Your Cash Flow – What Is It and How Can You Improve It? – Part 1

One of the most common reasons businesses fail is due to lack of understanding of cash flow. The same can be said about your household’s personal financial statement. So what is this cash flow concept, how does it apply to you, and what are some ways to improve yours? In Part 1 of this two-part article, we’ll explain what cash flow is and how to determine your cash flow.

Cash flow defined

Cash flow equals cash coming in (wages, interest, social security benefits) and subtracting the bills you pay. Unfortunately, calculating cash flow is never that easy. Some bills are due weekly, others monthly. Some large bills come quarterly, or annually. Understanding this flow of cash is the first step in knowing how to improve yours.

Create your cash flow snapshot

Before improving your cash flow, you need to be able to see it. There are many online tools to create a map, but you can also take a snapshot of your cash flow using a monthly spreadsheet.

1. Put each month across the top of the spreadsheet with an annual total.
2. Note all your revenue and corresponding expense descriptions in the left-hand column.
3. Enter your income and bills by month. Create a monthly subtotal of all your inflows. Do the same for your expenses or cash outflows. Then subtract the expenses from income. Positive numbers? You have positive cash flow. Negative numbers? You have negative cash flow.
4. Create a cumulative total for the year to see which months will need additional funds and which months will have excess funds.

Check out Part 2 where we list various ways to improve your cash flow!