Financial Management

The Purpose of the Financial Plan

• When starting a new business or project at an existing firm, managers must determine if it is likely to be financially viable.

• A financial plan is a set of documents that outline the essential financial facts about the new venture

  • A financial plan can also be used to attract investors

• An effective financial plan:

  • identifies the assets that need to be purchased.

  • describes the amount of money a business needs to start and
    operate.

  • describes the expenses the business will incur and explains
    how a business will cover its expenses.

  • describes how the business will document and report
    financial records.

  • forecasts finances to project future profitability.

  • explains how the business will acquire money to grow or expand

• A financial plan estimates the amount of capital the business will need.

  • Capital is money supplied by investors, banks, or owners of a business.

  • Start-up capital is the money used to pay for the various assets and expenses of a new venture or business.

• A financial plan explains how a business will manage its records

• A financial plan includes financial forecasts.

  • A financial forecast is an estimate of a business’s financial outlook for each of the next few years

• Planned growth can be very rewarding.

• Unplanned growth can be chaotic.

• The financial plan should explain the company’s plans for financial growth.

Budgets

• Financial statements indicate the financial condition of a firm in a past period.

• However, a budget helps guide its future.

• A budget is a plan specifying how money will be used or spent during a particular period.

  • Budgeting helps business owners predict how much money the business will need.

• There are three main types of budgets.

  • A start-up budget is a plan for your income and expenses from the time you start a business to estimated time it will make a profit.

  • A cash budget is a plan for the actual money the business owner spends on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

  • An operating budget is a plan for the amount expected to be spent and earned over a given period of time, usually six months or a year.

Accounting

Accounting for Business

• Accounting is the systematic process of recording and reporting the financial position of a person or an organization.

  • The accounting system is designed to collect, record, and report financial transactions that affect the operation of a business.

• An accountant maintains and reviews business records.

• However, many larger companies hire accounting firms to manage or audit their financial records.

  • An audit is a review of accounting records and procedures.

• The biggest accounting firms are known as the “Big Four.”

  • PricewaterhouseCoopers®, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu®, Ernst & Young®, and KPMG® are accounting firms that operate worldwide.

• All accountants use the same set of rules, called generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP (pronounced gap), to prepare reports.

• Financial reports are summarized information about the financial status of a business

Property Ownership and Control

• The right to own property is basic to a free enterprise system.

• Property is anything of value that is owned or controlled.

  • Dollar amounts measure both the cost of the property and the property rights, or financial claims to the property.

• Assets are property and other items of value owned by a business.

• They are either current or fixed.

• Current assets are assets that are either used up or converted to cash during the normal cycle of the business.

  • The normal cycle is usually one year.

  • Cash, supplies, merchandise, and accounts receivable are all current assets.

    • Accounts receivable is the total amount of money owed to a business.

      • It represents money to be received in payments after goods or services are sold on credit.

• Fixed assets are items of value that will be held for more than one year.

  • These include equipment and buildings.

  • The accounting term for the financial claims to all assets is equity.

    • Equity is the present value of an asset less all claims against it.

    • Liabilities are creditors’ claims to the assets of a business.

      • They are the debts of a company

• Accounts payable represents the short-term liabilities that a business owes to creditors.

• Owner’s equity is an owner’s claim to the assets of the business.

• It is also referred to as the owner’s capital in the business.

The Accounting Equation

• The accounting equation ensures that all accounting records will be correct.

• The accounting equation is a rule that states that assets must always equal the sum of liabilities and owner’s equity.

• The assets side of the equation shows the value of everything that the business owns or possesses.

• The other side shows the rights to those assets.

• Liabilities are the rights that creditors have to the assets.

• Owner’s equity shows the rights that the owner has to the assets.

Financial Statements

• The accounting system is designed to generate financial statements and reports.

• Financial statements are documents that summarize the changes resulting from business transactions that occur during an accounting period.

  • An accounting period is the period of time reflected by an accounting report.

• The income statement is a report of the revenue, expenses, and net income or net loss over an accounting period.

  • It is sometimes called a profit and loss statement.

  • Income statements for different types of business operations vary in content.

    • A service business would have sales, expenses, and net income.

    • A merchandising business would also include the cost of merchandise purchased for resale.

• A balance sheet is a report of the balances in all assets, liability, and owner’s equity accounts at the end of an accounting period.

• Cash flows are the money that is available to a business at any given time.

• The statement of cash flows is a financial report that shows incoming and outgoing money during an accounting period (often a month, quarter, or year).

  • One reason that a cash flow statement is very important is that firms can run out of cash even when they make a profit.

• Today, most companies use computer programs to simplify their accounting procedures.

• Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that is commonly used in business.

• Accounting software such as Peachtree Accounting and QuickBooks are programs that help people and businesses manage their finances.