Tag: financial management

Posted on Apr 3, 2018

In the life cycle of any auto dealership, there will be times when cash flow is tight. Buy here pay here dealers in particular face complexity to ensure enough inventory is on hand to attract buyers — and offset that investment with a healthy flow through collections and debt management. This balance is never perfect. Dealers need strong banking and/or equity relationships that will extend credit to fill in the cash flow gaps.

Debt Management is Proactive

Even if their balance sheet is healthy, dealers on the shy side of $1 million in receivables will likely get a less favorable interest rate on credit than more established or larger dealers. This does not mean that smaller dealers should accept rates of 10 to 15 percent. It pays to shop around and to understand how the bank or private equity firm will consider the characteristics explained above to justify their terms.

By working with your CPA, you can provide the lender with financial statements and accounting that aligns with their expectations. As part of the terms of the loan, dealers may be required to provide reviewed or audited financial statements. Because of this additional expense and also to get more favorable terms, it’s important for dealers to actively seek lower interest rates. It is perfectly acceptable to shop around. Contact competing banks as well as your existing lender and ask about new credit options. Talk to colleagues about the banks they are using. Request multiple offers.

Strong accounting, tax and compliance practices help with this process. On the accounting side, owners need regular financial statement preparation to view trends and forecast cash flow — helping them prepare for lending conversations and extensions of credit at the right time each year. On the tax side, the number one tax planning technique for buy here pay here dealers is the discount (or loss) on the sale of notes from the dealership to the RFC, which requires cash. Dealers may also qualify for opportunities such as bonus depreciation and deductions with regard to employee perks and compensation.

Management may also consider a review of operational efficiencies or gaps in controls that can affect cash flow. Keep in mind that every dealership is different when it comes to managing cash flow, so best practices must occur within your own dealership.

As buy here pay here dealerships grow to portfolios of $4 million and above, more favorable financing opens up. But it’s not a guaranteed scenario. Dealers should weigh the benefits of obtaining more financing against the extra administrative costs of public accounting services.

Once you have the credit you need, there are various ways to reinvest in your business. Some dealers may decide to purchase their location — adding real estate holdings that support the extension of credit in the future. If the dealership also has a service department, cash flow can be set aside to cover repairs and maintenance on recently sold cars. Some dealers choose to cover repairs on cars shortly after purchase in order to support the customer’s ability and willingness to keep making monthly payments. For example, a repair may cost $800, but it leads to another six to 12 months of customer payments.

Compensation is another area that cash flow can support. Attracting and keeping good back office personnel supports collections, which in turn supports the business. Dealers may also consider additional compensation for good salespeople.

Let’s say you’ve done as much proactive management that you can. At certain points in the life of a dealership, you will still experience challenges. Some of these challenges can’t be handled alone. Whether you’re with a big bank and have secured a favorable interest rate or your dealership is still considered high risk for lenders, don’t ignore cash flow problems. Your CPA can help you formulate a plan to show numbers and communicate effectively with lenders in a way that is focused on solutions rather than the immediate problem. Lenders don’t like to call a loan for a short-term issue, and there is usually room for negotiation on loan modifications that will support cash flow as well as repayment.

However, year-over-year problems make lenders less willing to keep taking a risk on default. As soon as an issue comes to light, prepare your strategy to keep a strong lender relationship. Work through it like you and your lender are on the same side.  It’s in the best interests of you and the lender to find a solution.

Debt Management Supports Valuation

It is also in the best interests of the dealership long-term to show a consistent history of loan financing, healthy cash flow and debt management. Owners want to show a return on investment and consistent profitability, tied to valuation of the business.

There are different approaches to valuation. A key component, however, is determining equity value, which is the market value of the dealership assets minus the market value of its liabilities.

Assets include such things as the dealership’s auto inventory and fixed assets including real estate. They can include intangible assets such as the goodwill value of the dealership’s name and location, sales and service agreements, and also synergies such as multiple locations and strong management.

Liabilities will include debt, any excess compensation, tax and rent issues, inventories and contingent liabilities such as environmental issues related to the storage and disposal of fuel, oil or batteries.

The bottom line is that a well-performing portfolio, a good location and healthy foot traffic — combined with properly managed debt — will be attractive to a potential buyer. A dealership that is attractive to lenders is also attractive to buyers or outside investors, even with debt factored in.

