Series

From time to time, I publish a series of articles on a specific company or topic.
Here are some of the most popular ones...

Want to learn about financial statements? These articles will teach you about the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement.

The Basics

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The Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement shows us where a company's cash came from, and where it went.

The Income Statement

An income statement takes all the revenue and expenses of a company and parcels them out in regular one-year intervals. It's like the difference between a free-flowing stream and an engineered lock.

The Balance Sheet

A very brief overview of what a balance sheet has to say for itself, using Apple's 2015 annual report as an example.

Apple has a strange problem: too much cash. We look at shareholder pressure tactics and Apple's aggressive tax avoidance strategies. Start with the earliest one, "Core Problems at Apple."

Apple

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Apple's Surprise Tax Bill

Apple and the European Commission have both kissed the Blarney stone.

How Apple Dodges Taxes

Apple's wealth is not simply the result of great products. It's also the result of a concerted attempt to avoid paying taxes on its earnings.

Apple and the Cash Finesse

How Apple managed to distribute its cash without actually solving its problem.

Apple and the Loud-mouthed Shareholder

How a hedge-fund investor got Apple's attention.

Core Problems at Apple

What happens when a company has too much money?

Canada's only satellite radio company somehow managed to pay no income tax on $1.6B of revenue, despite paying huge dividends to its shareholders. We learn how. Start with the earliest one, "R U Sirius?"

Sirius XM

Photo of a series of coffee cups, handmade by Bev Brown of Edmonton, taken in 2015.

Note: the articles are listed blog-style, with the latest article at the top. Can't fix this until Squarespace gives us the ability to control sort order. Until then, start at the bottom. Thanks for your patience.