Category Archives: Finance

Key Financial Ratios – Market Value
There are a number of key financial ratios that can be used to assess a firm’s performance, competitiveness and ability borrow and pay debt. These key financial ratios cover a broad range of indicators including: (1) Profitability, (2) Asset Productivity, (3) Liquidity, (4) Solvency / Financial Leverage and (5) Market Value. This tutorial is the last of 5 on key financial ratios. Market Value is covered in this last one.

Key Financial Ratios – Solvency / Financial Leverage
There are a number of key financial ratios that can be used to assess a firm’s performance, competitiveness and ability borrow and pay debt. These key financial ratios cover a broad range of indicators including: (1) Profitability, (2) Asset Productivity, (3) Liquidity, (4) Solvency / Financial Leverage and (5) Market Value. This tutorial is the fourth of 5 on key financial ratios. Solvency / Financial Leverage is covered in this one.

Key Financial Ratios – Liquidity
There are a number of key financial ratios that can be used to assess a firm’s performance, competitiveness and ability borrow and pay debt. These key financial ratios cover a broad range of indicators including: (1) Profitability, (2) Asset Productivity, (3) Liquidity, (4) Solvency / Financial Leverage and (5) Market Value. This tutorial is the third of 5 on key financial ratios. Liquidity is covered in this one.

Key Financial Ratios – Asset Productivity
There are a number of key financial ratios that can be used to assess a firm’s performance, competitiveness and ability borrow and pay debt. These key financial ratios cover a broad range of indicators including: (1) Profitability, (2) Asset Productivity, (3) Liquidity, (4) Solvency / Financial Leverage and (5) Market Value. This tutorial is the second of 5 on key financial ratios. Asset Productivity is covered in this one.

Income Statement Format
A proper income statement format comes in two varieties. The first one discussed here is the single step income statement and the second is the multiple step income statement format. There are key differences between the two and you should know when to use each for the right situation. The downloadable spreadsheet is at the end of the tutorial.

Financial Analysis Example – Planning for Retirement
While a robust financial analysis example can teach you many things and span across numerous practical applications, there is none that is as relevant as the one involved in your own personal financial planning. This particular financial analysis example shows you how you can set up a spreadsheet model to evaluate and attain your personal financial goals. Relevant concepts such as Present Value, Future Value and Real Rate of Return, among others, are discussed. The exportable spreadsheet can be found at the end of the tutorial.

Cash Flow Analysis
Cash flow analysis is so crucial because cash is king! When evaluating a company’s performance, most stakeholders whether internal or external, are interested in how well the company is generating cash. Having a strong grasp of cash flow analysis can give you great insights into the company’s past, present and future performance. There are a few types of cash flow analysis and in a series of tutorials we will explore the cash flow statement, cash flow ratios, discounted cash flow and free cash flow.

The Basics And Pricing Of Debt Securities (Bonds)
When a company is fortunate enough to have excess cash sitting around it may invest in debt securities that are either issued by the government or other private entities. Similarly, a company in need of financing to improve its cash position may find it necessary to issue debt to investors who are interested in generating interest income in addition to any potential discount they can benefit from based on the face value of the bond.

Basics of Inventory Valuation
For merchandisers, manufacturers and wholesalers, inventory is often times the largest asset item represented on the balance sheet as a current asset. It is considered one of the more liquid assets because the basic assumption is that inventory owned by a company will be sold in the near future and converted to cash (the most liquid of any asset type). Inventory includes items that are ready for sale (finished goods), items in the process of being produced (work in progress) and raw materials that will be used to produce the final goods.