How to Create Monthly Financial Statements and Reports

Every business, no matter its size, sector, or whether it's aiming to make a profit or not, must keep a tight grip on its finances. That's where the magic of monthly financial statements comes into play. 

Think of these statements as a monthly health check-up for your business's finances, offering a clear picture of how your company is performing financially over the past month. They're like snapshots that give business owners and managers a quick glance at the company's financial health, aiding in smart decision-making about where to invest next.

Even though the law doesn't mandate monthly financial statements, they're absolutely crucial for any business that wants to keep its financial pulse strong. 

So, let's dive into a straightforward, step-by-step guide on crafting these financial snapshots with ease, ensuring your business stays on top of its financial game.

‍

What Exactly Are Financial Reports?

Think of financial reports as the diary of a company's financial life, detailing every financial move over a set period, like a month. Especially for small businesses, these reports are the windows into the company's financial soul, guiding decisions on investments, loans, and other big moves.

In the heart of financial reporting, you'll find:

• Balance Sheets (or Statements of Financial Position)
• Income Statements
• Cash Flow Statements
• Statements of Shareholder Equity

Each report tells a different story of the company's financial journey, providing a full picture when used together. 

But how do you go about creating these reports? 

Let's dive deeper into what each of these reports means and how they're crucial to understanding and improving your financial health.

Balance Sheet / Statement Of Financial Position

Imagine the balance sheet as a financial snapshot, freezing time to show what a company owns and owes and how much the owners' stake is worth at that moment. 

It's all about:

• Assets: Everything the company owns that can make money, like cash, stocks, buildings, machinery, and inventory.
• Liabilities: Everything the company owes, from loans to bills, is due soon.
• Equity: The difference between assets and liabilities, showing the shareholders' piece of the financial pie.

Income Statement

This statement is like the company's financial scoreboard, showing how much money came in, went out, and what was left over as profit over a certain period. 

It breaks down:

• Revenue: The total cash made from sales and other sources.
• Expenses: The costs of doing business, from making products to paying rent.
• Net Income: The bottom line is revenue minus expenses, showing whether the company made or lost money.

Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement tracks the company's cash movements, showing how well it manages its cash to pay bills and grow. 

It looks at:

• Operating Activities: Day-to-day cash movements from selling products and paying bills.
• Investing Activities: Cash spent or made from investments like buying equipment or securities.
• Financing Activities: Cash from loans, repaying debts, or paying shareholders.

Aged Receivables and Payables Reports

These reports focus on who owes the company money (receivables) and who the company owes money to (payables), giving insights into how well the company manages its debts and collections. They include metrics like how long bills have been unpaid and the average time to collect or pay debts.

Statement Of Shareholders' Equity

This report shows how the company's equity changes over time, reflecting profits earned or lost and how much investors have put into the company. 

It includes:

• Retained Earnings: Profits not paid out as dividends.
• Common Stock: The basic ownership shares in the company.
• Additional Paid-In Capital: Money invested beyond the basic share value.
• Treasury Stock: Shares the company bought back from investors.

As we proceed, we'll unravel more about the significance, application, and potential hurdles in financial reporting and record-keeping, ensuring you're equipped to keep your business financially fit.

‍

Why Do We Need Financial Reporting?

Bringing Clarity to Shareholders and Stakeholders

Financial reporting serves as a bridge, connecting the company's financial story with shareholders, creditors, and others who have a vested interest. 

It lays out the financial status, achievements, and cash flow in a way that supports informed decision-making, investment strategies, and assessing how trustworthy a company is financially. It's also a tool for benchmarking, allowing comparisons with competitors to gauge performance.

Tracking Progress and Guiding Future Operations

Keeping an eye on income and expenses is like checking the pulse of a business. It shows how healthy the business is and whether it's on the right track. This ongoing monitoring is critical for plotting future moves and steering the business toward success. Whether done monthly, quarterly, or annually, accuracy is the golden rule here; precise records lead to sound decisions.

Zooming In on Performance

A financial report is a detailed check-up of a company's financial health over a set period. It breaks down income, expenses, and cash flow, offering a deep dive into the company's financial well-being. This comprehensive view is invaluable for stakeholders to measure financial strength and spot any red flags, guiding decisions on investment and lending.