If your dealership struggles with debt management or cash flow either intermittently or throughout the year, don’t let it hinder opportunities to grow. Talk to the team in Cornwell Jackson’s auto dealership practice group. They will help you understand the proper structure of financial statements to support proactive lender conversations.

Download the Whitepaper: Use Debt to Increase Cash Flow

Scott Bates is an assurance and business services partner for Cornwell Jackson and supports the firms auto dealership practice. His clients include small business owners for whom he directs a team that provides outsourced accounting solutions, assurance, tax compliance services, and strategic advice. If you would like to learn more about how this topic might affect your business, please email or call Scott Bates.

Originally published on February 29, 2016. Updated on April 3, 2018. 

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Posted on Mar 6, 2018

Related finance companies have been around for a long time…and so have the IRS guidelines for valid RFCs that auto dealerships must follow for tax compliance.

Like third-party lenders, RFCs can offer to acquire receivables at a 25-40 percent, up-front discount of fair market value (FMV). Problems arise, however, when the discount is not based on FMV or when the dealer cannot prove an actual benefit from the transaction of either improving cash flow or shifting risk.

After the transaction, if the dealer is still directly responsible for the asset in terms of collecting payments, owning title, or collecting any insurance proceeds, for example, the IRS will question whether a sale of property actually occurred.

Discounts on Fair Market Value

A discount is typically acceptable in nearly all transfers of receivables. The level of discount is influenced by credit history, past payment history, time on the note and age of the vehicle. Related Finance Companies can offer to buy notes at a discount regardless of whether they buy in bulk or choose transactions selectively.

The IRS can consider the following in determining whether a dealer sold receivables to an RFC at fair market value:

  • Car jackets for loans that were sold to the RFC compared to loans that were sold to third parties
    • Could the debtor have obtained financing from third parties or was it unlikely? The car jacket usually includes a credit report on the borrower. If the discount rate is large, the customer will have a poor credit history.
    • If these loans were sold to the RFC at FMV, then similar loans sold to third parties will have a similar discount rate.
  • Frequency of payments on the loan required: weekly, biweekly, or monthly?
    • Required weekly payments generally indicate higher credit risk.
  • The dealer’s collection history on the loans prior to the discount date
    • Poor customer collections decrease the value of the note receivables.
    • Average dealer markup on dealer-financed sales compared to the average dealer markup on third-party financed and cash sales
  • If the markup is the same, then the face amount of the note should be the FMV of the note on the loan date. To the extent the markup is higher on dealer-financed sales, the FMV of the loans are less than their face value on the loan date.

In addition to these considerations of FMV, the IRS will look at the date of the discount relative to the date of the loan transaction. The closer the discount date is to the loan date, the less likely that factors such as a change in interest rates could impact the FMV calculation.

Related Finance Companies: Cash and Risk Benefits

The IRS may also determine that the transfer of dealer notes to the RFC was not a true sale of property based upon the following factors:

  • Upon the transfer of the notes, the dealer still had burdens of ownership:
    • Dealer’s employees collected the payments and performed repossessions
    • Dealer bared the risks of the credit-worthiness of the notes
    • Dealer’s financial position did not change when the notes were transferred to the RFC
  • RFC was thinly capitalized
  • Dealer, not the RFC, was responsible for repossessions
  • Title was not transferred to the RFC and RFC could not have sold the notes
  • Borrowers were not notified that the loan was reassigned to the RFC
  • If a vehicle was damaged in an accident, the dealer (not the RFC) had the right to any insurance proceeds
  • No written sales contracts were drawn up between the dealer and the RFC

If the IRS determines that no actual sales transaction took place with an entity separate from the dealership, auditors may perform a tax adjustment calculation.

This calculation equals the dealer’s increase in taxable income, which can be substantial depending on the number of transactions in a given tax year or years. All other unrelated income or expenses of the RFC will also remain on the RFC return.

Again, it can be very complex and time-consuming to regularly review the multiple areas of your entity forms, operations, transactions and tax reporting to ensure full compliance with the IRS on related finance company operations. This is why many dealerships fall short in the event of an IRS query.

To help you determine if it’s the right time to review financial management of your auto dealership or RFC operations, the IRS provides a helpful checklist of common questions to consider.

Download Cornwell Jackson’s whitepaper and checklist on RFC risk management.

Scott Bates is an assurance and business services partner for Cornwell Jackson and supports the firms auto dealership practice. His clients include small business owners for whom he directs a team that provides outsourced accounting solutions, assurance, tax compliance services, and strategic advice. If you would like to learn more about how this topic might affect your business, please email or call Scott Bates.

