A smooth audit starts well before the fieldwork begins. Use this checklist to get your books, records, and team ready, and to avoid last-minute scrambles.
How to Prepare for a Successful Financial Statement Audit
If audit season makes you groan, you’re not alone. The word “audit” carries a lot of baggage, but a well-planned audit can be one of the most useful things that happens to your organization all year. Here is a practical guide to preparing, drawn from a GGFOA presentation on getting audit-ready.
Client Accounting Services: Finance Support Without the Overhead
Most growing businesses reach a point where the books can no longer be a side task. You’re up late reconciling accounts, a part-time bookkeeper is stretched thin, and nobody is sure whether the numbers are right until tax season. Client Accounting Services (CAS) exists for this moment.
Staying Ahead of GASB 87 & 96: Let Us Help Manage the Details
Lease and subscription arrangements can be easy to overlook—but keeping an accurate, up-to-date listing of lease and subscription liabilities is an important part of maintaining reliable financial records.
Our firm offers a nonattest service designed to help governmental clients stay organized and keep pace with the requirements of GASB 87, Leases, and GASB 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITAs).
Non-profits: Guide to reporting in-kind donations
Securing in-kind donations is vital for any non-profit or charitable organization, but just as important is accounting for them properly. In June 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board introduced changes to the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for documenting and presenting the value of in-kind donations in financial statements. This article provides an overview of the changes and what you need to know.
The October 15th Deadline: A Good Time to Get Ahead for Next Year or the Last Chance to Maintain Compliance
As the 2026 calendar closes in on the October 15th deadline, many plan administrators are unsure if their employee benefit plan requires an audit. Our team can help you determine if your plan requires an audit or if your plan is approaching the audit threshold for the first time. With this knowledge, we can either act quickly and efficiently to ensure your audit is completed before the October 15th deadline or work with you to ensure you are properly prepared for your first audit in 2027.
Does Your Georgia Nonprofit Need Reviewed or Audited Financial Statements for State Registration?
If your organization solicits or accepts donations in Georgia, there’s a good chance you have a registration requirement you may not know about — and a reporting obligation that scales with how much your nonprofit brings in.
Here’s what Georgia nonprofits need to know.
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Elisabeth Baldwin named Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management
Rushton names Elisabeth Baldwin Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management
A quick guide on how to scan documents with your phone
Insuring Your Business Against Cyber Liability
Insuring Your Business Against Cyber Liability
According to one study done by the US Small Business Administration, 88% of small business owners feel their business is vulnerable to a cyber attack. These concerns may be well-founded: according to another study, 61% of all small businesses have reported at least one cyber attack in the past year.1,2
Business owners are required to protect their customers’ personal information. In all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, businesses are required to notify individuals of security breaches involving personally identifiable information.3
As evidenced by news of large-scale data breaches, online hacking has become another form of risk that businesses now face every day. Like many risks, businesses can insure themselves against the financial damage a cyber-attack may inflict.
Cyber liability insurance may cover a range of risks, including:
- Data Breach Management: Pays expenses related to the investigation, management, and remediation of an incident, including customer notification, credit check support, and associated legal costs and fines.
- Media Liability: Covers third-party damages such as website vandalism and intellectual property rights infringement.
- Extortion Liability: Reimburses for expenses associated with losses arising from a threat of extortion.
- Network Security Liability: Covers costs connected with third-party damages due to a denial of access and theft of third-party information.
- Cyber liability insurance is fairly new so expect a wide divergence of coverage and costs. It may be purchased separately or as a rider to your current business insurance policy. Be prepared to comparison shop to get a better understanding of coverage and costs.
- Small business owners might also keep in mind that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” There are steps you can take to protect your business from becoming a cyber victim.
Consider these steps to protect your data.
Maintain robust malware detection software and keep existing software updated.
Train employees not to open links contained in emails from unknown senders. Thirty percent of small businesses consider phishing to be their biggest cyber threat.2
Encrypt your important data, such as bank account information, customer credit card numbers, etc.
Perform a security audit.
As obvious and simple as these precautions may sound, some businesses fall victim to cyber-attacks because of their failure to take them.
1. SBA.gov, 2022
2. CyberSecurity-Magazine.com, 2021
3. NCLS.org, 2022
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG Suite is not affiliated with the named broker-dealer, state- or SEC-registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Copyright 2026 FMG Suite.
Audit Readiness Checklist: 9 Steps to Prepare Before Your Auditors Arrive
A smooth audit starts well before the fieldwork begins. Use this checklist to get your books, records, and team ready, and to avoid last-minute scrambles.
How to Prepare for a Successful Financial Statement Audit
If audit season makes you groan, you’re not alone. The word “audit” carries a lot of baggage, but a well-planned audit can be one of the most useful things that happens to your organization all year. Here is a practical guide to preparing, drawn from a GGFOA presentation on getting audit-ready.
Client Accounting Services: Finance Support Without the Overhead
Most growing businesses reach a point where the books can no longer be a side task. You’re up late reconciling accounts, a part-time bookkeeper is stretched thin, and nobody is sure whether the numbers are right until tax season. Client Accounting Services (CAS) exists for this moment.
Staying Ahead of GASB 87 & 96: Let Us Help Manage the Details
Lease and subscription arrangements can be easy to overlook—but keeping an accurate, up-to-date listing of lease and subscription liabilities is an important part of maintaining reliable financial records.
Our firm offers a nonattest service designed to help governmental clients stay organized and keep pace with the requirements of GASB 87, Leases, and GASB 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITAs).
Non-profits: Guide to reporting in-kind donations
Securing in-kind donations is vital for any non-profit or charitable organization, but just as important is accounting for them properly. In June 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board introduced changes to the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for documenting and presenting the value of in-kind donations in financial statements. This article provides an overview of the changes and what you need to know.
The October 15th Deadline: A Good Time to Get Ahead for Next Year or the Last Chance to Maintain Compliance
As the 2026 calendar closes in on the October 15th deadline, many plan administrators are unsure if their employee benefit plan requires an audit. Our team can help you determine if your plan requires an audit or if your plan is approaching the audit threshold for the first time. With this knowledge, we can either act quickly and efficiently to ensure your audit is completed before the October 15th deadline or work with you to ensure you are properly prepared for your first audit in 2027.
Does Your Georgia Nonprofit Need Reviewed or Audited Financial Statements for State Registration?
If your organization solicits or accepts donations in Georgia, there’s a good chance you have a registration requirement you may not know about — and a reporting obligation that scales with how much your nonprofit brings in.
Here’s what Georgia nonprofits need to know.
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Rushton Recognized Among the Nation’s Top Accounting Firms by Inside Public Accounting
Elisabeth Baldwin named Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management
Rushton names Elisabeth Baldwin Managing Partner of Rushton Wealth Management