According to “Financial Accounting, sixth edition”, cash flow “permits a company to expand operations, replace worn assets, take advantage of new investment opportunities, and pay dividends to its owners”. Analyzing cash flow enables one to understand what happened to cash and cash equivalents throughout a specific period – how to the beginning balance of cash become the ending balance. The statement classifies cash flow in three different categories; operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities. To better understand and prepare the statement manipulating the balance sheet equation is a must. Assets can be further broken down into cash/cash equivalents and noncash asset. It is important to note that any change in cash also results in a change of liabilities, stockholder’s equity or noncash assets. With all of this, the “new” equation follows, change in cash = change in liabilities + change in SE – change in noncash assets.
Cash flows from operating activities relate directly to revenues and expenses on the income statement. Examples of cash inflow activities include cash received from customers, dividends and interest on investments. Examples of outflows would be salaries, wages and income taxes. There are two methods in which one can present operating activities on the statement. It is important to note that both methods will provide the same number. The first is the direct method. This method “reports components of cash flow as gross receipts and gross payment.” It is the method required in most countries, though many executives claim that this is the more expensive method to implement of the two. The second method, known as the indirect method, adjusts net income to compute cash flow from the operating activities. These adjustments are elimination of non cash items. Companies who use the indirect method must disclose two