Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in <2 minutes: Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 comments (2024)

Brian Feroldi

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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.

  • Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 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)

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📌 P.S. 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/etqqtJq7

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Faraaz Mirza

Head of FP&A

2mo

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Deferred revenue suggests you are billing in advance, not necessarily being paid in advance.

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Pieter Slegers

Compounding Quality | Investment newsletter with more than 210,000 subscribers

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Here are my favorite balance sheet ratios:

  • Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 comments (9)

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  • Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 comments (10)

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Nikhil Borole

2 Million+ Content Views || Test Engineer || Inbound Outbound Marketing || Manual Testing || API Testing || SDLC || STLC || Bug Report || Jira || Funtional Testing

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Thanks for simplifying balance sheet analysis, Brian Feroldi! Your 12 questions provide a quick and effective framework for evaluation. Looking forward to the webinar for a deeper dive into financial statements. #InvestingMadeClear

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Carlos Bodero Bonini

Environmental Engineering Designer

3mo

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Very informative and helpful breakdown! Thanks for sharing.

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Ken Erickson

Retired Bank Executive

3mo

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Personally I find this a bit simplistic to be a worthwhile analysis. No comparison to trends, prior periods, ratio analysis, industry comparisons?

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Hanzala Ahmed

Grow Your CPA Firm By Delegating The Time Consuming & Stressful Tasks || Tax Preparation || Bookkeeping || Manual Data Entry || You Name It || Resulting In 80% Reduced Overhead || CEO @ACE Accounting

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Well explained, you made it so simple. Always love to see people making finance easy for people to understand.Extremely necessary for anyone who's in business to understand basic finance.

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Jean Max Constant

I demystify IRA,401(k) and other qualified retirement account|CEO And Founder Goldinvestingarena.club |Investor|Creator

3mo

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Great breakdown! Brian Feroldi This quick guide is incredibly helpful for a snapshot analysis. It covers the essential aspects of a balance sheet, providing a clear picture of a company's financial health and management practices. The emphasis on cash, lack of debt, and positive retained earnings are particularly insightful indicators. It simplifies a potentially complex process, making it accessible for a quick assessment. Kudos for distilling it into 12 key questions! 💡📊 #FinancialAnalysis #BalanceSheet #InvestingTips #BusinessInsights

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  • Sparking Finance

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    📊 Mastering the art of analyzing a balance sheet is crucial for investors. Brian Feroldi provides a quick, insightful guide to navigating this financial statement in less than 2 minutes. His 12 key questions are a game-changer for understanding a company’s financial health. Don’t miss out on his upcoming webinar for a deeper dive. #FinancialLiteracy #InvestingTips #BalanceSheetAnalysis

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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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  • John Hornblower

    Managing Broker at VR Business Brokers, Aspen/Snowmass, CO

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    Quick and easy.

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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 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.

    • Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 comments (28)

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  • Hackeem Y. Dawkins, FPWM™, BSc

    Financial Planning and Wealth Management Professional

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    Cheat Sheet

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  • Nawal Qureshi

    US Taxes & Payrolls | Providing Remote Bookkeeping and Accounting Solutions for USA based companies | Quickbooks Pro Advisor | CA Aspirant

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    To grasp a company's well-being, it's crucial to comprehend the balance sheet. In these tough times, it's important to focus on the Cash and Debt section.#accounts #accounting #accountant #balancesheet #accountspayable #accountsreceivable

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  • Matthew Bonuola-Soton

    Sales Rep @ Union Bank of Nigeria | Innovative Sales Strategies | Tech Enthusiast

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    Detailed explanation on how to analyze a balance sheet ......

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    Mature open minded person who's willing to work, learn and participate in organizations with my skills and knowledge

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    Basics of Accounting System

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Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 comments (39)

Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:Answer these 12 questions:… | 44 comments (40)

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Brian Feroldi on LinkedIn: How to analyze a balance sheet in &lt;2 minutes:

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