What Is Leverage in Finance and Accounting?

A company was formed with a $5 million investment from investors, where the equity in the company is $5 million—this is the money the company can use to operate. If the company uses debt financing by borrowing $20 million, it now has $25 million to invest in business operations and more opportunity to increase value for shareholders. The degree of financial leverage is calculated by dividing the percentage change of a company’s earnings per share by the percentage change in its earnings before interest and taxes over a period.

The most common ratio used by lenders and credit analysts is the total debt-to-EBITDA ratio, but there are numerous other variations. The more predictable the cash flows of the company and consistent its historical profitability has been, the greater its debt capacity and tolerance for a higher debt-to-equity mix.

How to Calculate Leverage Ratio (Step-by-Step)

Note that the use of leverage is neither inherently good nor bad – instead, the issue is “excess” debt, in which the negative effects of debt financing become very apparent. If you’re using the wrong credit or debit card, it could be costing you serious money. Our experts love this top pick, which features a 0% intro APR until 2024, an insane cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee.

Until you have experience—and can afford to lose money—leverage, at least when it comes to investing, should be reserved for seasoned pros. While leverage affords plenty of potential for upside, it can also end up costing you drastically more than you borrow, especially if you aren’t able to keep up with interest payments. Professional investors and traders take on higher levels of leverage to more efficiently use the money they have to invest. Before using leverage in your personal life, be sure to weigh the pros and cons. Going into debt can have serious consequences if you can’t afford to repay what you borrow, like damaging your credit or leading to foreclosure.

What is leverage? How investors can use debt to increase the returns on investments

You’ll also have to take the current financial leverage leverage of your business into consideration when creating yearly financial projections, as increased leverage will directly impact your business financials. While financial leverage can be profitable, too much financial leverage risk can prove to be detrimental to your business. Always keep potential risk in mind when deciding how much financial leverage should be used. If Joe had chosen to purchase the first building using his own cash, that would not have been financial leverage because no additional debt was assumed in order to complete the purchase. For instance, if your business borrows $50,000 from the bank to purchase additional inventory for resale, that is using financial leverage. While leverage can increase one’s return, it can also increase the losses of an investment.