📝 Overview:
Want to know how well a company is really doing? This episode takes you into the world of ratio analysis and variance analysis—two essential tools for measuring financial performance.

We go beyond the income statement and balance sheet to help you interpret trends, evaluate company health, and detect red flags early.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

• Liquidity, profitability, and leverage ratios: What they reveal about a company

• How to analyze variances between actual and expected results

• Common causes of budget deviations and how to respond to them

• How to use ratios and variances in exam scenarios and real-world business decisions

🎯 Who Should Listen:

• CPA and CMA exam candidates (FAR, BEC, and ISC especially)

• Business analysts, controllers, and finance team members

• Anyone responsible for interpreting or presenting financial data

💡 What You’ll Learn:
You’ll gain the confidence to break down financial metrics, uncover hidden issues in company operations, and turn raw numbers into actionable insights.

📝 Overview:
Financial statements tell a story—but to really understand a company’s performance, you need to go beyond the surface.
In this episode, we explore how financial ratios and variance analysis reveal the truth behind the numbers.

You’ll learn how to interpret key ratios, spot red flags, and use variance analysis to track performance and make smarter decisions.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

• Liquidity, profitability, and solvency ratios: What they mean and why they matter

• How to analyze budget vs. actual performance with variance analysis

• Common reasons for variances in revenue, costs, and operational metrics

• Real-world examples to help you apply these tools in accounting, auditing, or business planning

🎯 Who Should Listen:

• CPA and CMA candidates preparing for the exam

• Finance and accounting professionals in analysis or planning roles

• Business owners and managers looking to improve financial insight

💡 What You’ll Learn:
By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to use ratios as performance indicators, understand what causes performance gaps, and ask the right questions when numbers don’t align.

📝 Overview:
This episode takes you deeper into the world of fair value measurements by focusing on how assets and liabilities are priced based on market data, exit strategies, and the fair value hierarchy outlined in U.S. GAAP.

We unpack what it really means to use fair value—not just as a number, but as a framework for measuring what matters to investors, regulators, and auditors.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

• Exit price concept: Why fair value reflects the price you'd get to sell, not buy

• Market participant assumptions: Who are they, and why do they matter?

• The three levels of the fair value hierarchy (Levels 1–3)

• Real-world examples of applying fair value to assets and liabilities

🎯 Who Should Listen:

• CPA and accounting exam candidates (especially FAR)

• Valuation professionals, analysts, and auditors

• Anyone who wants to understand how “value” is defined in the real world

💡 What You’ll Learn:
By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to navigate the fair value hierarchy, understand the difference between observable and unobservable inputs, and apply these concepts in financial reporting or exam prep.

📝 Overview:
In this episode, we break down the concept of fair value accounting and how it shapes what shows up on your balance sheet.
You'll learn why "value" isn't always just about what you paid, but what the market thinks it’s worth today.

From investments and real estate to liabilities and impairments, fair value is a key concept that impacts both financial reporting and decision-making.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

• What is fair value? (Hint: It’s market-based, not cost-based)

• The three levels of the Fair Value Hierarchy

• Examples: Marking investments to market, revaluing assets, and more

• Why understanding fair value is critical for CPA candidates, investors, and analysts

🎯 Who Should Listen:

• CPA exam candidates (especially for FAR)

• Finance professionals and accounting students

• Anyone trying to interpret or prepare GAAP-compliant balance sheets

💡 What You’ll Learn:
You’ll gain clarity on how assets and liabilities are valued using real market data, what those levels mean, and how it affects the numbers you see on financial statements.

📝 Overview:
This episode dives into the often-overlooked section of financial reports: the Notes to the Financial Statements.
Far from being just fine print, these notes hold critical insights about a company’s accounting choices, risks, legal matters, and more.

If you're only looking at the numbers on the balance sheet or income statement, you're missing half the story.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

• Why notes are essential to fully understanding financial statements

• How accounting policies (e.g., depreciation methods, revenue recognition) affect reported numbers

• Disclosures about lawsuits, leases, contingencies, related parties, and more

• How analysts, auditors, and CPA exam takers use notes to uncover the real picture

🎯 Who Should Listen:

• CPA candidates (especially FAR section)

• Accounting students and early-career professionals

• Investors and anyone trying to interpret financial statements more accurately

💡 What You’ll Learn:
By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to read between the lines and extract real meaning from those lengthy footnotes that most people ignore.

In this episode of COCOMO CPA, we decode adjusting entries—the essential journal entries made at the end of an accounting period to ensure accurate financial reporting.
You'll learn how accruals, deferrals, depreciation, and bad debt adjustments affect the financial statements and why they're critical under the accrual basis of accounting.

🎯 Whether you're studying for the FAR section of the CPA exam or closing the books at work, this episode will sharpen your understanding of accurate and GAAP-compliant reporting.

✅ Keywords: adjusting entries, CPA exam, FAR, accrual accounting, deferred revenue, depreciation, journal entries, closing process, financial reporting.

Follow COCOMO CPA for weekly breakdowns of key CPA topics made simple

In this episode of COCOMO CPA, we break down one of the most essential concepts in accounting: adjusting entries.
You'll learn what they are, why they matter, and how they ensure that financial statements reflect the true financial position of a business.
From accruals and deferrals to depreciation and bad debt—this is the key to closing the books with confidence.

✅ Keywords: adjusting entries, CPA exam, FAR, journal entries, financial reporting, closing process, accrual accounting, bookkeeping.

Follow COCOMO CPA for more CPA study tips and simplified accounting lessons.

In this episode of COCOMO CPA, we take a deep dive into how to read and interpret company financial statements—balance sheets, income statements, and statements of cash flows.
You'll also learn how these reports tie into public disclosures like the 10-K, 10-Q, and MD&A, and what investors and auditors really look for.
Perfect for CPA candidates, accounting students, and anyone who wants to decode the numbers behind business performance.