The Month-End Close Checklist: Reconcile, Adjust, Review, and Lock — in the Same Order Every Month
Close in one fixed order — post, reconcile, adjust, review, lock — so every account ties to evidence and the numbers stop moving after review.
#accounts-receivable
Accounts Receivable
Manage invoices, track payments, and optimize cash collection
Plaid Guaranteed Payments and the End of the 3-Day ACH Wait: What Assumed Liability Means for Your Books
Plaid guarantees settlement on approved ACH payments and covers eligible failures — book the fee as processing expense, never netted against revenue.
Sage's AI Now Chases Late Invoices for Sole Traders: What It Means for Your Cash Flow
Sage's Payments Agent drafts invoices, chases late payers and matches payments with your approval — run its five-touch reminder sequence and get paid faster.
The Cost Recovery Method, Explained: Booking Zero Profit Until Cash Covers Your Cost
Cost recovery books zero profit until cash covers your cost — the most conservative revenue method, for sales too shaky for installment treatment.
Notes Receivable, Explained: How Written Promises to Pay Differ From Open Accounts
A note receivable is a signed promise to pay principal plus interest — book the principal as an asset swap, accrue interest monthly, act fast on dishonor.
Trade Discounts vs. Cash Discounts, Explained: Why One Never Touches Your Books and the Other Demands an Entry
Trade discounts never hit the books — record the invoice price. Cash discounts do: book 2/10 net 30 via the gross or net method.
Audit Confirmations, Explained: How Auditors Verify Cash, Receivables, and Lawsuits With Third Parties
Auditors confirm cash, receivables, and lawsuits directly with banks, customers, and lawyers — replies bypass you, and every exception gets investigated.
Invoice Discounting vs. Factoring: Who Collects, Who Knows, and What Each Costs
Factoring sells your invoices and outsources collections; discounting borrows against them while you keep collecting — confidentially and cheaper.
Monthly Bookkeeping Checklist: The Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly Tasks That Keep Your Books Clean
Reconcile monthly, chase invoices weekly, pay IRS estimates quarterly — the daily-to-quarterly checklist that keeps small-business books clean.
Channel Stuffing, Explained: How Shoving Extra Inventory Onto Distributors Inflates Revenue
Channel stuffing books revenue on shipments distributors cannot sell — watch DSO, receivables outpacing sales, and next-quarter returns.
Allowance Method vs. Direct Write-Off for Bad Debts: Why Your Books and Your Tax Return Disagree
GAAP books bad-debt expense up front through the allowance method; IRS Section 166 deducts only specific worthless debts. How the timing gap works.
Write-Off vs. Write-Down: When an Asset Loses All Its Value and When It Loses Only Some
A write-down cuts an asset to recoverable value; a write-off removes it entirely. The IRS deducts only specific worthless debts under Section 166.