Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet - FAST Watch for these 10 green… | 22 comments (2024)

Brian Feroldi

I demystify the stock market | Author, Speaker, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

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How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green flags:1️⃣ More Cash Than DebtFormula: Cash vs DebtWhat: Cash creates options. Debt reduces options. Strong companies don't need much debt.2️⃣ No Accounts ReceivablesFormula: Accounts ReceivablesWhat: Ideally, a company has no accounts receivables, meaning that it gets paid right away for sales and does not issue credit to its customers.3️⃣ No InventoryFormula: InventoryWhat: Ideally, companies do not hold inventory, which ties up company resources.4️⃣ Goodwill Less Than 10% of Total AssetsFormula: Goodwill / Total AssetsWhat: Ideally, a company grows organically, not by acquisition.5️⃣ Current Liabilities Less Than CashFormula: Current Liabilities vs CashWhat: Great companies do not have many liabilities. Ideally, they could pay off all of their liabilities with cash on hand.6️⃣ No Short-Term or Long-Term DebtFormula: Short-Term & Long-Term DebtWhat: Great companies don't need to use debt to fund themselves.7️⃣ Deferred RevenueFormula: Deferred Revenue (Look in Other Liabilities)What: Deferred revenue means a company gets paid before it has to deliver the product/service. That produces cash and is a great sign.8️⃣ No Preferred StockFormula: Preferred StockWhat: Strong companies don't need to issue preferred stock to fund themselves.9️⃣ Retained Earnings Positive & GrowingFormula: Retained EarningsWhat: Strong companies fund themselves through retained earnings. They also grow retained earnings consistently.🔟 Treasury StockFormula: Treasury StockWhat: Treasury stock means a company is buying back stock from shareholders. That's a positive sign.What Green Flags 🇿🇲 did I miss? Let me know below!***P.S. Want to master financial statements analysis? Join me in January for my cohort-based course, Financial Statement Explained Simply.Details here: https://lnkd.in/efFp6PmJInterested? Send me a direct message for a coupon code.If you found this post useful, please repost ♻️ to share with your audience.

  • Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green… | 22 comments (2)

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Brian Feroldi

I demystify the stock market | Author, Speaker, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

2mo

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P.S. Want to master financial statements analysis? Join me in January for my cohort-based course, Financial Statement Explained Simply.Details here: https://lnkd.in/efFp6PmJ

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Mohamed Rafik NAILI, FMVA®, CBCA®, BIDA®

Financial Analyst | Data Analyst | Web Developer | Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

2mo

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1. Cash vs DebtWhat if you find that cash > debt and call it a green flag. Then take a look at the cashflow statement and realize most of that cash came out of issuing additional stock.. therefore diluted equity.. definitely not a green flag for the initial shareholders

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Bojan Radojicic

Finance Modeling Coach. Helping Finance Pros Make More Money with Impactful Finance Models & Trainings.

2mo

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1 and 4 (too much cash) means the company should start with investing. Before any analysis of BS I prefer to make sure I watch an accurate figures. These are 10 typical mistakes I found in the balance sheet rewiew.

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Brian Stoffel

I demystify the stock market | Investor, Financial Educator, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

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Deferred Revenue -- the best kind of liability you can have

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Gary Jain 🚀

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Ensure more cash than debt, as it gives flexibility. Aim for no accounts receivables, getting paid quickly. True Brian Feroldi!

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Leita Hart Fanta

Founder at Yellowbook-CPE.com

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Brian, please share a public company that has achieved most of this. Thx mucho!

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John F. Ellis

Chairman (Board of Directors) | Executive Director & CFO

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These diagrams are always a resource and a lovely viewing!! Its beautiful!! The Balance sheet, is like a lover you want to pull close, wrap a soft blanket around, and coddle until the light in and out breaths start expelling the beautiful sound of cash registers opening and closing, ringing and dinging, over and over........Paradise!!To get in love with your money by way of orchestrating and coordinating your financial sheets to see your hard work flourish though, is nothing less then a consistent commitment and relationship on its own! Responsibilities and relationships need obligation and loyalty. Its work! Its opportunity!! Its your future!Figure it out!

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Brian Stoffel

I demystify the stock market | Investor, Financial Educator, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

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Anyone know a company that checks EVERY one of these?>

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Davor Papac

Expert in SME banking, factoring, management and finance executive | MBA in Management

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Probably a (lower) single-digit percentage of all companies anywhere. Nice story that sounds good during a festive season though...

