glossary

Understanding the cash position of your business

Introduction

A company or a business requires some liquidity, that is, free cash or liquid assets you can easily convert into cash, such as mutual funds. These are the minimum threshold to meet all the business payments, losses, or expenses. 

This measurement of the financial strength of a business is known as a cash position. The higher the cash position, the more a company would appear stable to pay off its liabilities.

Organizations require a minimum cash position according to the funds they acquire to pay out their clients or account holders. A stable cash position will help your business grow, while a too much higher or lower ratio can damage your business.

Know the cash position of your company to determine the progress and find the right balance to make your business flourish.

What is the cash position, and how is it measured?

Cash position indicates how much cash or liquid assets a company holds at a certain time. The cash position determines the financial strength of a company and its liquidity. 

A company is assumed to be financially powerful and stable if the number of cash and cash equivalent assets is more than the liabilities and remaining payments.

Deposit certificated, small-term debts, receivables, and investment funds mentioned in the company's financial books are all included in the cash position evaluation. The cash position analysis is done with the liquidity ratios, the ratio of the company's current assets to the current liabilities.

If the ratio is above one, the cash position reflects that the company has enough funds to continue its operating activities. In contrast, a ratio below one shows a weaker cash position of a company.

However, if it's below 0.5, the financial condition is unstable, and the business has twice the amount of debt than its cash reserves.

Although having a good cash position is a marker of better financial strength, having a higher ratio is also an unhealthy sign. This is because of the cash drag or missing out on earning on the cash you are saving aside. 

What is the difference between cash position and cash flow?

Cash position is the measurement of a company's total cash at a certain time, while cash flow is the total change in cash position from all the cash inflows and cash outflows in a certain period. 

A positive cash flow and cash position are indicators of liquidity and financial strength of a business, but cash flow includes all kinds of cash payments, debt, investment with stakeholders, etc. 

In contrast, cash position is only calculated relative to the total expenses and cash assets at a specific moment. But remember that if you are looking to raise money, investors look at both cash flows and cash positions of their potential portfolio companies.

Where is the cash position in the balance sheet?  

You can easily evaluate the company’s cash position by taking quick ratios and current ratios from the balance sheet. 

What is the cash position in a cash flow statement?

It is the amount of cash left by the company at the end of the month and at a certain moment in time. Cash position in a cash flow statement represents the financial strength of the company and how capable it is to meet its current liabilities. 

Optimal cash positioning for better returns!

Business is all about growing your money. A strong cash position is great for financial strength. Remember to keep an emergency fund at hand to keep the operations running while diversifying your investment portfolio. 

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