These Three Steps Ensure Your Bookkeeper Is Providing You with Valuable Information
Many business owners think bookkeeping is simply about categorizing transactions and keeping the IRS happy. But good bookkeeping should do much more than that. Your bookkeeper should be giving you clear, timely, and actionable financial information that helps you make better decisions.
If you’re not sure whether your current bookkeeping is adding value, these three steps will help you evaluate the quality of the information you’re receiving.
Step 1: Monthly Reconciliations Are Completed Consistently
The foundation of valuable financial information is accurate data. If your accounts aren’t reconciled every month, the numbers you’re reviewing may be misleading or completely wrong.
Monthly reconciliations ensure:
Bank and credit card balances match actual statements
Duplicate, missing, or miscategorized transactions are caught early
Your financial reports reflect reality, not estimates
Without consistent reconciliations, reports like your Profit & Loss statement or Balance Sheet lose credibility. Decision making based on inaccurate numbers can lead to cash flow issues, missed tax deductions, or unexpected surprises at tax time.
If your bookkeeper can’t confidently say your accounts are reconciled monthly, the information you’re getting likely isn’t reliable.
Step 2: Financial Reports Are Delivered on a Set Schedule
Valuable bookkeeping is timely bookkeeping. You should not have to ask for your reports or wait months to understand how your business is performing.
At a minimum, your bookkeeper should provide:
Profit & Loss statement
A Balance Sheet
Clear explanations of anything unusual
These reports should be delivered on a predictable schedule, usually monthly. When reports arrive late, opportunities to adjust spending, improve cash flow, or plan ahead are already lost.
Timely reporting allows you to:
Track trends instead of guessing
Make informed pricing and hiring decisions
Prepare proactively for tax obligations
Step 3: Your Bookkeeper Explains the Numbers (Not Just Sends Them)
A spreadsheet alone is not insight.
Your bookkeeper should help you understand:
What’s driving changes in revenue or expenses
Where cash flow may tighten in future months
Which areas of your business are most profitable
This doesn’t mean complex financial jargon, it means clear, plain language explanations that connect the numbers to real business decisions.
If your reports arrive with no context, or you’re left wondering what the numbers mean, your bookkeeping is functioning as data entry, not decision support.
The Bottom Line
A bookkeeper provides real value when they:
Reconcile accounts monthly
Deliver reports consistently and on time
Translate numbers into insights you can act on
When these three steps are in place, your bookkeeping becomes a powerful tool for growth—not just a compliance task.
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