Control Your Cost Lag Loop
To Help Survive the Recession

The world's economy is in recession, with no end in sight. Some companies are in desperate shape. Others are merely hurting.

Whatever your company's condition, it's a good idea to take stock of your business to figure out what you can do now to make your company healthy even if business gets worse.

You'll survive the downturn more easily if you master the cost-lag loop.

Predict Business Bankruptcy
Using Z Scores with Excel

Are Ford and GM heading for bankruptcy?

Prof. Edward Altman says they are. He's the man who invented Z-Scores, the best-known analytical tool for predicting the likelihood of business bankruptcy.

More to the point, is your largest customer heading for bankruptcy? Your most important vendors? Your own employer?

We show you how to calculate Z-Scores with Excel.

Cash Trap

As far as that goes, the style will be familiar if you've ever read Kipling.

You might find it worth your time.

How Fast Is Too Fast?

Business life doesn't have to be like that. The Sustainable Growth Rate can help you manage your company's financial ability to grow.

Weighing Your Debt Load

The difference between these two attitudes is simple: One manager is making money on borrowed cash; the other isn't.

The EOA ratio compares directly to the interest rate on your debt. When your EOA exceeds your interest rate, you're making money from your debt.

Use Benford's Law to Help Planning

Auditors sometimes use this fascinating statistical insight to uncover fraudulent accounting data. But it might reveal a useful strategy for investing in the stock market. And it might help you to improve the accuracy of your budgets and forecasts. 

Excel 97-2003 version
Excel 2007 version

Calculate Term Loan Information

This is an interesting question. It touches on standard amortizing loans, and it even involves a bright young student who grew up to become a well-known mathematician. We provide the Excel formulas.
 

Management Alerts

Because Excel can report data from any number sources it
can reveal problems invisible
to other software.

Weighing Debt

Are you making money or losing money on the cash you borrow? Here's how to decide.

Agile Spreadsheets

The Chair of the European Spreadsheet Risk Interest Group suggests ways to reduce spreadsheet errors.

A Guru's Advice

Peter Drucker's recent advice could make life difficult for overworked Excel users.

How Fast Is Too Fast?

By using the sustainable-growth-rate formula, you can measure your company's financial ability to grow.

Metric Madness

Most implementations of balanced scorecards may be failing. What's the solution?

A World of Tools

New business techniques and ideas tend to bring new and costly software. But Excel can offer a better solution.

Bain's Tools

Bain & Co. offers many techniques used to make a business more successful.