Unit 11: Financial Management Flashcards
Compare personal financial management with managing finances for a business Explain the use of forecasts, budgets, and financial controls in financial planning for a business Describe the importance of managing cash flow in a business Identify the need for funds in a business and the various funding sources available
what are some financial concepts
- Marketing; break-even analysis to consider various price points for a product to evaluate profitability
- Entrepreneurship; capital (funding) available to start a business (personal savings, bank loans, angel investors, venture capitalists, etc.)
what should you know about your own finances
- Have a good sense of money inflows and outflows
- Knowing sources of income and plans to save or spend can help manage finances for the lifestyle you want now and in the future
what are questions to get you to think about your finances
- What are your sources of income
- What are your expenses
- What debt do you have
- What are your financial goals
what are potential sources of income and how should they be allocated
- Earnings can be from a part-time, co-op, or full-time job
- Money can be earned from scholarships and bursaries
- If any earnings were put into saving accounts or investments, can also get investment income
- Should plan based on your lifestyle and long-term goals to know how to allocate money towards education, entertainment, emergency funds, retirement
what could be your expenses & how can you track and monitor them
- Spending habits?
- Living expenses, costs for school, entertainment can all be expenses
- Impulsive buyer?
- Try to spend consciously
- Set aside a percent of income each month to spend, while the rest is used to save
what should you know about debts
- Plan to manage debts (can also build strong financial reputation)
- Are credit card debt, student loans, car loans, mortgage payments paid in a timely manner?
- Can affect credit score
what is a credit score & what is the point of having a good score
- an assessment of your financial track record and reputation
- Usually range from 300-900, and 800 is considered good
- Higher credit score = you’re less likely to have issues repaying a loan
- Can help you qualify for future borrowing, and have lower interest rates
- Credit scores include payment history, how much debt you have, and how long you’ve been using credit
how to build your credit score
- Pay your bills on time
- At least pay the minimum required payment each month, even if you can’t pay in full
- Avoid going over credit limit
how to meet your financial goals
Budget spending and savings to fund the lifestyle you want to have
what is time value of money
Recognizes the investment potential of money received today compared to receiving it in the future
Ex. $100 today is worth more than $100 in the future
what is compound interest
- When the interest made from the principle earns interest
- Larger the balance, bigger the interest earned
what is financial literacy
Having the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make informed financial decisions
why is it good to be financially literate
helps Canadians manage money and debt wisely, plan and save for the future, and prevent and protect against fraud and financial abuse
what finances does businesses need to manage
like personal finances, also needs to manage sources of income, expenses, debts, and financial goals
what is financial management like for companies
- involves managing funds to achieve company goals
- Looks at how they acquire and manage money to support day-to-day operations and to plan for the future
- Planning includes forecasts and budgets
in terms of finance, how does a company ensure they are making progress towards their goals
financial controls can be established to manage cash flows, cost/spending, and safeguard assets
what are responsibilities like in a large company? in smaller companies?
- In a large company, responsibilities can be divided into various teams that manage specific tasks
- In smaller companies, responsibilities are combined into only a couple of people
what does a company want to do with their finances
build a good credit score and a strong financial reputation
how to determine the creditworthiness for a business
4 C’s of credit
- credit; ex. company size, location, # of years in the business, business structure, media coverage
- capacity; ex. cash flow, ability to pay bills & existing debt
- capital; ex. resources available to repay any debts
- conditions; external factors that can impact the business, ex. industry growth rate, political factors, currency rates
what is financial planning
- Ensures company can manage day-to-day operations and plan for the future
- Involves analyzing cash inflows and outflows in the short & long-term
- Goals is to optimize profitability
what are some questions to ask regarding financial wellness
- Have control over day-to-day expenses?
- Have ability to absorb financial shock?
- Progress towards financial goals?
- Financial freedom to make choices to enjoy life?
what are the 3 steps of planning
- Developing forecasts
- Developing budgets
- Establishing financial controls
what is done in step 1 of financial planning
developing forecasts
- Help make informed predictions on future revenues and expenses
- Based on forecasted future sales volumes, a company can plan their production schedule and manage their resources to avoid supply chain shortages
- Forecasts can show expectations of future sales and expenses when looking for external financing
- Can demonstrate credibility through their accurate forecasts
what are long-term forecasts
- Predicts revenue and expenses beyond one year
- Used to plan for large investments and purchases
- The further the forecasting is done, the less accurate it is
Ex. Forecasting the next 10 years is less accurate than forecasting the next 2 years
what are short-term forecasts
- Predicts revenue and expenses for a period of one year or less
- Forecasts the next month, quarter, or year
- Cash flow forecast can also be prepared to predicted related cash flows
what information can help prepare forecasts
- Past performance (ex. Past sales numbers)
- New sales contracts or contracts that might not be renewed
- Product offerings and customer growth & predictions in changes in the market or economy that could impact sales
- Changes to key expenses (ex. Labour, materials)
why are long-term forecasts less accurate
because the business environment can quickly change (ex. Competition, politics), causing you to work with more estimates
what is done in step 2 of financial planning
developing budgets
- Budgets allocate money for day-to-day operations
- Can also plan for large purchases or investments in the future
- Choosing which specific resources to use based on expectations for revenue (forecasts)
what is done after forecasts
- budgets are made to manage financial resources
- Forecasts impact how budgets are prepared
what are common budgets
- operating budget
- cash budget
- capital budget
what is an operating budget
- Allocation for ongoing operating expenses in the year
Ex. salaries, supplies, advertising, rent
what is a cash budget
- Planning cash inflows and outflows for the period
- Borrow if funds will run low
- Make investments if there would be excess cash
what is a capital budget
- Planning to purchase major assets
- Considers a period longer than a year
Ex. planning to buy equipment over the course of multiple years
who contributes to the budget development
- The finance department
- each key business function (ex. Marketing, HR)
- product line
- geographic unit
ex. marketing manager can submit a budget request to the finance department to approve plans for specific expenses they will incur to work towards company goals (ex. Promotion campaign costs)
who is held accountable to stay within the approved budget & connect with the finance department if there are any changes to determine next steps
department managers
what is done in step 3 of financial planning
establishing financial controls
- Comparing actual performance to forecasts and budgets to see if plans are being achieved
- Allows a company to assess their progress and make appropriate adjustments to stay on track towards meeting their plans