Finance - Wikipedia

Finance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Financing)

Finance is the science of funds management.[1] The general areas of
finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance.[2]
Finance includes saving money and often includes lending money. The
field of finance deals with the concepts of time, money and risk and how
they are interrelated. It also deals with how money is spent and budgeted.
Finance works most basically through individuals and business
organizations depositing money in a bank. The bank then lends the money
out to other individuals or corporations for consumption or investment,
and charges interest on the loans.
Loans have become increasingly packaged for resale, meaning that an
investor buys the loan (debt) from a bank or directly from a corporation.
Bonds are debt sold directly to investors from corporations, while that
investor can then hold the debt and collect the interest or sell the debt on
a secondary market. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through
the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge
funds, and other organizations have become important as they invest in
various forms of debt. Financial assets, known as investments, are
financially managed with careful attention to financial risk management to
control financial risk. Financial instruments allow many forms of
securitized assets to be traded on securities exchanges such as stock
exchanges, including debt such as bonds as well as equity in publiclytraded corporations.
Central banks act as lenders of last resort and control the money supply,
which affects the interest rates charged. As money supply increases,
interest rates decrease.[3]
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1 The main techniques and sectors of the financial industry

2 Personal finance
3 Corporate finance
3.1 Capital
3.2 The desirability of budgeting
3.2.1 Capital budget
3.2.2 Cash budget
3.3 Management of current assets
3.3.1 Credit policy
3.3.1.1 Advantages of credit trade
3.3.1.2 Disadvantages of credit trade
3.3.1.3 Forms of credit
Finance
Financial markets
Bond market
Stock (Equities) Market
Foreign exchange market
Derivatives market
Commodity market
Money market
Spot (cash) Market
OTC market
Real Estate market
Private equity
Market participants
Investors
Speculators
Institutional Investors
Corporate finance
Structured finance
Capital budgeting
Financial risk management
Mergers and Acquisitions
Accounting
Financial Statements
Auditing
Credit rating agency
Leveraged buyout
Venture capital
Personal finance
Credit and Debt
Employment contract
Retirement
Financial planning
Public finance
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3.3.1.4 Factors which influence credit

conditions
3.3.1.5 Credit collection
3.3.1.5.1 Overdue accounts
3.3.1.5.2 Effective credit control
3.3.1.5.3 Sources of information on
creditworthiness
3.3.1.5.4 Duties of the credit
department
3.3.2 Stock
3.3.3 Cash
3.3.3.1 Reasons for keeping cash
3.3.3.2 Advantages of sufficient cash
3.4 Management of fixed assets
3.4.1 Depreciation
3.4.2 Insurance
4 Shared Services
5 Finance of states
6 Financial economics
7 Financial mathematics
8 Experimental finance
9 Behavioral finance
10 Intangible Asset Finance
11 Related professional qualifications
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
Main article: Financial services

An entity whose income exceeds their expenditure can lend or invest the excess income. On the other hand,
an entity whose income is less than its expenditure can raise capital by borrowing or selling equity claims,
decreasing its expenses, or increasing its income. The lender can find a borrower, a financial intermediary
such as a bank, or buy notes or bonds in the bond market. The lender receives interest, the borrower pays a
higher interest than the lender receives, and the financial intermediary pockets the difference.
A bank aggregates the activities of many borrowers and lenders. A bank accepts deposits from lenders, on
which it pays the interest. The bank then lends these deposits to borrowers. Banks allow borrowers and
lenders, of different sizes, to coordinate their activity. Banks are thus compensators of money flows in space.
A specific example of corporate finance is the sale of stock by a company to institutional investors like
investment banks, who in turn generally sell it to the public. The stock gives whoever owns it part ownership
in that company. If you buy one share of XYZ Inc, and they have 100 shares outstanding (held by investors),
you are 1/100 owner of that company. Of course, in return for the stock, the company receives cash, which
it uses to expand its business; this process is known as "equity financing". Equity financing mixed with the
sale of bonds (or any other debt financing) is called the company's capital structure.
Finance is used by individuals (personal finance), by governments (public finance), by businesses (corporate
finance), as well as by a wide variety of organizations including schools and non-profit organizations. In
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general, the goals of each of the above activities are achieved through the use of appropriate financial
instruments and methodologies, with consideration to their institutional setting.
Finance is one of the most important aspects of business management. Without proper financial planning a
new enterprise is unlikely to be successful. Managing money (a liquid asset) is essential to ensure a secure
future, both for the individual and an organization.
Main article: Personal finance

