You can find the information you'll need to make this calculation on the company's balance sheet. You will have to make some decisions about which of the balance sheet accounts to include in your calculation of debt. Equity refers to the funds contributed by the stockholders, plus the company's earnings. The balance sheet should include a figure labeled as total equity. When determining debt, include interest-bearing, long term debt such as notes payable and bonds. Be sure to include the current amount of long-term debt. You'll find this in the current liabilities section of the balance sheet. Analysts often leave out current liabilities, such as accounts payable and accrued liabilities. These items provide little information about how a company is leveraged. This is because they do not reflect long-term commitments, but only the day-to-day operations of the business. Companies will sometimes keep certain expenditures off their balance sheets. This is to make their debt equity ratios look better. You should include certain off-balance sheet liabilities when calculating debt. Operating leases and unfunded pensions are two common off-balance sheet liabilities. These expenditures are often large enough to include in the debt to equity ratio. Other debt to look out for may come from joint ventures or research and development partnerships. Scan through the notes to the financial statements and look for off-balance sheet liabilities. Include those greater than 10% of the total of interest bearing debt. Find this ratio by dividing total debt by total equity. Start with the parts that you identified in Step 1 and plug them into this formula: Debt to Equity Ratio = Total Debt Total Equity. The result is the debt-to-equity ratio. For example, suppose a company has $300,000 of long-term interest bearing debt. The company also has $1,000,000 of total equity. This company would have a debt to equity ratio of 0.3 (300,000 / 1,000,000), meaning that total debt is 30% of total equity. Once you have calculated a company's debt to equity ratio, you can begin to develop an idea of its capital structure. Here are some things to keep in mind: A ratio of 0.3 or lower is considered healthy by many analysts. In recent years though, others have concluded that too little leverage is just as bad as too much leverage. Too little leverage can suggest a conservative management unwilling to take risk. A ratio of 1.0 means that the company funds its projects with an even mix of debt and equity. A ratio greater than 2.0 means that the company borrows a lot to finance operations. It means that creditors have twice as much money in the company as equity holders. Lower ratios mean that the company has less debt, and this reduces risk. A company with less debt will also have less exposure to interest rate increases and changes in credit conditions. Some companies will choose debt financing despite the increased risk. Debt financing allows a company to gain access to capital without diluting ownership. It may sometimes also result in higher earnings. If a company with lots of debt becomes profitable, a small number of owners may make a lot of money.

Summary: Determine the company's debt and equity. Watch out for expenditures that aren't listed on the balance sheet. Calculate the debt-to-equity ratio. Do a basic assessment of the firm's capital structure.

Butterflies love to soak up the sun while resting on a nice, warm rock, especially early in the morning. By including these rocks in your garden, the butterflies will have a chance to get warmed up before they start feeding for the day. Try to place the rocks so the sun hits them first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. This is when butterflies need the most warmth. Butterflies typically won't try to drink out of a deep water source like a pond or a birdbath. Instead, they prefer to get their moisture from damp earth. To help ensure your butterflies have plenty to drink, create a small area filled with sand, then pour water onto the sand whenever it seems dry. If you don't have a lot of space, you can fill a shallow saucer with sand, then add a little water every day or so, or as needed. A butterfly box is similar to a bird house, but it has slatted openings. You can hang your butterfly box in a tree, on the side of a shed, or place it on a stake if you'd like to put one in your garden. It will provide shelter to your butterflies during rough weather or at night when they're sleeping. The slatted openings should keep birds and bats from getting into the butterfly box. If you have a large garden, you may want to include more than one box. While your butterflies should get all of the nutrients they need from the nectar plants in your garden, they may enjoy an extra treat if you'd like to include one. Early in the morning, place out a small tray filled with cut-up pieces of fruit, including the flesh and the peels.. Butterflies like Admirals and Red-Spotted Purples especially love sliced oranges, pears, or melons. If you want to ensure your butterflies always have something to eat, even when your garden isn't in bloom, you can hang a butterfly feeder in your garden. Fill the feeder with nectar, then place the feeder on a stake or hang it from a tree near your garden. You can find butterfly feeders and nectar at most garden supply stores. You can also make your own butterfly food by mixing 1 part sugar with 1 part water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then wait for it to cool before you add it to the feeder. A hummingbird feeder won't work for butterflies, since those are designed for the birds' long, narrow beaks.
Summary: Include 1 or 2 large, flat rocks in your butterfly garden. Provide a patch of wet sand where the butterflies can drink. Set up a butterfly box if you want to give extra shelter. Put out a tray of fruit scraps if you want to provide extra food. Hang a butterfly feeder in your garden for a steady source of nectar.