Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. ONE ART OF FINANCE (AND WHY IT MATTERS) -- 1. You Can't Always Trust the Numbers -- 2. Spotting Assumptions, Estimates, and Biases -- 3. Why Increase Your Financial Intelligence? -- 4. Rules Accountants Follow-and Why You Don't Always Have To -- pt. One Toolbox: Getting What You Want; The Players and What They Do; Reporting Obligations of Public Companies -- pt. TWO (MANY) PECULIARITIES OF THE INCOME STATEMENT -- 5. Profit Is an Estimate -- 6. Cracking the Code of the Income Statement -- 7. Revenue: The Issue Is Recognition -- 8. Costs and Expenses: No Hard-and-Fast Rules -- 9. Many Forms of Profit -- pt. Two Toolbox: Understanding Variance; Profit at Nonprofits; A Quick Review: "Percent of" and "Percent Change" -- pt. THREE BALANCE SHEET REVEALS THE MOST -- 10. Understanding Balance Sheet Basics -- 11. Assets: More Estimates and Assumptions (Except for Cash) -- 12. On the Other Side: Liabilities and Equity -- 13. Why the Balance Sheet Balances -- 14. Income Statement Affects the Balance Sheet -- pt. Three Toolbox: Expense? Or Capital Expenditure?; The Impact of Mark-to-Market Accounting -- pt. FOUR CASH IS KING -- 15. Cash Is a Reality Check -- 16. Profit [?] Cash (and You Need Both) -- 17. Language of Cash Flow -- 18. How Cash Connects with Everything Else -- 19. Why Cash Matters -- pt. Four Toolbox: Free Cash Flow; Even the Big Guys Can Run Out of Cash --

pt. FIVE RATIOS: LEARNING WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE REALLY TELLING YOU -- 20. Power of Ratios -- 21. Profitability Ratios: The Higher the Better (Mostly) -- 22. Leverage Ratios: The Balancing Act -- 23. Liquidity Ratios: Can We Pay Our Bills? -- 24. Efficiency Ratios: Making the Most of Your Assets -- 25. Investor's Perspective: The "Big Five" Numbers and Shareholder Value -- pt. Five Toolbox: Which Ratios Are Most Important to Your Business?; The Power of Percent of Sales; Ratio Relationships; Different Companies, Different Calculations -- pt. SIX HOW TO CALCULATE (AND REALLY UNDERSTAND) RETURN ON INVESTMENT -- 26. Building Blocks of ROI -- 27. Figuring ROI: The Nitty-Gritty -- pt. Six Toolbox: A Step-by-Step Guide to Analyzing Capital Expenditures; Calculating the Cost of Capital; Economic Value Added and Economic Profit-Putting It All Together -- pt. SEVEN APPLIED FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE: WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT -- 28. Magic of Managing the Balance Sheet -- 29. Your Balance Sheet Levers -- 30. Homing In on Cash Conversion -- pt. Seven Toolbox: Accounts Receivable Aging -- pt. EIGHT CREATING A FINANCIALLY INTELLIGENT COMPANY -- 31. Financial Literacy and Corporate Performance -- 32. Financial Literacy Strategies -- 33. Financial Transparency: Our Ultimate Goal -- pt. Eight Toolbox: Understanding Sarbanes-Oxley.