How to Read a Balance Sheet: The Bottom Line on What You Need to Know about Cash Flow, Assets, Debt, Equity, Profit...and How It all Comes Together Paperback – Illustrated, May 10, 2010

This book provides a clear, accessible, and comprehensive guide to understanding balance sheets, cash flow statements, and financial reports, making complex financial concepts remarkably straightforward. The author provides easy to understand examples and scenarios. I highly recommend this book!

A good basic primer written in an approachable style without being dumbed down. The writer gives good overview of Balance Sheet and Income Statement, discounting the relative importance of Cash Flow statement. Interesting discussion of aspects of financial statements that are subject to manipulation.

I am a Finance major currently studying at University, yet, this book has given me an unambiguous understanding of a subject matter that many consider unclear and extremely challenging. I myself have fallen into a similar dilemma within lectures, needing to fully grasp my professors' way of communicating Finance and Economics. However, Mr. Makoujy's "How To Read a Balance Sheet" has enlightened me to understand real-world Financial Literacy in such a concise book. I would highly recommend this work to anyone willing and able to begin, broaden, or grow their financial background and basic understanding. In fact, I CONSIDER IT GOLD.

Too many (parentheses) in a sentence which throws me off from the main point. Other than that, its an ok book.

I really enjoyed this book. I just wish this book could have been available 20 years ago when I was in college. This book accomplished in a few hours what a boring professor struggled to do in a whole semester... to teach me the basics of accounting and financial statements. My professor made me feel dumb. This book helped me feel smart again. I appreciated the examples and easy to follow scenarios in the book, which helped me to see how certain financial concepts and ideas show up in everyday business situations and reality. Thanks for writing a book for the general public.

One of the best finance books I have ever read. It feels like you are a completely new person after reading this book. I didn't realize how much of a disadvantage I was at because I didn't know how to read balance sheets. I am a part-time positional trader and this book has opened my eyes and changed the way I look at companies. I will say it has definitely helped just a few days ago when I shorted $MU after reading their financials with what I learned by this book. Next 2 days the stock went down 11% because they had a very high debt to equity ratios and were highly over leveraged, two terms I didn't understand before this book.

Gives good grounding.

I was alittle intimidated when I bought this book that it would be too complicated and difficult to understand. It was the exact opposite. A very easy to read book with steps and instructions that any beginner could follow. I notice that after reading this book, I am even using terms and phrase in the book in my conversations with my coworkers and colleagues and am using the methods and practices shown on a daily basis. I would definitely recommend to any newcomers learning and any experts brushing up on their skills as a refresher.