more. The author then uses good ol' fashion simple diagrams and arrows that show direct interactions between lines in each report. The concepts are as easy to grasp as "if this number goes up, this other number goes down and here's why." It's just that elegant!
In my opinion, this should be required reading for any college graduate. In today's world a certain level of business acumen is expected which includes the ability to read and comprehend basic financial reports. This book gives you enough knowledge so that you can comfortably understand those reports. Of course, you can always delve deeper, if you choose, but keep in mind that this book is for the uninitiated which is just perfect for most of us mere mortals.
Uses Visuals to Show Financial Relationships December 7, 2006
Douglas R. Richardson (Mountain View, CA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
How to Read a Financial Report uses a lot of visuals to show the relationships between balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flow. If you have ever looked at a financial report and wondered what everything meant, this book is for you. This book took me from knowing hardly anything about financial statements to being able to understand them. I highly recommend this book to both investors and business owners.
EXCELLENT October 18, 2006
RODOLFO NUNEZ (New York, NY United States)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is excellent! If you don't have a finance background but need to understand the financial statements this book will teach you everything you need. If you already know about finance this book will teach you what you don't know.
Don't read "Finance for Dummies"! Read this book October 6, 2006
Erik Eisel (Huntington Beach, CA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Everyone is familiar with the "Dummies" book series, and, perhaps, we all have a dozen of them on our shelves. In many cases, we reach for the "Dummies" books, because they represent our first foray into a subject we know nothing about, like "Fishing for Dummies," and we feel like we need to get a "handle" on it. In other words, we are non-experts, we'd like to learn from the experts, but we don't want to become an expert. We just want to "understand" the subject, so that we don't look stupid at work or during cocktail party conversations.
The big "letdown" with most "Dummies" books I've read is that they're too wordy, too thin on substance, and you feel like you're wanting more. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH "HOW TO READ A FINANCIAL REPORT" BY JOHN TRACY.
Instead, Tracy's book is that rare book for "non-majors" that is written clearly, does not require prior knowledge of the subject, and may be all that a "non-financial" manager, such as a salesperson, marketing manager, office manager -- or maybe even an individual investor -- might need to understand how to read balance sheet.
Tracy's book is far from wordy, and, clocking in at around 100 pages, it is pithy. More importantly, the book is extremely well-illustrated in such a way that the reader is not treated to financial concepts, but is actually taught the "skill" of reading an income statement, a balance sheet or a cash flow report, something which "Fishing for Dummies" has yet to do for me.
With Tracy's book, I will never have to read a 400-page tome on accounting or finance. If I am in trouble, I'll simply need to read this book, never confusing "net" and "gross" again.
Showing reviews 16-20 of 35
|
