Investors use free cash flow to help assess a company's performance and what lies ahead. Issues in free cash flow often ...

The statement of cash flows, also known as the cash flow statement, summarizes a company's sources and uses of cash. The net cash flow is the difference between a company's cash inflows and outflows.

Assets are a company's resources, such as inventory and equipment. They sometimes tie up a significant amount of money, so you want to make sure your small business squeezes as much benefit from them ...

Financial statements are essentially the report cards for businesses. They tell the story, in numbers, about the financial health of the business. The information found on the financial statements of ...

Free cash flow is the amount of cash a business has remaining from operations after paying capital expenditures. Find out how investors can use free cash flow to measure the financial health of a ...

One thing that separates fledgling investors from the pros is reading financial statements. For amateurs, comparing the so-called headline numbers — sales and earnings — to estimates is the full ...

The cash flow statement reveals a lot about a business that you can't immediately find on the income statement or balance sheet. For example, many companies are profitable on the income statement, ...

How net income becomes free cash flow. The choices companies can make with free cash flow (and why investors should care). Margins that can indicate the health of public companies. To catch full ...

How does a company account for cash payments received in advance of delivering its goods or services? Under the "accrual-basis accounting" rules used by most companies, advance payments can't be ...

A factor is a financial intermediary that purchases receivables from a company. It agrees to pay the invoice, less a discount for commission and fees.