DEBT RATIO Definition

DEBT RATIO measures the percent of total funds provided by creditors. Debt includes both current liabilities and long-term debt. Creditors prefer low debt ratios because the lower the ratio, the greater the cushion against creditors losses in liquidation. Owners may seek high debt ratios, either to magnify earnings or because selling new stock would mean giving up control. Owners want control while "using someone elses money." Debt Ratio is best compared to industry data to determine if a company is possibly over or under leveraged. The right level of debt for a business depends on many factors. Some advantages of higher debt levels are:

• The deductibility of interest from business expenses can provide tax advantages.
• Returns on equity can be higher.
• Debt can provide a suitable source of capital to start or expand a business.

Some disadvantages can be:

• Sufficient cash flow is required to service a higher debt load.
• The need for this cash flow can place pressure on a business if income streams are erratic.
• Susceptibility to interest rate increases.
• Directing cash flow to service debt may starve expenditure in other areas such as development which can be detrimental to overall survival of the business.

 Formula: Total Liabilities / (Total Liabilities + Stockholders Equity)

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DRACHMA (DRACHMAI) is a currency of Greece.

F.O.B. (FREE ON BOARD) is a transportation term that indicates that the price for goods includes delivery at the seller's expense to a specified point and no further. The FOB term is used with an identified physical location to determine 1) the responsibility and basis for payment of freight charges, and 2) the point a twhich title for the shipment passes from seller to buyer.The FOB location terms, Origin and Destination, may be qualified by modifiers. The modifier determines the payment of the transportation charges. Modifiers denote nothing about the title of the goods or filing of claims. The most three common modifiers are: Collect, Prepaid & Add, and Prepaid & Allow. Collect: The carrier collects the transportation charges from the buyer. Prepaid & Add: The seller prepays the transportation charges, but adds the charges to the invoice for reimbursement from the buyer .Prepaid & Allow: The seller prepays the transportation charges and they are already included in the contract price.

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