Questions in personal finance revolve around
How much money will be needed by an individual (or by a family), and when?
Where will this money come from, and how?
How can people protect themselves against unforeseen personal events, as well as those in the
external economy?
How can family assets best be transferred across generations (bequests and inheritance)?
How does tax policy (tax subsidies or penalties) affect personal financial decisions?
How does credit affect an individual's financial standing?
How can one plan for a secure financial future in an environment of economic instability?
Personal financial decisions may involve paying for education, financing durable goods such as real estate
and cars, buying insurance, e.g. health and property insurance, investing and saving for retirement.
Personal financial decisions may also involve paying for a loan, or debt obligations.
Main article: Corporate finance

Managerial or corporate finance is the task of providing the funds for a corporation's activities. For small
business, this is referred to as SME finance(Small and Medium Enterprises). It generally involves balancing
risk and profitability, while attempting to maximize an entity's wealth and the value of its stock.
Long term funds are provided by ownership equity and long-term credit, often in the form of bonds. The
balance between these forms the company's capital structure. Short-term funding or working capital is
mostly provided by banks extending a line of credit.
Another business decision concerning finance is investment, or fund management. An investment is an
acquisition of an asset in the hope that it will maintain or increase its value. In investment management in
choosing a portfolio one has to decide what, how much and when to invest. To do this, a company must:
Identify relevant objectives and constraints: institution or individual goals, time horizon, risk aversion
and tax considerations;
Identify the appropriate strategy: active v. passive hedging strategy
Measure the portfolio performance
Financial management is duplicate with the financial function of the Accounting profession. However,
financial accounting is more concerned with the reporting of historical financial information, while the
financial decision is directed toward the future of the firm.
Capital
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Main article: Financial capital

Capital, in the financial sense, is the money that gives the business the power to buy goods to be used in the
production of other goods or the offering of a service.
The desirability of budgeting

Budget is a document which documents the plan of the business. This may include the objective of business,
targets set, and results in financial terms, e.g., the target set for sale, resulting cost, growth, required
investment to achieve the planned sales, and financing source for the investment. Also budget may be long
term or short term. Long term budgets have a time horizon of 510 years giving a vision to the company;
short term is an annual budget which is drawn to control and operate in that particular year.
Capital budget
This concerns proposed fixed asset requirements and how these expenditures will be financed. Capital
budgets are often adjusted annually and should be part of a longer-term Capital Improvements Plan.
Cash budget
Working capital requirements of a business should be monitored at all times to ensure that there are
sufficient funds available to meet short-term expenses.
The cash budget is basically a detailed plan that shows all expected sources and uses of cash. The cash
budget has the following six main sections:
1. Beginning Cash Balance - contains the last period's closing cash balance.
2. Cash collections - includes all expected cash receipts (all sources of cash for the period considered,
mainly sales)
3. Cash disbursements - lists all planned cash outflows for the period, excluding interest payments on
short-term loans, which appear in the financing section. All expenses that do not affect cash flow are
excluded from this list (e.g. depreciation, amortisation, etc)
4. Cash excess or deficiency - a function of the cash needs and cash available. Cash needs are
determined by the total cash disbursements plus the minimum cash balance required by company
policy. If total cash available is less than cash needs, a deficiency exists.
5. Financing - discloses the planned borrowings and repayments, including interest.
6. Ending Cash balance - simply reveals the planned ending cash balance.
Management of current assets

Credit policy
Credit gives the customer the opportunity to buy goods and services, and pay for them at a later date.
Advantages of credit trade
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Usually results in more customers than cash trade.

Can charge more for goods to cover the risk of bad debt.
Gain goodwill and loyalty of customers.
People can buy goods and pay for them at a later date.
Farmers can buy seeds and implements, and pay for them only after the harvest.
Stimulates agricultural and industrial production and commerce.
Can be used as a promotional tool.
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Increase the sales.

Modest rates to be filled.
Disadvantages of credit trade
Risk of bad debt.

High administration expenses.
People can buy more than they can afford.
More working capital needed.
Risk of Bankruptcy.
May lose peace of mind.
Forms of credit
Suppliers credit:
Credit on ordinary open account
Installment sales
Bills of exchange
Credit cards
Contractor's credit
Factoring of debtors
Cash credit
Cpf credits
Exchange of product
Factors which influence credit conditions
Nature of the business's activities

Financial position
Product durability
Length of production process
Competition and competitors' credit conditions
Country's economic position
Conditions at financial institutions
Discount for early payment
Debtor's type of business and financial positions
Credit collection
Overdue accounts
Attach a notice of overdue account to statement.