 

Blog originally published Dec. 4, 2015. Updated on March 6, 2018. 

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Posted on Feb 20, 2018

The average used auto dealership operates differently today than it did prior to 2008. Although margins can be healthier for “buy here pay here” dealers than for market rate dealers, accounting for these dealerships is complex. And cash flow is a constant concern. Dealers must balance inventory investment with collections. Yet, receivables alone don’t support healthy cash flow.

Receivables Rarely Keep Lights On for Auto Dealerships

There are two common scenarios that lead to buy here pay here dealership cash flow problems. Some dealers focus too much on buying vehicles, tying up their cash in inventory and experiencing a lag between car sales and collections. For the dealerships that try to balance inventory investment with receivables, it is difficult to sustain cash flow due to the car financing default ratios. Until they reach a certain size, dealers don’t collect enough in receivables alone to support regular investment in inventory, coverage of overhead or anything else.

If the dealership has common ownership in a related finance company (RFC), then there is the additional burden of ensuring the RFC has enough cash on hand to pay the dealership for the vehicle at the time of each financing transaction. In a previous article, we explained that RFCs allow dealerships to work with consumers who have little, no or bad credit. The consumer is able to finance a car through the RFC, separating the dealership from direct payment collections and other potential liability. The dealership collects cash up front. The RFC earns the income as it is earned from the car buyer’s payments.

Whether dealers are focused on inventory, receivables or expanding their transactions through RFCs, they will typically experience gaps in steady cash flow without some type of debt or equity contribution. A secure supply of cash flow requires regular management and vigilance as well as education around how to develop a healthy banking relationship. But there are appropriate ways to use debt (credit) to support cash flow while maintaining a healthy balance sheet.

Healthy Dealers Get Credit and Increase Cash Flow

It stands to reason that dealerships with good access to credit are considered healthy among other lenders or equity groups. They tend to have several things in common:

  • Good location: Geography still matters in this industry, so lenders or investors will consider the physical location of a dealership, its longevity and the size of the city to support extension of credit.
  • Good traffic: Traffic counts around the dealership will support projections of customer walk-ins, brand visibility and expectations for sales volume.
  • Strong collections: The proof is in the numbers. Dealerships must show an emphasis on receivables directly as well as through an RFC. Unlike the IRS, however, lenders and investors will view the dealership and RFC as one entity when extending credit to one or the other.
  • Well-performing loan portfolio: Although the industry standard is that just 10 percent of notes will survive the entire term, dealers must show that the majority of the portfolio is performing. Of course, recent notes are considered healthier than notes extending into year three or four when customer defaults and refinancing tend to occur.
  • Healthy margins: Lenders and investors want to see a profit margin year over year in the dealership and the RFC.

If your dealership struggles with cash flow either intermittently or throughout the year, don’t let it hinder opportunities to grow. Talk to the team in Cornwell Jackson’s auto dealership practice group. They will help you understand the proper structure of financial statements to support proactive lender conversations.

Scott Bates is an assurance and business services partner for Cornwell Jackson and supports the firms auto dealership practice. His clients include small business owners for whom he directs a team that provides outsourced accounting solutions, assurance, tax compliance services, and strategic advice. If you would like to learn more about how this topic might affect your business, please email or call Scott Bates.

Originally published on February 7, 2016. Updated on February 20, 2018. 

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Posted on Feb 20, 2018

Related finance companies (RFCs) were not designed to be a tax-planning vehicle to reduce or defer auto dealership income. If the IRS validity test discovers noncompliance that cannot be explained in the RFC’s or dealership’s documentation, additional taxes and penalties can be severe.

We find that many RFCs and dealers do not regularly review their operating agreements or operations to comply with validity factors for the RFC and its transactions. The process is understandably time consuming and complex. You can rest assured, however, that if the RFC receives an IRS query, then a dealership query often follows.

RFCs are usually set up as S Corporations. The RFC acts as the lender in the dealer’s financing of used vehicles. The notes are sold to the RFC at a discount due to the higher risk the RFC incurs in the transaction. The RFC accrues the income as it is earned from the car buyer’s weekly or bi-weekly payments.  The dealership collects cash up front, then books a current and deducted loss for the difference between the full contract and the discounted contract.

IRS Validity Test

According to the IRS, a valid RFC must have the following characteristics.

