What S Behind The Numbers A Guide To Exposing Financial Chicanery And Avoiding Huge Losses In Your Portfolio

Learn how to detect any corporate sleight of hand—and gain the upper hand with smart investing Investing expert John Del Vecchio and “Motley Fool” Tom Jacobs offer a compelling arguement that the secret to stock-market success today isn’t finding the next Google or eBay, but avoiding the next AIG or Enron. To that end, they offer simple, clear techniques for detecting when and how legitimate companies make their numbers look better than they are. What's Behind the Numbers? offers seven rules for finding companies playing with—rather than by—the numbers and explains how to avoid losing money by determining exactly when a stock is about to head south. John Del Vecchio, CFA, serves as a Principal of Ranger Alternative Management and principal of Parabolix Research, Inc. Tom Jacobs is lead advisor for the Motley Fool Special Ops, a stock service where he manages a special situations and opportunistic portfolio. He is cofounder of Complete Growth Investor LLC.

Inside: Secrets you need to know to protect your nest egg The economy shows signs of recovering from the worst recession since the 1930s. Savvy investors are already bargain shopping for stocks that are priced well and ready to climb out of the doldrums. But as the saying goes, "once burned, twice shy." It's more important than ever to guard against scams and be very careful about where you invest your hard-earned dollars. Let this book be your guide. In plain English, you'll take a guided tour of a typical financial statement, and learn: How to cut through the hype in an annual report and, with a few simple calculations, know how a company is really performing Why you should turn a deaf ear to "stock tips," even when they come from a broker or financial planner The red flags to look for in financial statements that indicate the management is trying to pull the wool over your eyes Why footnotes to financial statements are "must" reading for any investor How to use the Internet to research markets, companies, and executives to uncover problems, pitfalls and golden opportunities Secrets the pros use to spot the best performing stocks and bonds ahead of the average investor The Truth Behind the Numbers in Financial Statements is written by José Roncal, a respected international dealmaker and corporate finance expert with over 20 years of experience in finance. Read this book and you'll understand why Donald Trump called his last book "a great read." About the Author José D. Roncal is a globally mobile executive with over 20 years of experience in international business and finance, having worked and travelled frequently in six continents. Specializing in telecommunications and information technology industries, Mr. Roncal has served such well-known multinational companies as NCR, AT&T, Verizon Communications and the U.K.-based blue chip company Cable and Wireless. For 20 years, he has lived around the globe as a chief financial officer, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and spin-offs. His background includes building, leading, executing and advising corporations through complex restructuring, international expansion, and capital markets transactions in emerging markets. He is particularly adept at structuring and negotiating favorable terms with commercial and investment banks. Mr. Roncal has a solid track record of enhancing internal controls based on strong SEC expertise and deep understanding of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. Investor relations skills include communication with analysts, investment advisors and shareholders. Mr. Roncal has authored numerous articles on business strategy, finance, accounting, capital markets and the global economy. He holds an MBA from Thunderbird University and a BA from Florida International University, both in the USA, and has attended various senior executive programs at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. His most recent book, also published by Wheatmark, is The Big Gamble: Are You Investing or Speculating?

A leading educator makes Forex investing as easy as driving a car In The Forex Trading Manual, Javier Paz provides easy-to-understand examples of long- and short-term strategies, best practices for navigating the economic calendar, and applications for trading a variety of currencies. To make this complex subject simple, he draws analogies between the different steps of trading in this market to the steps of turning on and driving a car. You’ll learn: Need-to-know facts about the Forex market Effective trading strategies Ways to build a coherent Trading Plan Everything you need to know about return on investment and risk Javier Paz founded formed FXBriefing, a boutique research firm serving institutional investors, corporate finance officials, and members of governments. In 2007, he launched ForexDatasource.com, which helps Forex traders make better choices. Paz is the creator of the FX Hound and mktNus fx technology, the broker dealer ranking methodology, and of forecasting models such as the Fundamental Market Value (FMV) of currencies.

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.

An accessible guide to the essential issues of corporate finance While you can find numerous books focused on the topic of corporate finance, few offer the type of information managers need to help them make important decisions day in and day out. Value explores the core of corporate finance without getting bogged down in numbers and is intended to give managers an accessible guide to both the foundations and applications of corporate finance. Filled with in-depth insights from experts at McKinsey & Company, this reliable resource takes a much more qualitative approach to what the authors consider a lost art. Discusses the four foundational principles of corporate finance Effectively applies the theory of value creation to our economy Examines ways to maintain and grow value through mergers, acquisitions, and portfolio management Addresses how to ensure your company has the right governance, performance measurement, and internal discussions to encourage value-creating decisions A perfect companion to the Fifth Edition of Valuation, this book will put the various issues associated with corporate finance in perspective.

Praise for Financial Statement Analysis A Practitioner's Guide Third Edition "This is an illuminating and insightful tour of financial statements, how they can be used to inform, how they can be used to mislead, and how they can be used to analyze the financial health of a company." -Professor Jay O. Light Harvard Business School "Financial Statement Analysis should be required reading for anyone who puts a dime to work in the securities markets or recommends that others do the same." -Jack L. Rivkin Executive Vice President (retired) Citigroup Investments "Fridson and Alvarez provide a valuable practical guide for understanding, interpreting, and critically assessing financial reports put out by firms. Their discussion of profits-'quality of earnings'-is particularly insightful given the recent spate of reporting problems encountered by firms. I highly recommend their book to anyone interested in getting behind the numbers as a means of predicting future profits and stock prices." -Paul Brown Chair-Department of Accounting Leonard N. Stern School of Business, NYU "Let this book assist in financial awareness and transparency and higher standards of reporting, and accountability to all stakeholders." -Patricia A. Small Treasurer Emeritus, University of California Partner, KCM Investment Advisors "This book is a polished gem covering the analysis of financial statements. It is thorough, skeptical and extremely practical in its review." -Daniel J. Fuss Vice Chairman Loomis, Sayles & Company, LP

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.

This is THE book you have been waiting for: Cut to the chase, clear, anti-industry money and investing thinking for the educated layperson. For your family, friends, and community. Tom Jacobs and John Del Vecchio, authors of the best-selling book What's Behind the Numbers?, have now come out with their next best-seller, The Rule of 72. In an era where it is easy to be skeptical with how companies manage their funds, Beginning with the Rule of 72, an easy in-your-head plain-as-day way to understand compound interest, Tom and John teach that there is a way to find companies that are actually willing to pay investors to own their stocks. These experienced and highly successful investment experts review the principles of the Rule of 72, explain the best ways to evaluate financial risks, and review the six tests for grading stocks. Tom and John explain the trifecta for how to grow financial armor and protect your money from self-interested company management and the financial services industry. The book also includes interesting facts that you may not already know, plus a compounding calendar on the book's companion website. Regardless of your investment experience or financial management knowledge, this is a must-read for everyone.