Analysis of monthly sales or wages can be complicated by the random sequence of four- and five-week months. The same goes for comparing quarterly results. In one calendar year, a quarter may have 90, 91 or 92 days.

From time to time, a Chicagoland client of Coveted Financial is unpleasantly surprised when the skilled perception of our consultant discloses hidden theft in their business.

Each check costs the average business about $22 to process, so writing 100 checks each month adds a hefty $26,400 to your overhead. The good news is that new AP technology offers major savings, in time and money, by reducing the convoluted payments process to just a few clicks.

According to CNBC, internal fraud will cost US businesses $50 billion this year, with two-thirds of that burden falling on smaller companies. How can your company avoid becoming a victim of fraud? Coveted works with each client to ensure that access to company funds is based on a solid system of validation checks, so that no single person can handle both a purchase and a payment, or handle receipts and record deposits.

We work for banker and borrower to assess the business situation, coaching the management team on recovery strategy, developing proven tactics for recovery -- and providing the lender with maximum visibility. We facilitate a three-way partnership, with the shared objective of coaching the team back into the black.

A 13-week rolling projection is a powerful planning tool for business owners and financial managers. Why 13 weeks? We believe a close analysis of the next quarter best accommodates seasonality and long-term strategy, but is still short enough to remain firmly in the realm of accurate forecasting.