  • When the finance contract is sold to the RFC, title has been transferred to the RFC in accordance with title and lien holder laws
  • The discounting of the car dealer’s receivables are sold to the RFC at their fair market value
  • There is a written arms-length contract between the dealership and the RFC
  • The finance contracts are normally sold without recourse between the two related parties
  • The RFC is responsible for repossessions
  • The RFC is operated as a separate entity from the dealership and has the following characteristics:
    • Adequate capital to pay for the contracts
    • Meets all state and local licensing requirements
    • Maintains its own bank accounts
    • Has its own address and phone number and operates as a separate entity from the dealership
    • Maintains its own books
    • Has its own employees who are compensated directly by the RFC
    • Pays its own expenses
    • Customers make payments to the RFC, not to the dealership

The IRS Audit Technique Guide cites two common issues that put the validity of the RFC into question. Either the dealership and RFC do not treat and record the sale and financing properly or it is found that the RFC is operating like a shell company rather than a legitimate separate entity:

  • At the time of each transaction, the RFC must show actual cash reserves in its own bank accounts to pay the dealer; the dealer in turn must record receipt of payment for the note. Each entity must have separate journal entries for the transaction. If journal entries don’t match up, the IRS may disallow the transaction.
  • As for its validity as a separate entity, if the RFC doesn’t have a separate address and does not advertise itself as a separate company, it factors into the validity test. It must also be proven that the RFC is directly collecting payments and paying actual employees.

If the IRS does not view the RFC as a separate entity by these tests of validity, it will not allow the dealership to claim a deduction for losses on the sale of discounted vehicles to the RFC. It will defer to related party rules under IRS code 267 that do not allow loss deductions in transactions made between related persons. Without proper structuring as a separate operation, an RFC can become a liability.

The RFC may be completely valid, and the legal form can be proven, but dealers and managers must be confident in their ability to show proof and documentation in the event of an IRS query or audit. Sharing staff or running RFC bookkeeping and administration through the dealership to save now can prove costly in taxes and penalties later on. The IRS may determine that the RFC is not a valid separate entity. This finding, in effect, invalidates the cash method of accounting for the sale of notes to the RFC.

Interested in more details about RFCs and auto dealership accounting? Download our whitepaper on RFCs.

Continue Reading: Fair Market Value Test Can Render RFCs Invalid

Scott Bates is an assurance and business services partner for Cornwell Jackson and supports the firms auto dealership practice. His clients include small business owners for whom he directs a team that provides outsourced accounting solutions, assurance, tax compliance services, and strategic advice. If you would like to learn more about how this topic might affect your business, please email or call Scott Bates.

Blog originally published Dec. 3, 2015. Updated on February 20, 2018. 

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Posted on Feb 6, 2018

A related finance company can provide a useful service to the public when operated to help auto dealerships sell cars to people who need an alternative financing method. This does not mean that every dealer should operate an RFC. Rather than a benefit to the dealer, it can actually be a financial drain due to unnecessary overhead costs. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service has imposed increased scrutiny on RFCs over the last few years to crack down on potential noncompliance issues.

Pros of Creating an RFC

There are pros and cons to RFC creation and operation. Let’s look at the pros first. These entities allow dealerships to work with consumers who have little, no or bad credit. The consumer is able to finance a car through the RFC, separating the dealership from direct payment collections and insulating it from possible bad publicity if the loans default. Because interest rates charged in a “buy here, pay here” car purchase are substantially higher than with traditional loans, an RFC must maintain a larger level of cash reserves. The RFC keeps the default financial risk separate from the dealership.

History shows that when an RFC is involved in collection of auto loan payments, customers are less likely to default than when making payments directly to the dealer. In addition, RFC discount rates may be lower than what a dealer would obtain from third party lenders — resulting in a better profit per transaction.

Another benefit, depending on the licensing and regulatory requirements of the state, is the ability for the dealer to isolate liability for violation of licensing or capital requirements for finance companies. Such violations, if they occurred in the operation of the RFC, wouldn’t affect normal operation of the dealership.

The downside of using a Related Finance Company

In fact, RFCs work very well for dealerships that have approximately $1 million or more in receivables. This is the breakeven point if you look closely at the numbers of any given transaction compared to a straight retail sale as well as the overall net benefit on any income tax deferrals. Even at $1 million, however, dealers and managers need to consider very seriously if the additional overhead costs and administration of an RFC result in an overall financial benefit.  