Empowering Informed Investment Decisions

Financial reporting is the backbone of investment decisions, providing the nitty-gritty details of a company's financial performance. It fosters transparency and accountability, essentials for trust in the capital markets. Without this clear financial picture, making informed investment choices would be like navigating a maze blindfolded.

Fueling Financial Analysis and Strategic Planning

By shedding light on a company's financial health, financial reporting empowers analysts and investors to allocate resources wisely. It offers a treasure trove of data on revenue, expenses, and more, enabling trend spotting and risk assessment. It's also a benchmarking tool, allowing companies to measure up against competitors and strive for better.

Ensuring Compliance and Transparency

Financial reporting is a cornerstone of regulatory compliance, ensuring companies are open about their financial status. This transparency is vital for everyone involved to make educated decisions. Plus, it helps companies stick to accounting standards and avoid legal pitfalls, proving that good financial reporting is not just beneficial but essential.

Easing Tax Time Stress

Regular financial reporting makes tax season a breeze. By keeping income and expenses neatly recorded, companies can easily claim all their deductions, potentially saving big when taxes are due. Organized records mean simpler tax preparation, saving time, money, and stress. So, for a smoother tax experience and financial peace of mind, embracing financial reporting is a smart move.

‍

Crafting a Monthly Financial Report: A Friendly Guide

Let's walk through the steps to demystify the process and help you compile a financial report that's both informative and straightforward.

Step 1: Whip Up a Balance Sheet

Kick things off by rounding up details on your company's cash situation, what's owed to you (accounts receivable), what you have in stock (inventory), significant purchases (fixed assets), and more. You'll find this goldmine of information lurking in your financial records. Once you've got everything, break it down into three main categories:

• Assets
• Liabilities
• Equity

The golden rule here is that your assets should always match the total of your liabilities and equity.

Step 2: Craft an Income Statement

Next up, dive into your revenue and expenses, all of which are neatly recorded in your financial documents. Sort these figures into two buckets:

• Operating Expenses
• Non-operating Expenses

Operating expenses cover the costs tied directly to your business's day-to-day operations, such as rent, utilities, salaries, etc. Meanwhile, non-operating expenses include things like interest payments and taxes. The aim is to ensure your expenses don't overshoot your revenue.

Step 3: Tidy Up with Closing Entries

With your balance sheet and income statement sorted, it's time to prepare for the next round. This means closing out the current month's books. Find your net income or loss on the income statement. Then, depending on the outcome:

• Debit your equity for net income, giving it a boost or;
• Credit your equity for a net loss, reducing its value.

This step sets you up perfectly for the next month's financial reporting.

Step 4: Bring It All Together and Visualize

The final flourish involves compiling and visualizing all your financial data to get a bird's-eye view of your business's financial performance over the month. A popular and efficient way to do this is through a financial dashboard. This nifty tool lets you view all critical financial metrics in one spot, tailored to show exactly what you need, updated in real-time as new data rolls in. Dashboards are invaluable for making informed, strategic business decisions.

And there you have it! 

Once you've ticked off these steps, you'll have a comprehensive monthly financial report. It's a powerful lens through which to view your business's financial health, guiding you to make well-informed choices about future investments and resource allocation.

‍

Understanding Your Financial Health: 5 Key Metrics to Watch

Here are five essential financial metrics gleaned from your reports that can give you insights into how your business is doing and where you might need to adjust your strategies.

Profit & Loss Statement (P&L)

The P&L Statement is essentially the financial scoreboard of your company. It lays out your revenues, expenses, and profitability over a certain period. This snapshot is invaluable for gauging your company's financial health and operational success.

Expense Trends

Keeping an eye on where your money is going can reveal a lot about your business operations. By analyzing your expense trends, you can pinpoint areas of excessive spending and identify opportunities to cut costs. This vigilance helps in refining your budget and enhancing your company's efficiency.

Accounts Receivable

The money owed to you by your customers, known as accounts receivable, is a critical indicator of your financial health. Tracking this metric can highlight how effectively you're collecting payments. A rising accounts receivable might signal issues with cash flow, prompting a need to revisit your collection processes.

