FirmAdapt

Field notes on AI in business

Practical writing on AI, automation and the day-to-day work of running a business. From the team that builds and runs AI systems.

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Proxy statement

Proxy Statement Deep Dive: Everything Beyond Executive Compensation

The proxy statement covers far more than CEO pay. How to read board bios, related party transactions, entrenchment provisions, and voting standards.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Reits

How to Analyze REITs Differently Than Traditional Companies

REITs break most of the metrics you use on normal companies. Here is how to evaluate them properly with FFO, AFFO, NAV, occupancy, and balance-sheet analysis.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Financial intelligence

Financial Intelligence for Non-Financial Executives: A Practical Guide

A working guide to financial statements for product, engineering, and marketing leaders: margins, cash flow, footnotes, and where to look on EDGAR.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Climate disclosure

How SEC Climate Disclosure Rules Will Change Company Analysis

The SEC's climate disclosure rules are stuck in court, but standardized emissions data is coming anyway. Here's how to fold it into company analysis.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

AI strategy

Buy vs Build for AI in the Mid-Market: What the Success-Rate Data Says

MIT's GenAI Divide study found bought AI tools succeed about 67% of the time, internal builds about a third as often. Why the gap widens in the mid-market.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Dividend investing

Dividend Growth Investing: Finding Companies That Will Raise Dividends for Decades

Dividend growth investing compounds income for years. Here is how to spot companies that can keep raising the payout, and how to build a portfolio around them.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

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Financial scoring

How to Build a Company Scoring System Using Multiple Financial Models

A practical guide to combining the Piotroski F-Score, Altman Z-Score, Beneish M-Score, ROIC, and valuation into one composite score for ranking companies.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Audit committee

The Role of the Audit Committee in Financial Reporting and What Investors Should Check

The audit committee is the last checkpoint between management's numbers and your analysis. Here is what to check in the proxy statement before trusting a 10-K.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Beneish m score

The Beneish M-Score: Detecting Earnings Manipulation Before the Market Catches On

The Beneish M-Score uses eight financial variables to spot likely earnings manipulation. Here is how to calculate it, read it, and act on what it tells you.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Business intelligence

How to Benchmark Your Company Against AI-Native Competitors

AI-native entrants run on a structurally different cost base. How to spot them early, and how to benchmark unit labor cost, speed-to-quote, and margin trajectory.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Patent analysis

The Hidden Value of Patent Data in Company Analysis

Patent filings describe what a company plans to sell years before it ships. How to read portfolios, citations, and expirations in company analysis.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

Industry analysis

Industry Life Cycles: How to Read the Phase Before You Pick the Stock

Every industry has an age, and the phase it's in changes which metrics matter and what returns are realistic. Here's how to read the phase before you analyze the company.

Basel IsmailJul 10, 2026

1,319 articles