Out Of The Bad Comes The Good

What is a Quality of Earnings Report and Why It Matters Buying or selling a business isn’t like buying a car. You don’t just check the mileage, kick the tires, and call it a day. When the stakes are in the millions, you want to be absolutely sure the numbers add up—and that they’ll keep adding up after the deal closes. That’s exactly why a Quality of Earnings report exists. Think of it as the difference between looking at a selfie and getting a full medical check-up. Financial statements are the selfie—nice snapshot, but not the whole truth. A QoE report is the check-up—it tells you what’s really going on under the hood.

What Is Working Capital, and Why Should You Care? When selling or buying a business in the U.S., one financial term often causes confusion and frustration: working capital adjustment. It sounds technical, but it’s actually a very practical concept—especially when you're about to exchange hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars. So, what is working capital? In simple terms, it's the money a business needs to keep operating every day. That includes paying bills, buying inventory, and handling short-term expenses. Here’s a basic formula: Working Capital = Current Assets – Current Liabilities Let’s use a real-world example. Imagine you own a small bakery: You have $50,000 in cash, $20,000 in flour, sugar, and inventory, and $15,000 customers owe you. That’s $85,000 in current assets. On the other hand, you owe $25,000 to suppliers and $10,000 in employee wages. That’s $35,000 in liabilities. So, your working capital is $85,000 - $35,000 = $50,000.  This $50,000 is the fuel that keeps your business running. And when you sell the bakery, the buyer expects that same fuel to be included—unless you agree otherwise.