Profit Per Customer

Understanding how much profit you generate from each customer can offer profound insights into your pricing strategy and customer relationship management. This metric helps in evaluating whether you're maximizing the value of your customer base and where there might be room for improvement in terms of profitability.

Number Of Client Prospects

This metric shines a light on your potential customer base & the effectiveness of your marketing strategies. By tracking the number of client prospects, you can gauge the health of your sales pipeline and determine whether your current marketing efforts are hitting the mark.

If you require any assistance with your 1120 tax return, you can contact us. 

‍

Enhancing Your Financial Reporting: Key Strategies

Here's how you can elevate your financial reporting to the next level.

Understand Your Purpose and Audience

Begin by zeroing in on the purpose of your financial report and identifying its primary readers. What message do you intend to convey? Who are the stakeholders eagerly awaiting this information? Clarity on these points will guide the content and structure of your report, ensuring it hits the mark.

Pin Down Key Metrics

With your goals and audience in mind, decide on the key metrics that will form the backbone of your report. Dive into your financial statements to pick out the metrics that most accurately reflect your business's performance and health. Revenue, expenses, profit margins, cash flow, accounts receivable, and inventory turnover rates are among the vital stats to consider.

Select Appropriate Visuals

The right visuals can transform complex data into accessible insights. Aim for charts, graphs, tables, and infographics that are straightforward yet informative, making your report not just a document but a story that unfolds through numbers.

Leverage Modern Tools and Software

Take advantage of contemporary software and tools designed for financial reporting. These resources can streamline data entry, analysis, and visualization, freeing you up to concentrate on strategic decision-making. 

Automate Your Reporting Process

Consider automating your financial reporting. With a plethora of software options available, automation can reduce the time/effort involved in compiling your report. Not only does this make the process more efficient, but it also allows you to dedicate more resources to other critical business operations.

Elevating Financial Reporting

Financial reporting plays a crucial role in providing insights and transparency into an organization's financial health. Incorporate these advanced techniques and tools to elevate the quality and impact of your financial reporting:

Integrate Video Elements: Enhance engagement by incorporating video content into your financial reports. Use a screen recorder to capture key points and create impactful presentations.

Optimize File Size: Compress your videos using a video compressor tool to reduce file size without compromising quality. This ensures that your reports are easily shareable and accessible.

Global Accessibility: Reach a wider audience by translating your video content into different languages using a video translator. This enables multilingual viewers to understand and benefit from your financial reporting efforts.

‍

FAQs 

Who's in Charge of Monthly Financial Reports?

In most cases, the task of putting together monthly financial statements falls to the accounting team or the financial controller within a company. If you're running a smaller show, it could be you, the business owner, or an accountant you've brought on board to help out.

Can You Do Financial Statements with Cash Basis Accounting?

Absolutely! If you're using cash-based accounting, you'll record your revenues and expenses as cash changes hands. While this method is straightforward, switching to an accrual basis might give you a fuller picture of your financial health, but it's definitely optional.

What Pitfalls Should I Dodge in Financial Reporting?

A few common slip-ups include:

• Mixing up expense and income categories.
• Missing out on outstanding invoices.
• Skipping bank account reconciliations.
• Not giving your reports a thorough once-over for accuracy.

How Do I Nail the Accuracy of My Financial Reports?

To keep your financial statements spot-on, make it a habit to reconcile all accounts regularly, be meticulous with categorizing transactions, and always cross-verify entries with your original documents. A little extra vigilance goes a long way.

Who Should Get a Peek at My Monthly Financial Statements?

When it comes to financial statements - key stakeholders like investors, lenders, and sometimes even team members appreciate being in the loop. It builds transparency and fosters trust.

Tailoring Financial Reports: How Do I Speak My Audience's Language?

Adjusting your financial statements for different eyes is all about emphasizing what matters most to each viewer. Investors might be all about the bottom line and growth opportunities, while lenders could be zeroing in on your ability to cover debts. Tailor your reports to highlight these aspects accordingly.

DM us on LinkedIn.