Arising Group Sharpens Financial Focus Financial Intelligence Requires a Deeper Look PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 May 2008 New York, NY — Arising Group recently completed intensive exercises in financial analysis with Tim Powell of The Knowledge Agency. George Karshner, Executive Vice President at Arising Group said that understanding the financial fitness of a company is essential to proper due diligence."Companies targeted for M&A or involved in litigation may not want to reveal their true financial condition", Karshner said. "A company's public relations team may put on a happy face, but to know the true health of a company you need to look at their public filings and financial statements and understand the implications of the different business ratios", he added. "These financial intelligence exercises with The Knowledge Agency have helped us hone our skills in this area". ARISING Group has provided software and services to the Financial Industry for more than a decade. Their clients include Banks, Brokerage firms, CPAs, and Independent Fair Valuators for Hedge Funds. They understand that good business practices call for the ability to survey the competitive landscape, forecast probable events and set up early warning systems. These competitive intelligence tools first require an understanding of the numbers. "I've tried to bottle those must-know things about using financial analysis to discover your rivals' strategies," says Knowledge Agency founder Tim Powell. "These are skills I've developed and used every day in my work as a financial analyst, including ten years in the Big Four firms." In the Arising Group-Knowledge Agency exercises, Powell identified clues to the competitive dynamics in their industry. Included were discussions of: The 3 major financial statements and how they interact, the 4 major categories of player in the financial information markets, the 4 most important SEC reports, and how to access the strategic information in each. Basic concepts like asset valuation, revenue recognition, depreciation and amortization, and ratio analysis were also reviewed. They also discussed the 7 "red flags" that signal a need to dig deeper. In his New Yorker column "Open Secrets", Malcolm Gladwell recently pointed out that a team of MBA students was able to predict the Enron meltdown using thorough financial statement analysis. "While it's all public information, it's often not 'transparent'" the Knowledge Agency's Powell says. As with most endeavors getting the good stuff usually requires more effort. ABOUT THE ARISING GROUP Arising Group provides custom software applications and beautiful, functional websites for the financial, retail, healthcare and not-for-profit industries. From automated office tools to deep data mining and customized enterprise software applications, Arising Group has the technology-driven solutions that fuel fast growth. Utilizing our programming expertise, real world hands-on experience and proven delivery methodology, Arising elevates business performance with Solutions that Strengthen™. Visit their website at www.arising.com # # # | 