Send a letter asking for settlement of debt.
Send a second or third letter if first is ineffectual.
Threaten legal action.
Effective credit control
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Increases sales
Reduces bad debts
Increases profits
Builds customer loyalty
Builds confidence of financial industry
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increase company capitlisation

Sources of information on creditworthiness
Business references
Bank references
Credit agencies
Chambers of commerce
Employers
Credit application forms
Duties of the credit department
Legal action
Taking necessary steps to ensure settlement of account
Knowing the credit policy and procedures for credit control
Setting credit limits
Ensuring that statements of account are sent out
Ensuring that thorough checks are carried out on credit customers
Keeping records of all amounts owing
Ensuring that debts are settled promptly
Timely reporting to the upper level of management for better management.
Stock
Purpose of stock control
Ensures that enough stock is on hand to satisfy demand.
Protects and monitors theft.
Safeguards against having to stockpile.
Allows for control over selling and cost price.
Stockpiling
Main article: Cornering the market
This refers to the purchase of stock at the right time, at the right price and in the right quantities.
There are several advantages to the stockpiling, the following are some of the examples:
Losses due to price fluctuations and stock loss kept to a minimum
Ensures that goods reach customers timeously; better service
Saves space and storage cost
Investment of working capital kept to minimum
No loss in production due to delays
There are several disadvantages to the stockpiling, the following are some of the examples:
Obsolescence
Danger of fire and theft
Initial working capital investment is very large
Losses due to price fluctuation
Rate of stock turnover
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This refers to the number of times per year that the average level of stock is sold. It may be worked out by
dividing the cost price of goods sold by the cost price of the average stock level.
Determining optimum stock levels
Maximum stock level refers to the maximum stock level that may be maintained to ensure cost
effectiveness.
Minimum stock level refers to the point below which the stock level may not go.
Standard order refers to the amount of stock generally ordered.
Order level refers to the stock level which calls for an order to be made.
Cash
Reasons for keeping cash
Cash is usually referred to as the "king" in finance, as it is the most liquid asset.
The transaction motive refers to the money kept available to pay expenses.
The precautionary motive refers to the money kept aside for unforeseen expenses.
The speculative motive refers to the money kept aside to take advantage of suddenly arising
opportunities.
Advantages of sufficient cash
Current liabilties may be catered for.

Cash discounts are given for cash payments.
Production is kept moving
Surplus cash may be invested on a short-term basis.
The business is able to pay its accounts in a timely manner, allowing for easily-obtained credit.
Liquidity
Management of fixed assets

Depreciation
Depreciation is the allocation of the cost of an asset over its useful life as determined at the time of purchase.
It is calculated yearly to enforce the matching principle.
Insurance
Main article: Insurance
Insurance is the undertaking of one party to indemnify another, in exchange for a premium, against a certain
eventuality.
Uninsured risks
Bad debt
Changes in fashion
Time lapses between ordering and delivery
New machinery or technology
Different prices at different places
Requirements of an insurance contract
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Insurable interest
The insured must derive a real financial gain from that which he is insuring, or stand to lose if it
is destroyed or lost.
The item must belong to the insured.
One person may take out insurance on the life of another if the second party owes the first
money.
Must be some person or item which can, legally, be insured.
The insured must have a legal claim to that which he is insuring.
Good faith
Uberrimae fidei refers to absolute honesty and must characterise the dealings of both the
insurer and the insured.
There is currently a move towards converging and consolidating Finance provisions into shared services
within an organization. Rather than an organization having a number of separate Finance departments
performing the same tasks from different locations a more centralized version can be created.
Main article: Public finance

Country, state, county, city or municipality finance is called public finance. It is concerned with
Identification of required expenditure of a public sector entity
Source(s) of that entity's revenue
The budgeting process
Debt issuance (municipal bonds) for public works projects
Main article: Financial economics

Financial economics is the branch of economics studying the interrelation of financial variables, such as
prices, interest rates and shares, as opposed to those concerning the real economy. Financial economics
concentrates on influences of real economic variables on financial ones, in contrast to pure finance.
It studies:
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Valuation - Determination of the fair value of an asset

