Aging of Payables

An accounting thing. How you'll figure out when your business bills are due. An Aging of Payables table shows you which bills are due when, and how old they are (in 30, 60 and 90-plus day increments).

If the trend is that you're paying them, or the company in which you seek to make an investment is paying them at a slower and slower clip, odds are good that something is rotten in Denmark (or Silicon Valley or wherever), and that you need to do deeper inspection as to why the payables are getting paid...slower.

Cash problem? Bad vendors? Bad vendor relationships?

The goal? Getting clarity as to how the financial sausage is actually being made.