Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.
When you hear the phrase “financial accounting skills,” you likely think of creating and analyzing financial statements, poring over spreadsheets, and using formulas to calculate ratios. These are all vital skills for accountants. Yet, one accounting skill that’s often overlooked is communication. Here’s a breakdown of key communication skills, why they’re important for accounting, and how you can build yours. [...]
Much of accounting involves evaluating past performance. Planning and preparing for the future, however, is just as important.
Here's an overview of how to use pro forma statements to conduct financial forecasting, along with seven methods you can leverage to predict a business's future performance. [...]
Why does receiving $1,000 now provide more value than in the future? This concept is called the time value of money (TVM), and it’s central to financial accounting and business decision-making. Here’s a primer on what TVM is, how to calculate it, and why it matters. [...]
Are you interested in breaking into finance but not sure what your resume should include? Here are the top finance skills employers want, why they’re essential to the job market, and how you can obtain them. [...]
The income statement is one of the most important financial statements because it details a company’s income and expenses over a specific period. Here’s an overview of the information found in an income statement, along with a step-by-step look at the process of preparing one for your organization. [...]