What is Retained Cash Flow?

Retained cash flow (RCP) refers to the total amount of cash that a company has at the end of a financial period, this includes the amount available in cash and cash equivalent. RCP gives an insight into the net increase or decrease of cash that a company has at the beginning of one accounting period to the next. The retained cash flow of a company is an important metric for evaluating the financial success of the company. Retained cash flow is the amount left to a company after all expenses and debt obligations have been paid. RCP is also the amount left in a company after outgoing cash has been deducted from cash inflow.

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How is Retained Cash Flow Used? 

RCP is an important metric used in gauging the financial status of a company, it provides an insight into the revenue and expenses of a company and the efficiency of the company's budget. Retained cash flow indicates that a company is financially healthy and will attract sustainable future growth. Companies with sufficient retained cash flow reinvest it in net present value (NPV) projects to generate more revenue for the business. Oftentimes, the retained cash flow of a company is positive, there are however some cases when the amount of cash and cash equivalents available in a company will be minimal or almost negative.

Related Topics

• Managerial Accounting
• Institute of Management Accountants
• Annual Report
• Certified Financial Statement
• Common Size Financial Statement
• Accounting Personnel in an Organization
• Comptroller vs Controller 
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Cost Accounting
• Operating Income
• Profit Margin  
• Paid in Capital
• Retained Cash Flow
• Book Value (Company)
• Adjusted Book Value
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• Accounting Insolvency