An RFC is, after all, a separate entity and must be operated as such to meet IRS guidelines. This includes many fixed operating costs along with the costs of employing separate staff and ideally maintaining a separate location. Dealers need to factor in the time and money spent on creating the entity and then operating it. You must compare that ongoing expense to the potential savings based on your receivables.

As receivables grow past $1 million, an RFC starts to make more sense. Well-managed RFCs can offer discount rates much lower than rates offered by a third-party lender. Dealers can also rely on RFC experience to be more selective when extending credit, improving the quality of transactions. Proper management is the key, including the burden of ongoing diligence to satisfy IRS requirements. The trouble starts when the structure and operation of the RFC fails to pass the IRS validity test as an entity that is truly separate from the dealership.

Interested in more details about RFCs and auto dealership accounting? Download our whitepaper.

Continue Reading: Does Your RFC Pass the IRS Validity Test?  

Scott Bates is an assurance and business services partner for Cornwell Jackson and supports the firms auto dealership practice. His clients include small business owners for whom he directs a team that provides outsourced accounting solutions, assurance, tax compliance services, and strategic advice. If you would like to learn more about how this topic might affect your business, please email or call Scott Bates.

Blog originally published Dec. 2, 2015. Updated for content on February 6, 2018. 

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Posted on Nov 5, 2016

After a formal audit, audit rules require a management communication letter presented to the owners, leaders and/or audit committee that outlines control deficiencies. The individual(s) overseeing the audit process will need to confirm receipt of the management letter and sign off on the stated deficiencies and/or demonstrate how they have already been handled in a formal response. Financial institutions may request copies of these audit findings from the company.

 If there are deficiencies that require immediate or timely improvements by the company, the company will have to show how and when those deficiencies will be addressed and communicate the plan to the financial institution(s).

Beyond that, the audit team’s “job” is done. It is up to the company to determine how to make internal controls or process improvements that support compliance. However, a knowledgeable audit team will give leaders and owners some items to think about beyond fulfilling the requirements of the management communication letter.

Typically, a senior member of the CPA firm will follow up with the owner, CFO or accounting staff and talk to them about operational or financial health and efficiency. It is this discussion — before, during and after the audit — that sets audit teams apart. During that follow-up call, the audit team sets the tone for an ongoing relationship with management and business owners. Ideally, clients will contact the audit partner with questions or concerns throughout the year — for compliance and growth considerations. Owners may have questions about employment growth and overtime rules. They may want to know if an employee benefit plan audit is required, or the timing of a merger. Audit teams can often be the first people who see the advantages of a change in entity structure.

A proactive follow-up by your audit team can make the difference between a dreaded annual obligation and an anticipation of true advisory support. It may never be an amusing experience to see your audit team, but the right team can give leaders the value from their many years of reviewing financial statements, putting issues in context and identifying a new direction for the coming year. For us, it’s not just a job. It’s a relationship that begins — or strengthens — once your audit is complete.

Download the Whitepaper: The True Benefits of an Audit or Review of Financial Statements

Mike Rizkal, CPA, is a Partner in Cornwell Jackson’s Audit and Attest Service Group. He provides a variety of services to privately held, middle-market businesses with a focus in the construction, real estate, manufacturing, distribution, professional services and technology industries. He also oversees the firm’s ERISA practice, which includes the audits of approximately 75 employee benefit plans.

 

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Posted on Oct 21, 2016

Let’s look at some of the issues that an audit or review can bring to light for business owners and how it helps owners make better business decisions.

Keep in mind that experienced external audit teams conduct multiple engagements each year. The best teams stay up to date on changes in audit or review standards through their profession and the industries they serve. They also get a sense of best practices from seeing the best and the not-so-great examples of financial management.

For example, the team may notice that the size or level of experience in the accounting department has not kept pace with the growth of the company. Timing may be right to hire a controller or CFO or to consolidate accounting departments in multiple locations to one central location. Perhaps key financial measures that are typical of the industry are not in place to properly forecast…or A/R is consistently dated 120 days or more.

These issues will be brought to light by an experienced external audit team… issues that internal management may not notice or want to change. We find sometimes that aversion to change or personality conflicts can inhibit improvements in an accounting department — issues that an independent audit can recognize and communicate to owners for objective, third-party validation.

Experienced auditors will take notes on these improvements and also provide insight to the owners and staff as they go through the audit process. Some of their notations may not be required in the official opinion to satisfy compliance, while others are specific to the company culture and goals.

