How to manage a balance-sheet in troubled times

Few teenagers dream of becoming a chief financial officer (cfo) when they grow up. If things are going well, ceos take the credit (and a fatter slice of the spoils) instead. cfos seldom make the news and, when they do, it is usually preceded by a crisis. Corporate historians and markets alike judge finance chiefs by their ability to juggle the competing demands of capital structure, investor returns and investment. The imperfect scorecard for…