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Arash Shahlaee, MA

Banking Advisor at RBC || Lecturer || CFA level ll candidate ||

2mo

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A ratio analysis can shed more light to a company's financial situation. Absolut values can never tell us the whole story. I believe FRA, is all about storytelling. Companies are more than numbers and we should be able to see through. Nice diagram by the way!

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    Easy to understand with infographics.

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  • Brian Feroldi

    I demystify the stock market | Author, Speaker, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

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    How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green flags:1️⃣ More Cash Than DebtFormula: Cash vs DebtWhat: Cash creates options. Debt reduces options. Strong companies don't need much debt.2️⃣ No Accounts ReceivablesFormula: Accounts ReceivablesWhat: Ideally, a company gets paid right away for sales and does not issue credit to its customers.3️⃣ No InventoryFormula: InventoryWhat: Ideally, companies do not hold inventory.4️⃣ Goodwill Less Than 10% of Total AssetsFormula: Goodwill / Total AssetsWhat: Ideally, a company grows organically, not by acquisition.5️⃣ Current Liabilities Less Than CashFormula: Current Liabilities vs CashWhat: Great companies do not have a lot of liabilities. Ideally, they could pay off all of their liabiilies with cash on hand.6️⃣ No Short-Term or Long Term DebtFormula: Short-Term & Long Term DebtWhat: Great companies don't need to use debt to fund themselves7️⃣ Deferred RevenueFormula: Deferred Revenue (Look in Other Liabilities)What: Deferred revenue means a company gets paid before it has to deliver the product / service. That produces cash and is a great sign.8️⃣ No Preferred StockFormula: Preferred StockWhat: Strong companies don't need to issue preferred stock to fund themselves.9️⃣ Retained Earnings Positive & GrowingFormula: Retained EarningsWhat: Strong companies fund themselves through retained earnings. They also grow retained earnings consistently.🔟 Treasury StockFormula: Treasury StockWhat: Treasury stock means a company is buying back stock from shareholders. That's a positive sign.What Green Flags 🇿🇲 did I miss? Let me know below!***P.S. Want to master financial statements analysis? Join me in November for my cohort-based course, Advanced Financial Statement Analysis.Details here:https://lnkd.in/eun5RHr9Interested? Send me a direct message for a coupon code.If you found this post useful, please repost ♻️ to share with your audience.

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  • Dan Wells

    Training finance leaders through peer group learning, professional mentors and powerful content.

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    Here are some interesting balance sheet flags from Brian Feroldi for you to consider:

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  • Brian Stoffel

    I demystify the stock market | Investor, Financial Educator, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

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    How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green flags:1️⃣ More Cash Than DebtFormula: Cash vs DebtWhat: Cash creates options. Debt reduces options. Strong companies don't need much debt.2️⃣ No Accounts ReceivablesFormula: Accounts ReceivablesWhat: Ideally, a company has no accounts receivables, meaning that it gets paid right away for sales and does not issue credit to its customers.3️⃣ No InventoryFormula: InventoryWhat: Ideally, companies do not hold inventory, which ties up company resources.4️⃣ Goodwill Less Than 10% of Total AssetsFormula: Goodwill / Total AssetsWhat: Ideally, a company grows organically, not by acquisition.5️⃣ Current Liabilities Less Than CashFormula: Current Liabilities vs CashWhat: Great companies do not have many liabilities. Ideally, they could pay off all of their liabilities with cash on hand.6️⃣ No Short-Term or Long-Term DebtFormula: Short-Term & Long-Term DebtWhat: Great companies don't need to use debt to fund themselves.7️⃣ Deferred RevenueFormula: Deferred Revenue (Look in Other Liabilities)What: Deferred revenue means a company gets paid before it has to deliver the product/service. That produces cash and is a great sign.8️⃣ No Preferred StockFormula: Preferred StockWhat: Strong companies don't need to issue preferred stock to fund themselves.9️⃣ Retained Earnings Positive & GrowingFormula: Retained EarningsWhat: Strong companies fund themselves through retained earnings. They also grow retained earnings consistently.🔟 Treasury StockFormula: Treasury StockWhat: Treasury stock means a company is buying back stock from shareholders. That's a positive sign.What Green Flags 🇿🇲 did I miss? Let me know below!***P.S. Want to master financial statements analysis? Sign up for my FREE, one-week, e-mail course: https://lnkd.in/gw2VvuHX

