The tacit assumption among business owners and their bookkeepers generally seems to be that the primary objective of financial performance reporting is to facilitate the production of an income tax return. To this end, the primary objective of the income statement is to report the companys net profit. This assumption is misguided. The primary objective of the income statement should be to report the companys cash flow. Quoting Dr. Pablo Fernandez, recognized as among the worlds leading authorities on business valuationThere is a financial accounting maxim which, although it is not absolutely true, comes very close to it and which is a good thing to remember, net income is just an opinion, net cash flow is a factAccording to Robert Trueblood who led a distinguished body of accountants to study the subject of what information users of financial statements really need the most, their final conclusion was both simple and clear: a need to get a handle on anticipated future cash flowsThe purpose of Turning Black Ink Into Gold is to show small business owners how high-quality financial performance reporting can improve their companys profitability and market value