Auditing and Independence

The guise of independence stops some auditors from consulting during an audit and sticking to a checklist. In reality, independence has four parts: (1) auditors can’t function in management and make improvements for the company; (2) they can’t perform the accounting work they are auditing; (3) they can’t advise for personal benefit only; and (4) they can’t act as an advocate for the client to a third-party. However, providing suggestions for improvements is acceptable as long as the audit team steps back and lets the business owners make decisions and implement them.

It’s not an easy role to bridge the gap between compliance and business advisory. It takes a skilled auditor to see the forest for the trees — that is, interpreting the processes and accounting into actionable business steps.

Because a team may be on site for one or two weeks depending on the scope of the engagement, the following are additional areas they may note for later discussions from a tax or advisory services perspective.

  • Improvements to internal controls, company reports and disclosures
  • Reviewing how transactions are processed
  • Accounting department structure and capabilities
  • Accounting software or hardware recommendations
  • Consulting on entity structures or planned entity structures
  • Consulting on expansion plans in other states
  • Methods to improve cash flow
  • Debt and financing structures
  • Industry thought leadership and research

Building rapport and a relationship with the business owner, staff and audit committee members can bring these needs to light. The audit team is on site to do the job efficiently, but that doesn’t mean they have to be impersonal.

Continue Reading: What can business owners expect for follow-up after an audit or review?

Mike Rizkal, CPA, is a Partner in Cornwell Jackson’s Audit and Attest Service Group. He provides a variety of services to privately held, middle-market businesses with a focus in the construction, real estate, manufacturing, distribution, professional services and technology industries. He also oversees the firm’s ERISA practice, which includes the audits of approximately 75 employee benefit plans.

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Posted on Oct 11, 2016

The True Benefits of an Audit or Review of Financial Statements, Audit and Review Benefits

An independent audit or review of a company’s financial statements by external auditors has been a keystone of confidence in the world’s financial markets since its introduction. However, when discussing the value of audited or reviewed financial statements with privately held, middle-market business owners and operators, their views might fall more along the lines of obligation to bank terms rather than any true benefit to the business. In fact, industry-focused audit teams can deliver many business insights. With the help of an audit team, business owners can improve controls and operational inefficiencies while gaining a sense of best practices within their industry. An annual audit or review can support proper regulatory reporting and compliance, implementation of accounting standards in a timely manner and improved company KPIs for forecasting.

 

It’s a rare experience when clients are truly happy to see their audit team.

They may like the people on the team and value their experience, but they may not enjoy the requests for data, the potential on-site distractions or the issues an audit team may discover.

wp-download-audit-benefitsAs a CPA and career auditor in the Dallas area, I didn’t know if I could offer a different spin on this subject. Google tells us that an audit is defined as an official inspection — typically by an independent body — of an individual’s or organization’s accounts. A review is defined as a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary. Based on those definitions, it started to take shape in my mind…official inspection? Formal assessment or examination? None of those sound all that amusing to get business owners to appreciate the experience.

OK, I am under no illusion to make the case that an audit or review will be amusing. However, I can provide some insight on how an audit or review is helpful beyond satisfying a bank’s (or other financial institution’s) credit requirements. The larger — and often unsung — benefits to a business owner are worth the effort.

What are the benefits of an audit or review of financial statements?

We’ve already mentioned the obligatory reasons that companies schedule audits or reviews. Depending on the requirements of a bank or financial institution, business owners will need to seek an independent and outside perspective on the company’s financial statements. The chosen audit services team, at a minimum, should be able to review documents, processes and procedures and then issue an educated opinion on the general health of the financial statements.

I say “at a minimum” because that is all the audit services team is really engaged to do. To get the job done, they can go down their checklist, issue an opinion and get out of the business owner’s way. For some business owners, that may be enough. For others, there can be many more benefits to the audit or review experience.

A focused audit planning meeting in the fourth quarter is really the best place to start. With an experienced audit team, this doesn’t have to take long. They should ask questions about what’s going on in the business now as well as the owner’s short- and long-term goals; it helps the auditors look for issues, develop a plan for the engagement and open the lines of communication between management and the audit team. Prior to the audit planning meeting with the client, the engagement team will meet to review the previous years’ audit to give the whole team proper context on the client, its operations, areas for improved efficiency and unique things about the client and the engagement.

