General Business News

No matter the type of business or industry, being able to analyze and deduce patterns is essential to discovering a business’ financial health. Here are four commonly used calculations to help internal and external stakeholders determine an organization’s ability to manage its finances. Break-Even Analysis This formula analyzes fixed costs versus the profitability a business earns for every extra item it creates and sells. Businesses that have smaller thresholds to meet their fixed costs to realize profitability have an easier break-even point to meet and exceed. Once the fixed costs threshold is satisfied and sales revenue outpaces variable costs, a business will know when itRead More →

This metric, which is also referred to as the cash cycle or the net operating cycle, looks at the time a business takes to recover its investment in inventory to eventually sell. The process starts from selling its goods, collecting on outstanding receivables or invoices, and satisfying its operating costs with the sale proceeds. It’s normally measured in days to determine the company’s financial health. The less time necessary to complete the CCC, the healthier a company is financially because it means the business’ money spends less time tied up in inventory or collecting on outstanding inventory. It’s important to be mindful that different industriesRead More →

Analyzing a company’s Accounts Receivables is an effective way to measure its current cash flows and the likelihood of maintaining healthy cash flows. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Index (Third Quarter 2024), 68 percent of small business owners reported being content with their third quarter cash flow performance. This illustrates the importance for small business owners to do everything possible to maintain healthy cash flows, including evaluating the quality of accounts receivables (A/R). Defining Accounts Receivables This account or line item on the balance sheet gives the business’ managers/owners and investors a measure on how much money a business expects toRead More →

Whether it’s a private equity transaction or an institutional or retail investor, analyzing a company’s financial statements is an important part of fundamental analysis. One important but basic way to analyze whether a company is worth investing in is through the expanded accounting equation. The most straightforward equation to analyze a business’ balance sheet is: Assets = Liabilities + Shareholder’s Equity However, there are more detailed equations that analysts can employ to more closely examine a company’s financial situation. One way to look at it is by more comprehensive equations that break down net income and the transactions related to the equity owners (dividends, etc.).Read More →

When it comes to running a business, there are a lot of expenses incurred during operations. As of January 2024, New York University’s Stern School of Business had recorded nearly $1.2 trillion in capital expenditures by U.S. sectors. Considering this, there are two important concepts that are imperative to study for effective accounting treatment: capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx). Defining CapEx and OpEx Operating expenses (OpEx) are required outlays a company incurs on a more frequent basis to take care of day-to-day expenditures. Capital expenditures (CapEx), conversely, are larger purchases that businesses intend to use over the long term (at least 12 months). Read More →

With more than eight million small businesses in America, and more than $776 billion in net premiums issued by the insurance industry in 2022 for commercial policies (according to the Insurance Information Institute), business insurance is big business. Along with protecting businesses from a myriad of claims, insurance expenses also have to be accounted for correctly. When it comes to defining prepaid insurance, it’s essentially remittances that businesses (and individuals) make to an insurance company in advance. Normally, the usual time-frame for an insurance policy is 12 months. The time-frame is important when it comes to distinguishing between current and long-term asset classification. If aRead More →

A credit policy explains how a company will manage lines of credit for client accounts and what procedures to follow for severely outstanding invoices. It helps a business promote a robust foundation for its working capital level. Defining a Credit Policy Unlike personal credit scores, business scores range from 0 to 100; the scores from the FICO Small Business Scoring Service range from 0 to 300. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a first step to establishing business credit is to sign up for a Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) number for each business location. There are three components to a company’s credit policy. First,Read More →

During Q3 of 2023, businesses in the United States made approximately $3.3 trillion, according to Statista. This is right behind the third quarter of 2022, when corporations in America made even more money. These figures are the net income of the respective periods, according to the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA). With profits reaching all-time highs since Q3 of 2012, understanding how businesses can analyze their profitability ratios through the Operating Return on Assets (OROA) ratio is another helpful tool for number crunchers. Defining OROA This calculation helps business owners and analysts determine how well a business is run. It shows the percentage, perRead More →

When it comes to any business, but especially for a start-up, it’s essential to determine how long a company can survive before it must declare bankruptcy and/or close its doors. The biggest metric, especially for a start-up, is to determine how much money a company has to keep its lights on. The term “burn rate” is defined as how much money a company spends monthly to maintain its operations. It is essential for a company to know how long it can operate before it begins to generate income and hopefully becomes cash flow positive. It is important to look at two differences between the twoRead More →

We all have those days when we dream of striking it rich with a winning lottery ticket. Never having to work again while living a life of luxury. While your chance of finding a four-leaf clover is higher than winning the lottery, we can still dream, right? And while we are dreaming, let’s talk about the best ways to deal with landing such a large sum of cash. And since lottery winners have a limited time to claim their prize, it’s important to take prudent steps when managing the money. How Much Do Winners Actually Take Home? Let’s take a look at actual prize amountsRead More →