Projects to do

A company bond pays more than a government bond because it carries risk, and the question is whether the extra is fair for that risk.

Mining companies must restore land after extraction ends, and their accounts carry provisions for that future cost, but few readers understand how those provisions are estimated or what they leave out.

Groups that own many businesses often trade below the worth of their parts, and analysts argue over how large that gap should be.

A growing exporter must choose between bank loans, new owners' money and its own profits, and an unwise mix can strain it when orders dip.

Reported profit can be shaped by accounting choices, so a careful analyst checks whether cash, receivables and note disclosures tell the same story.

An events company in Goa earns heavily around winter weddings, Christmas, New Year and Carnival but must pay staff, equipment loans and deposits all year, so it borrows in a panic every monsoon.

A small ship repair yard prices every job by labour hours plus a flat overhead charge, so complex jobs that tie up the dry dock and cranes may be underpriced.

A pension fund owes fixed payments in the future, so a bond mix that does not move with interest rates the same way as those payments can leave a gap.

A homestay owner asks a cooperative bank for a loan to add rooms, and the credit officer must judge repayment capacity, security and seasonal risk from an incomplete file.

A first-time buyer may be approved by a finance company but not a bank, yet the faster route can cost more in ways the buyer does not see.

Active funds charge more for skill, but whether they deliver it over a full cycle is exactly what investors should check before paying.

Investors often compare price to earnings across companies, yet an airline and a food maker have different risks, so the same multiple would mislead.