Bringing years of experience from other business situations is another plus during this planning meeting. The common complaint of having to “educate” the audit team about your company or industry shouldn’t happen during the audit. An experienced team will already have that knowledge base and use their time for constructive feedback throughout the engagement.

Speaking of consulting, keep this in mind. As a business grows, the complexity of a finance department changes. General bookkeeping gives way to the need for internal accounting staff, then a controller, then possibly a CFO. Companies traditionally engaged a CPA firm to support historic accounting, tax and assurance services, but as the competitive stakes get higher, owners need more sophisticated advisory services to keep pace with change. Auditors should ask the question: Why are you doing it that way? If the answer is: “That’s how we’ve always done it,” then it’s an opportunity for real time insight during the audit engagement. An audit team should not be viewed only as an enforcement agency that stops business owners from breaking the rules.  

When looking for an audit services team, owners and/or audit committees have to consider what they are really receiving from the engagement. Here are a few key characteristics to consider:

  • Does the audit team have industry-specific experience that can provide broader industry insights?
  • Is the audit team aware of industry and technical regulatory requirements that are specific to the company’s industry?
  • Has the audit team worked with similarly sized businesses to understand best practices for accounting requirements, company reports, controls and disclosures?
  • Has the audit team provided insight on accounting department staff capacity and levels of experience as they relate to the size of the company and its growth goals?
  • Will the audit team share operational best practices beyond providing baseline assurance on the financial statements?

This list may be considered above and beyond the confines of a typical audit or review — and owners may wonder if the price tag goes with it. In fact, an experienced audit services team can note many of these needs or issues within the timeline and hours of a competitively priced audit engagement. They know what to look for and can do it efficiently.

Continue Reading: How can an audit or review help business owners?

MR HeadshotMike Rizkal, CPA, is a Partner in Cornwell Jackson’s Audit and Attest Service Group. He provides a variety of services to privately held, middle-market businesses with a focus in the construction, real estate, manufacturing, distribution, professional services and technology industries. He also oversees the firm’s ERISA practice, which includes the audits of approximately 75 employee benefit plans.

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Posted on Jul 28, 2016

Your dealership likely prepares and sends operating reports to your manufacturer every month. How you use the reports beyond sending them to the factory can have a big impact on your dealership’s profitability.

Here are three ideas for using your monthly operating report as a tool to stay on track as the year progresses.

1. Keep an Eye on Revenue.

Every manufacturer’s report is different, but yours likely contains, in some format, a summary of that month’s operating revenue. These figures can quickly tell you which departments are the moneymakers and which lag behind expectations.

Let’s say that the current month’s operating report for a dealership shows that it brought in the following in gross revenues: $2 million in new car sales, $750,000 in used car sales, $140,000 in parts sales, $61,000 in service income and $56,000 in body shop income.

You also can see how income from your store’s various departments compare with the prior month, as well as a year ago, the dealership’s projected budget, benchmarks and so on. Let’s assume that you projected $2.25 million in new car sales for the current month. With sales coming in at only $2 million, you are concerned that first quarter sales are off to a slow start and, thus, choose to move up by several weeks a new car sales promotion you had planned to run in two months.

Another example involves gross revenue versus turnover. Take Dealer A, who buys a vehicle for $20,000, holds it for 90 days and finally sells it making a $3,000 gross profit. Many dealers would be pleased with this outcome. But let’s also consider Dealer B, who spends the same $20,000, sells the vehicle in 30 days but only achieves a 10 percent profit margin or $2,000 gross profit. The difference is that Dealer B does three times the sales in the same 90 days, doubling his total gross income compared to Dealer A.

There are many other ways to use your operating report to analyze front-end operations.

2. Figure Out the Reasons Behind the Numbers.

When you analyze the back end of your operations, for example, you’ll look at income and expenses in the service, parts and body shop departments.

Let’s say that you have a gross profit of $33,000 in the service department. This alarms your manufacturer, because it’s less than 55 percent of your monthly service sales and shows that your gross profit percentage has slipped from the target of 65 percent. But it shouldn’t be a major concern if the reason for the shortfall is that the department was busier than usual refurbishing used cars for sale next month — and profits for that venture won’t start showing up until the following month.

3. Consider other Benchmarks.

Monthly operating reports are also a way for you to measure your dealership’s performance against more complex benchmarks. Consider, for instance, the concept of “service absorption.” This is defined as the sum of total parts, service and body shop gross profits divided by the sum of total fixed expenses plus dealer salary plus parts, service and body shop sales expense. (If your report doesn’t have this category, you could calculate it from the other data provided.)

