One balance sheet tells you where you are. Several side by side tell you which direction you are heading. Harbor Oak’s exhibit shows eight dates across the year.

Read across each row and ask:

• Is cash steady, growing, or shrinking?
• Are receivables growing faster than income? That usually means someone is paying more slowly.
• Are payables growing? That may mean the program is stretching bills to cover cash shortfalls.
• Is equity (net assets) growing? It should grow when the program has a surplus.