Understanding Financial Performance

Analyzing the Profitability of your Farm Business – University of Illinois -- Now is a good time for farm operators to take a good look at the financial performance of their farm business.

Analyzing your Farm Business – University of Illinois Extension -- This time of year farm operators spend time in their office completing paperwork for income taxes, preparing information for their lenders and hopefully spending some time analyzing the performance of their business during the past year.

The Twelve Basic Tools Used in Analyzing a Balance Sheet and an Income Statement – University of Florida Extension -- This publication helps to illustrate the 12 basic tools used in income statement and balance sheet analyses.

Financial Ratios 

Financial Ratios Used in Financial Management – Kansas State University Extension.

Liquidity Ratios – CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit -- Liquidity ratios are probably the most commonly used of all the business ratios.

Efficiency Ratios – CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit -- You can determine how efficiently your business uses its assets, and where there's room for improvement, by looking at these ratios.

Profitability Ratios – CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit -- You can use another set of ratios to assess the profitability of your business and changes in its profit performance.

Solvency Ratios – CCH Business Owner’s Toolkit -- The final group of ratios are designed to help you measure the degree of financial risk that your business faces.

Financial Ratios – Small Business Notes -- If you monitor your financial ratios on a regular basis, you will gain insight into how effectively you are managing your business.

Financial Ratio Calculators

Financial Ratios – CCH Financial Management Toolkit -- This calculator helps you to zero in on areas of your business that may need attention. Areas include topics such as solvency, liquidity, operational efficiency and profitability.