How risky is the asset? (identification of the asset-appropriate discount rate)
What cash flows will it produce? (discounting of relevant cash flows)
How does the market price compare to similar assets? (relative valuation)
Are the cash flows dependent on some other asset or event? (derivatives, contingent claim
valuation)
Financial markets and instruments
Commodities - topics
Stocks - topics
Bonds - topics
Money market instruments- topics
Derivatives - topics
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Financial institutions and regulation

Financial Econometrics is the branch of Financial Economics that uses econometric techniques to
parameterise the relationships.
Main article: Financial mathematics

Financial mathematics is a main branch of applied mathematics concerned with the financial markets.
Financial mathematics is the study of financial data with the tools of mathematics, mainly statistics. Such
data can be movements of securitiesstocks and bonds etc.and their relations. Another large subfield is
insurance mathematics.
Main article: Experimental finance

Experimental finance aims to establish different market settings and environments to observe experimentally
and provide a lens through which science can analyze agents' behavior and the resulting characteristics of
trading flows, information diffusion and aggregation, price setting mechanisms, and returns processes.
Researchers in experimental finance can study to what extent existing financial economics theory makes
valid predictions, and attempt to discover new principles on which such theory can be extended. Research
may proceed by conducting trading simulations or by establishing and studying the behaviour of people in
artificial competitive market-like settings.
Main article: Behavioral finance

Behavioral Finance studies how the psychology of investors or managers affects financial decisions and
markets. Behavioral finance has grown over the last few decades to become central to finance.
Behavioral finance includes such topics as:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Empirical studies that demonstrate significant deviations from classical theories.

Models of how psychology affects trading and prices
Forecasting based on these methods.
Studies of experimental asset markets and use of models to forecast experiments.
A strand of behavioral finance has been dubbed Quantitative Behavioral Finance, which uses mathematical
and statistical methodology to understand behavioral biases in conjunction with valuation. Some of this
endeavor has been lead by Gunduz Caginalp (Professor of Mathematics and Editor of Journal of Behavioral
Finance during 2001-2004) and collaborators including Vernon Smith (2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics),
David Porter, Don Balenovich, Vladimira Ilieva, Ahmet Duran). Studies by Jeff Madura, Ray Sturm and
others have demonstrated significant behavioral effects in stocks and exchange traded funds. Among other
topics, quantitative behavioral finance studies behavioral effects together with the non-classical assumption
of the finiteness of assets.
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Main article: Intangible asset finance
12/15/2009 12:44 PM
Intangible asset finance is the area of finance that deals with intangible assets such as patents, trademarks,
goodwill, reputation, etc.
There are several related professional qualifications in finance, that can lead to the field:
Accountancy:
Qualified accountant: Chartered Accountant (ACA - UK certification / CA - certification in
Commonwealth countries), Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA, UK certification), Certified
Public Accountant (CPA, US certification)
Non-statutory qualifications: Chartered Cost Accountant CCA Designation from AAFM
Business qualifications: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelor of Business
Management (BBM), Master of Commerce (M.Comm), Master of Science in Management (MSM),
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Generalist Finance qualifications:
Degrees: Masters degree in Finance (MSF), Master of Financial Economics, Master Financial
Manager (MFM), Master of Financial Administration (MFA)
Certifications: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified International Investment Analyst
(CIIA), Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT), Certified Market Analyst (CMA/FAD)
Dual Designation, Corporate Finance Qualification (CF)
Quantitative Finance qualifications: Master of Science in Financial Engineering (MSFE), Master of
Quantitative Finance (MQF), Master of Computational Finance (MCF), Master of Financial
Mathematics (MFM)
Main article: Outline of finance

Financial crisis of 20072009
Local Government Finance in Kerala
1. ^ Gove, P. et al. 1961. Finance. Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language
Unabridged. Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Company.
2. ^ finance. (2009). In Encyclopdia Britannica. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Encyclopdia Britannica Online:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/207147/finance
3. ^ Microsoft. 2009. Finance. uk.encarta.msn.com, http://www.webcitation.org/5hlUjB4mc
OECD work on financial markets (http://www.oecd.org/finance)

Wharton Finance Knowledge Project (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/category.cfm?cid=1) aimed to offer free access to finance knowledge for students, teachers, and self-learners.
Professor Aswath Damodaran (http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/) (New York University Stern
School of Business) - provides resources covering three areas in finance: corporate finance, valuation
and investment management and syndicate finance.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance"
Categories: Finance
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Finance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Financing)

1 The main techniques and sectors of the financial industry