Eric Gerard Ruiz, CPA

In accounting, a “source document” refers to any document that substantiates and evidences a transaction. It’s important to retain and organize these documents to research problems or questions that arise concerning transactions. You also might need to provide these to the IRS if it audits you or questions anything related to your tax return. 1….

A purchase order (PO) is a document that you (the buyer) send to suppliers when ordering goods. The PO contains essential order information like product type, quantity, and agreed price. POs serve as the basis for fulfilling the order from the supplier’s perspective and inspecting the goods delivered from the buyer’s perspective. It’s useful for…

Internal controls are important for all businesses, regardless of nature, size, and type. When I was at the university, we created an accounting manual for a local small business in the area. The main challenge that we encountered was creating a sound internal control system for a small business with three administrative employees who handle…

The difference between forensic accounting and auditing lies in how the engagement is performed. Forensic accountants look for the existence of fraud in a business and can go as far as spotting other criminal behaviors committed by the owners or employees. Meanwhile, auditors focus more on your business’s compliance with accounting principles, such as United…

In simple terms, accounting is the process of recording and summarizing transactions for the purpose of generating reports relevant to decision-making. Regardless of the business size, it is an important business function to ensure that all of the owners’ resources are used efficiently and effectively. Many certified public accountants (CPAs) and business executives define accounting…

The profit and loss (P&L) statement (also known as an income statement) is one of the four basic financial statements that presents the revenues, expenses, and net income of a business. In basic accounting, the P&L statement is always one of the first financial statements to be prepared. It measures the performance and profitability of…

The option of whether to use the accrual or cash basis of accounting largely depends on what the accounting numbers will be used for as well as the cost and difficulty to produce accrual-basis numbers. Cash-basis accounting is often used for income tax reporting while accrual-basis is usually better for financial statements. The difference between…

The cash flow statement in accounting is one of the four basic financial statements. It presents the cash inflows and outflows of a business’s operating, investing, and financing activities. Reviewing it can give you information about your cash flow as opposed to net income. Below is a cash flow statement example: The cash flow statement…

Financial ratios depict relationships between accounts and line items in your financial statements, such as assets compared to liabilities or total debt compared to owners’ equity. Financial ratio analysis is the process of examining those relationships for insights into your business’ liquidity, profitability, efficiency, and solvency and how it’s doing against industry standards and benchmarks….

Extending credit to customers allows them to purchase goods and services and pay for them later on. Offering credit is often a win-win for both merchants and buyers and having a formal credit policy is among the most important best practices for managing accounts receivable. To establish an effective credit policy, it’s important to communicate…