Financial Shenanigans

Dr. Howard Schilit is a pioneer in the field of detecting accounting tricks in corporate financial reports that mislead investors. He is the author of Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports, now in its 3rd Edition. Howard was the founder and CEO of CFRA, a global forensic accounting research organization. He has been a leading spokesman before the US Congress, the SEC, and global media outlets about the causes and early warning signs of accounting tricks in public filings. Dr. Schilit began his career as an Associate Professor of Accounting at American University and continues to teach and lecture all over the world. Dr. Schilit holds his doctorate in Accounting from the University of Maryland.

The bestselling classic from the "Sherlock Holmes of Accounting"-updated to reflect the key case studies and most important lessons from the past quarter century.

Preface: Reflections on My Last 25 YearsPart One: Establishing the FoundationChapter 1: 25 Years of ShenanigansChapter 2: Just Touch Up the X-RaysPart Two: Earnings Manipulation ShenanigansChapter 3: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 1: Recording Revenue Too SoonChapter 4: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 2: Recording Bogus RevenueChapter 5: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 3: Boosting Income with One-Time or Unsustainable ActivitiesChapter 6: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 4: Shifting Current Expenses to a Later PeriodChapter 7: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 5: Employing Other Techniques to Hide Expenses or LossesChapter 8: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 6: Shifting Current Income to a Later PeriodChapter 9: Earnings Manipulation Shenanigan No. 7: Shifting Future Expenses to the Current PeriodPart Three: Cash Flow ShenanigansChapter 10: Cash Flow Shenanigan No. 1: Shifting Financing Cash Inflows to the Operating SectionChapter 11: Cash Flow Shenanigan No. 2: Moving Operating Cash Outflows to Other SectionsChapter 12: Cash Flow Shenanigan No. 3: Boosting Operating Cash Flow Using Unsustainable ActivitiesPart Four: Key Metrics ShenanigansChapter 13: Key Metric Shenanigan No. 1: Showcasing Misleading Metrics that Overstate PerformanceChapter 14: Key Metric Shenanigan No. 2: Distorting Balance Sheet Metrics to Avoid Showing DeteriorationPart Five: Acquisition Accounting ShenanigansChapter 15: Acquisition Accounting Shenanigan No. 1: Artificially Boosting Revenue and EarningsChapter 16: Acquisition Accounting Shenanigan No. 2: Inflating Reported Cash FlowChapter 17: Acquisition Accounting Shenanigan No. 3: Manipulating Key MetricsPart Six: Putting it all TogetherChapter 18: The UnravelingChapter 19: The Forensic MindsetIndexAcknowledgments