Education & Tips

The Financial Field Guide

Plain-English breakdowns of the profit, cash-flow, returns, and tax concepts that move your business. Tap any card to read it full-size. No jargon — just clarity.

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Profit & Earnings

Understanding Profit — operating income (gross profit minus operating expenses) vs non-operating income, building up to net income.
Understanding Profit
How Profit Margins Work — gross 60%, operating 25%, pre-tax 20%, net 15% of revenue.
How Profit Margins Work
Ten Types of Profit — gross, operating, EBIT, EBT, EBITDA, net income, NOPAT, owners earnings, operating cash flow, free cash flow.
Ten Types of Profit
EBT vs EBIT vs EBITDA — formulas, insights, and distance from net income for each.
EBT vs EBIT vs EBITDA
EBITDA Explained — what it is, why it matters, and the bridge from net income to EBITDA.
EBITDA Explained
The Lifeblood

Cash Flow

Structure of Cash Flows — operating, investing, and financing; cash in vs cash out.
Structure of Cash Flows
How to Read a Cash Flow Statement — operations, investing, financing and the healthy signal.
How to Read a Cash Flow Statement
The Cash Conversion Cycle — CCC = DIO + DSO - DPO and why lowering it frees cash.
The Cash Conversion Cycle
Measure It

Returns & Ratios

ROI vs ROE vs ROA — what each measures, the formula, and healthy ranges.
ROI vs ROE vs ROA
Four Ways to Measure ROI — net income ROI, capital gain, total return, and annualized.
Four Ways to Measure ROI
Balance Sheet Ratios — quick ratio, current ratio, debt-to-equity, goodwill-to-assets.
Balance Sheet Ratios
Cap Rate Basics — what it is, the formula (NOI divided by value), and what moves it.
Cap Rate Basics
Where Money Comes From

Funding, Revenue & Investing

How Companies Get Funding — debt, equity, and internal (retained earnings).
How Companies Get Funding
The Types of Revenue — recurring, transactional, growth, partner, and financial.
The Types of Revenue
How Dividends Work — statement impact and dividend metrics (DPS, payout, yield).
How Dividends Work
The Map of Investments — equity, real estate, loans and deposits, and unconventional.
The Map of Investments
Keep More of It

Tax & Structure

How Marginal Tax Rates Work — only the income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate.
How Marginal Tax Rates Work
Above-the-Line vs Below-the-Line deductions — before vs after AGI and why it matters.
Above-the-Line vs Below-the-Line
S-Corp vs Sole Proprietorship — how the S-Corp split can cut self-employment tax.
S-Corp vs Sole Proprietorship

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