Chapter 8

The Statement of Cash Flows

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Exploring the statement of cash flows

check Understanding operating activities

check Getting a grip on investments

check Figuring out the financing section

check Looking at other line items

check Finding net cash from all company activities

Cash is a company's lifeblood. If a company expects to manage its assets and liabilities and to pay its obligations, it has to know the amount of cash flowing into and out of the business, which isn't always easy to figure out when using accrual accounting. (You can find out more about accrual accounting in Chapter 4.)

The reason accrual accounting makes it hard to figure out how much cash a company actually holds is that cash doesn't have to change hands for the company to record a transaction. The statement of cash flows is the financial statement that helps the financial report reader understand a company's cash position ...

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