Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Andy Smith is a Certified Financial Planner ...

Steven Nickolas is a writer and has 10+ years of experience working as a consultant to retail and institutional investors. Charlene Rhinehart is a CPA , CFE, chair of an Illinois CPA Society committee ...

When reviewing cash flow data for your small business, knowing the standard deviation can help you determine if the numbers are out of whack. Calculating standard deviation manually can be ...

Free cash flow (FCF) shows how much cash a company has after expenses. Positive FCF means a company can invest, pay dividends, or reduce debt. Negative FCF isn't always bad; startups may spend more ...

Although Excel, the Microsoft Office spreadsheet program, has a few specialized financial formulas built in to the software program, the accounting format for spreadsheet cells has the most general ...

Cash is the lifeblood of a company, and so understanding how a company's cash flow works is essential in understanding its financials. Many companies use part of the cash they generate to pay ...

Savvy investors look at a company's financial health before buying its stock. Some investors monitor a company's free cash flow and review its cash flow statements to gauge how well it manages its ...