Corporate Finance Explained | Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Lessons from Major Business Failures

FinPod

Blockbuster, Lehman Brothers, WeWork. The names are familiar, but the financial stories behind their collapse are often a mystery. In this deep dive, we go beyond the headlines to pull out the crucial lessons in corporate bankruptcy and insolvency for every finance professional.

We'll equip you with the foresight to spot financial distress long before it's too late. This episode is a practical guide to the warning signs, key ratios, and high-stakes decisions that define a company's fight for survival.

This episode covers:

• The Two Types of Insolvency: Understanding the difference between a paper problem (balance sheet insolvency) and an immediate cash crisis (cash flow insolvency).
• Early Warning Signs: The hairline cracks to look for, from declining gross margins and rising debt ratios to subtle behavioral red flags.
• Lessons from Major Failures: Why unchecked leverage sank Lehman Brothers, how debt suffocated Toys R Us, and why growth for growth's sake was a ticking time bomb for WeWork.
• The Crisis War Room: What it’s like inside the finance department when a company is in distress and how functions like FP&A and Treasury become the absolute nerve center.
• Critical KPIs: The five non-negotiable metrics to monitor relentlessly, including the Altman Z-score, and why liquidity is a company’s oxygen supply.

This episode will give you a new lens to view corporate health and help you bring crucial, strategic insight to your organization.