When Debt is Negative
Now modify the model to deal with the situation where the plug for debt is negative this can happen routinely for firms with seasonal or cyclical sales patterns. Negative debt can be interpreted as excess cash. However, this is an odd way to show cash. A nonfinancial manager (like Anita Roddick) might not appreciate this type of presentation. The solution is to add a line for excess cash on the assets’ side of the balance sheet and then to set up three new lines below the last entry in the balance sheet.