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Research Guide for Accounting/Tax

Accounting Databases

Annual Reports & SEC Filings

Industry Norms & Ratios

U.S. Accounting & Auditing Standards

International Accounting Resources

Tax Resources

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Accounting Databases

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Annual Reports - Corporate:

An annual report can help the reader gain a comprehensive overview of a company. It provides details about the financial condition of a company, and offers insight into that company's management business philosophies.

Investors usually can expect to find the following items in a company's annual report:

  • A summary of the previous year

  • Company structure, product line, and subsidiaries information

  • A letter to shareholders from the President or CEO

  • A detailed discussion about the company's financial results

  • Financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, etc.)

  • Notes to the financial statements

  • Company information often not included in other documents.

Many companies have copies of Annual Report(s) as well as other financial statements available to current and prospective investors on the Investor Relations (IR) page of their corporate websites. Click here to see a sample IR web browser search tutorial.

  • CAROL UK Companies (Requires Free Reg.)

  • IRIN


Annual Reports - Non-profit (IRS Form 990):

When most people think of Annual Reports they usually think of the corporate variety. Many non-profit organizations, foundations and charities also produce annual reports. These reports can be useful for assessing the performance of an organization.

How to Read the IRS Form 990

10 significant pieces of information that can be found in the Form 990:

  • Identity and Tax status

  • Amount of Income Received and Sources

  • Total Expense Breakdown

  • Net Assets

  • Programs and Expenditures

  • Board Member and Staff Compensation

  • New Activity, Govering Process Changes and Excess Benefits

  • Self-dealing Transactions

  • Private Foundation Status

  • Lobbying Efforts

  • Charity Navigator(Requires Free Reg.)
  • Foundation Center
  • GuideStar(Requires Free Reg.)

SEC Filings


SEC Filings (Descriptions) are filings required of U.S. public parent companies by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). International companies with securities traded in the U.S. must also file (20F).


An aternative is to use Yahoo! Finance to find a company's financials. Click here to see a short tutorial on how to find SEC Filings using Yahoo! Finance.

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Industry Norms and Ratios

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U.S. Accounting & Auditing Standards

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International Accounting Resources

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Tax Resources

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