cash flow

Focusing on cash flow -- instead of the figures Wall Street is so fond of -- is a good way to measure a company's strength. That said, just like revenue and earnings, cash flow can be manipulated in order to hoodwink investors. Look out for these four signs that a company's pulling a fast one with cash flow.

Companies that have piled up cash over the past few years are finding one good use for it: Repurchasing their own shares. January alone saw $57 billion in buybacks, compared with $357 billion for all of 2010. While buybacks don't add value, they do give investors more options.

As someone who is constantly working on improving my cash flow and trying not to waste money, I can't help but like the idea behind the Motley Fool's four-week Fiscal Fitness challenge. It has a monthly series of articles by writers Dayana Yochim and Ellen Bowman, promising that they will "cut...

Madison DuPaix had a goal of leaving the workforce by age 29. She has been saving since the tender age of 16, and has been planning her exit from corporate America for years. With two very small children, she's going to spend more quality time with them, but won't feel a financial pinch thanks to...