Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports, Third Edition

As bad as it gets -- Just touch up the x rays -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 1: recording revenue too soon -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 2: recording bogus revenue -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 3: boosting income using one-time or unsustainable activities -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 4: shifting current expenses to a later period -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 5: employing other techniques to hide expenses or losses -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 6: shifting current income to a later period -- Earnings manipulation shenanigan no. 7: shifting future expenses to an earlier period -- Cash flow shenanigan no. 1: shifting financing cash inflows to the operating section -- Cash flow shenanigan no. 2: shifting normal operating cash outflows to the investing section -- Cash flow shenanigan no. 3: inflating operating cash flow using acquisitions or disposals -- Cash flow shenanigan no. 4: boosting operating cash flow using unsustainable activities -- Key metrics shenanigan no. 1: showcasing misleading metrics that overstate performance -- Key metrics shenanigan no. 2: distorting balance sheet metrics to avoid showing deterioration -- Shenanigans recap and recommendations.

From the “ Sherlock Holmes of Accounting,”

the tools you need to stay a step ahead of the crooks

“Howard Schilit is the authority on forensic accounting. Financial Shenanigans is invaluable reading

for market participants seeking to identify deceptive behavior in company financial statements.”

Julian Robertson, legendary investor and founder, Tiger Management

“A must-read! The authors teach forensic financial statement analysis in an easy-to-digest format with

lots of war stories. Guaranteed to help investors in their quest

to avoid ticking time bombs in their portfolios.”

Marc A. Siegel, board member, Financial Accounting Standards Board

“This is a timeless guide to better understand how financial malfeasance can be spotted early.

Financial Shenanigans teaches all of us fraud-detection-made-easy.”

Jules Kroll, pioneering private investigator and founder of Kroll Associates and K2 Global

“Required reading for every investor who desires to avoid financial losses.

This new edition is a classic and better than ever.”

Thornton L. O’glove, author, Quality of Earnings

“If the original Financial Shenanigans was the Bible of detecting accounting frauds, then this latest

version is the Talmud of cooked books. Regulators, audit committee members, and business journalists

should be required to read this work if they are involved in public companies.”

Boris Feldman, partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Palo Alto

“An incisive and entertaining review of the recipes used by corporations and executives to ‘cook the

books.’ It’s a must-read for investors, lawyers, corporate directors, and anyone else interested in the

integrity of the accounting and governance process.”

Joseph A. Grundfest, professor of law and business and codirector,

Rock Center on Corporate Governance, Stanford Law School

About the Book:

With major financial scandals popping

up in greater numbers—and with more

inevitably on the way—it has never been more

important for you to understand what dishonest

companies do to trick investors.

Since the early 1990s, Financial Shenanigans

has been helping investors unearth deceptive

financial reporting at the most critical time—

before they suffer major losses.

Now, the third

edition broadens its focus to include the newest,

most sophisticated techniques companies

use to mislead investors.

Referred to as the “Sherlock Holmes of

Accounting” by BusinessWeek, Howard Schilit

and renowned forensic accounting expert

Jeremy Perler take you deeper into the corporate

bag of tricks, exposing new levels of

accounting gimmickry and arming you with

the investigative tools you need to detect:

• Earnings Manipulation Shenanigans: Learn

  the latest tricks companies use to exaggerate

  revenue and earnings.

• Cash Flow Shenanigans: Discover new techniques

  devised by management that allow it to

  manipulate cash flow as easily as earnings.

• Key Metrics Shenanigans: See how companies

  use misleading “key”metrics to fool investors

  about their financial performance.

Financial Shenanigans brings you completely

up to date on accounting chicanery in the global

markets, shining a light on the most shocking

frauds and financial reporting miscreants.

This insightful, detailed guide written by recognized

experts on the subject provides the

knowledge and tools you need to spot even the

most subtle signs of financial shenanigans.

From the "Sherlock Holmes of Accounting," this book gives you the tools you need to stay a step ahead of the crooks. With major financial scandals popping up in greater numbers -- and with more inevitably on the way -- it has never been more important for you to understand what dishonest companies do to trick investors. Since the early 1990s, Financial Shenanigans has been helping investors unearth deceptive financial reporting at the most critical time -- before they suffer major losses. Now, the third edition broadens its focus to include the newest, most sophisticated techniques companies use to mislead investors. Referred to as the "Sherlock Holmes of Accounting" by BusinessWeek, Howard Schilit and renowned forensic accounting expert Jeremy Perler take you deeper into the corporate bag of tricks, exposing new levels of accounting gimmickry and arming you with the investigative tools you need to detect: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigans: Learn the latest tricks companies use to exaggerate revenue and earnings. Cash Flow Shenanigans: Discover new techniques devised by management that allow it to manipulate cash flow as easily as earnings. Key Metrics Shenanigans: See how companies use misleading "key" metrics to fool investors about their financial performance. Financial Shenanigans brings you completely up to date on accounting chicanery in the global markets, shining a light on the most shocking frauds and financial reporting miscreants. This insightful, detailed guide written by recognized experts on the subject provides the knowledge and tools you need to spot even the most subtle signs of financial shenanigans. - Publisher. Techniques to uncover and avoid accounting frauds and scams Inflated profits ... Suspicious write-offs ... Shifted expenses ... These and other dubious financial maneuvers have taken on a contemporary twist as companies pull out the stops in seeking to satisfy Wall Street. Financial Shenanigans pulls back the curtain on the current climate of accounting fraud. It presents tools that anyone who is potentially affected by misleading business valuations -- from investors and lenders to managers and auditors -- can use to research and read financial reports, and to identify early warning signs of a company's problems. A bestseller in its first edition, Financial Shenanigans has been thoroughly updated for today's marketplace. New chapters, data, and research reveal contemporary "shenanigans" that have been known to fool even veteran researchers.