2026 Year-End Financial Readiness & 2027 Planning
Close 2026 with confidence. Build a stronger 2027.
From year-end financial reviews and reconciliation support to comprehensive 2027 budgeting and forecasting, Seward Park Consulting helps businesses understand where they stand today and develop a clear financial strategy for tomorrow.
Three connected services
Review this year. Understand it. Plan the next.
A · Year-end review & close
2026 Year-End Financial Review & Close Support
Year-end reports go to owners, investors, lenders, and boards — and once they're out, they're hard to walk back. We work alongside your finance team to make sure what you report is complete, consistent, and supportable.
Our job is to surface issues while there's still time to address them: the reconciling items, the unusual transactions, the revenue that didn't make it to the books.
Find the issues before reports are finalized or distributed — not after.
This is management financial review, reconciliation support, and audit-preparation assistance — not an independent audit.
What's included
- Review of year-end financial statements
- General ledger analysis and reconciliation support
- Identification of unusual transactions and financial variances
- Revenue and expense trend analysis
- Accounts receivable and accounts payable reviews
- Identification of potential revenue leakage
- Accrual and expense recognition review
- Review of financial reporting completeness
- Support with month-end and year-end closing procedures
- Identification of discrepancies requiring management attention
- Preparation of financial reporting packages for leadership
- Coordination and preparation for external accountants or auditors
B · Budgeting & forecasting
2027 Budget Development & Financial Forecasting
Most budgets start with last year's spending and add a percentage. That misses what actually changes: new contracts and services, staffing, pricing, customer or payer mix, and the risks already visible in this year's numbers.
We build budgets from the drivers of your business, so the plan reflects how you'll actually operate in 2027 — and connects financial expectations to the operations that have to deliver them.
Not a spreadsheet that gets filed away. A financial operating plan your leadership team uses every month of 2027.
Capabilities
- Comprehensive 2027 operating budgets
- Revenue forecasting based on historical performance and business drivers
- Expense forecasting and cost structure analysis
- Labor and staffing expense modeling
- Department-level and business-unit budgeting
- Cash flow forecasting
- Profitability and margin analysis
- Scenario modeling and sensitivity analysis
- Identification of cost reduction opportunities
- Revenue growth planning
- Budget-to-actual reporting frameworks
- Financial performance dashboards
- Monthly and quarterly financial targets
- Executive and leadership budget presentations
An operating budget by department or business unit, built on clear assumptions.
Revenue, expense, and cash flow forecasts with base, upside, and downside scenarios.
Monthly and quarterly targets with a budget-to-actual reporting framework.
A leadership-ready budget presentation that explains the plan and its risks.
Before building next year's budget, understand what's driving this year's performance.
C · Performance & risk
Financial Performance & Risk Assessment
The link between this year's results and next year's plan.
A budget built on numbers you don't fully understand inherits their problems. This assessment identifies the financial weaknesses, operational inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities to address before the new fiscal year begins.
What we find here becomes the assumptions, targets, and risk notes in your 2027 budget.
What we assess
- Historical financial performance analysis
- Revenue leakage identification
- Accounts receivable aging analysis
- Working capital assessments
- Expense and vendor cost analysis
- Operating margin evaluations
- Financial process and internal control reviews
- KPI and management reporting assessments
- Identification of budget risks
- Recommendations for operational improvements
- Financial improvement action plans
How the season typically runs
From year-end close to a plan you can track.
Review & close support
Reconciliations, variance review, and reporting packages while 2026 is still open.
Assessment & budget build
Performance and risk findings feed a driver-based 2027 budget and forecast.
Track & adjust
Budget-to-actual reporting and quarterly check-ins keep the plan in use.
Questions
Common questions about year-end and budgeting work.
Do you perform financial statement audits?
No. Our year-end financial review is a management advisory service — reconciliation support, financial analysis, and audit-preparation assistance. We do not perform audits or CPA review engagements, issue opinions, or certify financial statements. When an audit or review is required, we help you prepare for it and coordinate with your external CPA or auditor.
When should we start building our 2027 budget?
Ideally while 2026 is still closing. Reviewing this year's performance first gives the budget a realistic starting point, and starting in Q4 leaves time for leadership review before the new year begins. If you're already into 2027, we can build or rebuild the budget and set up budget-to-actual tracking from there.
Do you work alongside our existing accountant or finance team?
Yes. We're built to complement your bookkeeper, controller, or outside CPA — not replace them. We add analysis, reconciliation support, and planning capacity, and we prepare the materials your accountant or auditor needs.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Operationally complex businesses across industries, including healthcare and home-based care, waste and environmental services, field operations, and professional services. What matters most is that the business has real financial and operational decisions in front of it.
Get started
Is your business ready for 2027?
Whether you're finalizing 2026 financials, building next year's budget, or identifying opportunities to improve performance, Seward Park Consulting can help.
info@sewardparkconsulting.com · Charlotte, NC
Scope of services
Seward Park Consulting provides management-level financial review, reconciliation support, financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and audit-preparation assistance. We do not perform audits or CPA review engagements, issue audit opinions, provide attest services, or certify financial statements, and we do not provide tax or legal advice. Where an audit, review, or tax filing is required, we coordinate with and prepare materials for your external CPA or auditor.