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  • Mark Penny

    Small Business Banker

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    Analyzing your balance sheet is the best way to understand the direction your business is heading. #growth #smallbusiness

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  • Long Term Mindset

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    How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green flags:1️⃣ More Cash Than DebtFormula: Cash vs DebtWhat: Cash creates options. Debt reduces options. Strong companies don't need much debt.2️⃣ No Accounts ReceivablesFormula: Accounts ReceivablesWhat: Ideally, a company gets paid right away for sales and does not issue credit to its customers.3️⃣ No InventoryFormula: InventoryWhat: Ideally, companies do not hold inventory.4️⃣ Goodwill Less Than 10% of Total AssetsFormula: Goodwill / Total AssetsWhat: Ideally, a company grows organically, not by acquisition.5️⃣ Current Liabilities Less Than CashFormula: Current Liabilities vs CashWhat: Great companies do not have a lot of liabilities. Ideally, they could pay off all of their liabiilies with cash on hand.6️⃣ No Short-Term or Long Term DebtFormula: Short-Term & Long Term DebtWhat: Great companies don't need to use debt to fund themselves7️⃣ Deferred RevenueFormula: Deferred Revenue (Look in Other Liabilities)What: Deferred revenue means a company gets paid before it has to deliver the product / service. That produces cash and is a great sign.8️⃣ No Preferred StockFormula: Preferred StockWhat: Strong companies don't need to issue preferred stock to fund themselves.9️⃣ Retained Earnings Positive & GrowingFormula: Retained EarningsWhat: Strong companies fund themselves through retained earnings. They also grow retained earnings consistently.🔟 Treasury StockFormula: Treasury StockWhat: Treasury stock means a company is buying back stock from shareholders. That's a positive sign.What Green Flags 🇿🇲 did I miss? Let me know below!***➕ FollowLong Term Mindsetfor more content like this.Want to master the basics of accounting (for free)?Enroll in our email-based course: Financial Statements SchoolGet started here (It's free) → https://lnkd.in/eKbRV7g6If this post was helpful, repost it ♻️ to share with your audience.

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  • Brian Feroldi

    I demystify the stock market | Author, Speaker, Creator | 100,000+ investors read my free newsletter (see link)

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    How to analyze a balance sheet in <2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:1: How much cash does the company have?✅ Best possible Answer: More cash than debt.2: Are there accounts receivables? How much?✅ Best possible Answer: None. This means the company is paid in cash.3: Is there inventory? How much?✅ Best possible Answer: None. This means the company doesn't have to worry about managing inventory.4: Is there any goodwill? How much?✅ Best possible Answer: None. This means the company has grown organically.5: What are the company's biggest assets?✅ Best possible Answer: Cash. This means the company has plenty of financial flexibility.6: Does the company have debt? How much? What kind?✅ Best possible Answer: None. This means the company hasn't financed itself with debt.7: Does the company have deferred revenue?✅ Best possible Answer: Yes. It's a sign that the company gets paid before it delivers the product/service.8: What are the company's biggest liabilities?✅ Best possible Answer: Deferred revenue. See question 7.9: How has the company been funded? Debt? Equity?✅ Best possible Answer: Equity. This means the company is free of debt.10: Is there any preferred stock?✅ Best possible Answer: No. Preferred stock is a sign that a company has poor economics.11: Are retained earnings positive and growing?✅ Best possible Answer: Yes. This means the company is profitable and retains its profits for growth.12: Is there any treasury stock?✅ Best possible Answer: Yes. This means the company is buying back stock.Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!****📌 P.S. Want help understanding how to analyze a balance sheet?Join me for a FREE webinar on Tuesday, 12/19: The Investor's Guide To Financial Statements. RSVP here (it's free!): https://lnkd.in/etqqtJq7If this post was helpful, please repost ♻️ to make LinkedIn a better platform for all.

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  • Greg Pierce

    Associate Teaching Professor of Finance at Penn State University

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    Some key balance sheet questions to ask of your firm, from Brian Feroldi.

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  • Jacky DOR ,FMVA®

    Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst

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    For the fith answer I think it is subjective because depending on the type of the company it might be an excessive amount of cash that they are holding. For that, they have to analyze the liquidity ratios to see whether it will be wiser to invest that money, to prevent the influence of the inflation. In addition it's also about where the board of directors and the overall management team want to take the company.

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Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green… | 22 comments (51)

Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet - FASTWatch for these 10 green… | 22 comments (52)

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Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet - FAST

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