Let’s say that your store’s benchmark range for service absorption is 85 to 100 percent, but your current operating report shows your store coming in at 83.8 percent for the month. This figure is only slightly below the bottom of your benchmark range. Nonetheless, you might want to take steps to lower expenses or bump up revenue for the next month to be sure your store is in the benchmark range.

Achieving a service absorption of 85 percent or higher will give you a competitive advantage over your competition, because the new and used departments only need to cover 15 percent or less of your dealership’s total fixed expenses. Thus, you can afford to take less gross profit on an individual sale.

Knowledge Can Be Golden

By studying your manufacturer’s operating reports, you can arrive at countless insights, from your day supply of vehicles to the gross profit per technician to determine an adequate employee count in the back end. All of this knowledge can be golden, because it helps you recognize strengths, pinpoint weaknesses and set goals for the rest of the year. Don’t let it go unnoticed.

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Posted on May 31, 2016

There are two schools of thought when creating cash flow for a buy here pay here auto dealership. One involves selling cars as quickly as possible and repossessing them just as quickly. The other more viable option is to focus on customer service. By keeping customers in a vehicle longer, the dealer can also secure steady cash flow and support repeat customers as well as referrals. Dealers, collections staff and service technicians are all involved in the customer experience. This article reviews the benefits of a customer-centric approach to cash flow and financial management and the tools that help dealers achieve more profitable payment streams.

Build in Safeguards for Bad Breaks with BHPH Bad Customers

Not every customer will respond positively to improved customer service at a buy here pay here dealership. There will be times when some customers take advantage and eventually stop paying and communicating. Be prepared for a level of default and repossession from bhph bad customers. Build that expected percentage of defaults into your budget while focusing the majority of your efforts on well-intentioned customers who need the option your dealership offers.

Don’t assume it’s a customer issue until you explore the situation. If collections start to dip, check in with collections staff to make sure they are reaching out to customers regularly, assessing the situation and discussing payment options. At times, you may find that collections outreach is inconsistent; that is an internal operations issue rather than a customer issue. Check the call logs to determine where and when the communications process is breaking down. It may also be a matter of how collections staff are communicating with customers. In this case, you will need more training around appropriate or scripted conversations that support a positive customer response and cooperation. Collections conversations about repossession are very different than conversations that encourage a customer to get current on payments.

If your staff is unable or unwilling to work in this new model, it may be easier to replace staff and promote “new management” to encourage more customer interest and communication. This includes anyone who will interact with customers. The longer you wait to reeducate staff and get customers talking, the more likely you will lose the payment stream and deal with more repossessions.

Slower collections, however, may also reside with a dealer who is not pulling and reading reports every week — or at least biweekly. If the dealer doesn’t have the time to pull and review reports regularly, assign a back office team member to the task who can pull reports and summarize findings.

One important factor for achieving regular payment streams is how the payments are set up in the first place.

Customers in buy here pay here arrangements typically make weekly or biweekly payments, sometimes in person. Payments should be set up according to how the customer gets paid, which is usually weekly or every other week. For other customers, their income can change during the year. It’s much easier to handle a collections issue later if you are aware of how the customer gets paid, what could hinder the customer from paying and how you will resolve a cash flow issue on the customer side if and when it happens.

Meet with your CPA every month or quarter to gain insight on reporting and budgeting improvements as well as cash flow projections for the dealership. Your CPA will not make customer service calls for you or force you to design and read more accurate reports. But we can make sure the software is set up properly to provide up-to-date and helpful reports. CPAs familiar with buy here pay here can also identify the information dealers should pay attention to in a customer-centric environment.

Dealers will still have to repossess vehicles even with good customer service. So why make the switch? The simple answer is that valuation of the dealership is tied to strong collections, a well-performing loan portfolio and healthy margins. Lenders and investors consider these areas of the operation carefully when deciding to extend credit. At least one investment group we know of required a dealer to switch to the customer-centric approach as a way to improve cash flow.

If you think this approach could work better for your dealership in the long run, talk to the auto dealership team at Cornwell Jackson.

Download the Whitepaper Here: Customer Service: A Better Approach to BHPH Cash Flow

Mike Rizkal, CPA is the audit and assurance partner in Cornwell Jackson’s assurance practice and auto dealership segment. Mike utilizes his real world practical experience to provide consulting and accounting services to buy here pay here owners and managers across North Texas.

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