THE JOHN SMITH COMMENTARY
Business & Finance - The Bigger Picture

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John Smith had a working life spanning fifty years divided equally between commerce and consultancy. He is still active as a financial director, accountant and strategic adviser. John is also an active trader on the UK and USA stock market. Who better to get behind the money headlines and de-mystify the stock market for the small investor.

It is one thing having a name or having made your name. But how does an ordinary John Smith born to a small tenant farmer of poor coal-riddled soil in unfashionable Derbyshire become a qualified accountant and work as a management consultant for the mighty Price Waterhouse?

  • What is a cash flow statement and why is it needed?
    We need to take a couple of steps backwards and then take a deep breath.... Read More Here
  • How To Read & Interpret A Profit & Loss Account. Always look at and learn from a profit & loss account. Never take it at face value..... Click Here To Find Out More
  • So You Want To Become A Management Consultant?. 5 good reasons to give it a try... and 5 good reasons not to!
  • Management Consultancy And The Credit Crunch?. Thinking about employing a management consultant to help you survive the coming recession. You may find these short concise articles help you decide.
  • Debunking The Balance Sheet - A new e-book from John G Smith FCCA. Describes, using the example of a start-up business, how a balance sheet is created from actual events such as buying or renting the business premises and starting to trade. The distinction between capital and revenue costs is explained as is the relationship between the profit & loss account and the balance sheet. Easy to follow in tutorial style. Includes a glossary of terms Click Here To Find Out More
  • The Big Balance Sheet FAQ's Page... Read the answers to the top ten most frequently asked questions about Balance Sheets. There's even an opportunity to ask your own question Click Here for Balance Sheet FAQ's
  • 99 Business Definitions. An alternative business and finance glossary. A unique mix of fact and humour with a serious message..... * (Includes the Top Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions about Balance Sheets!)... Read them now.
  • The Business Survival Kit. What they don't teach you at university.
  • UK Stock Market History - Ever wondered how it all began? - Read More Here
  • Goldman Sachs - How Does It Work? -  “If a picture paints a thousand words …” Today’s Daily Telegraph has a wonderfully evocative picture of a fruit machine’s reels spinning to stop on the revenue earned by Goldman Sachs -Read More Here
  • The Credit Crunch Diaries - For regular readers the bad news is the diaries won`t feature here any more - the good news is they will be available on a new soon to be launched dedicated website "QuantitativeWheezing".co.uk