Category: Financial

Cash Flows . Timing Is Everything When It Comes To Financing Business Cash Flow And Capital Management

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Working Capital is an area of business that requires solutions that revolve around timing. Timing is everything when it comes to the fundamental problem of managing and solving the cash flow conundrum!Let’s examine some of those solutions using the example of a company trying to grow… which is what it’s all about is it not?!

This is when what we could call your ‘ cash flow cycle ‘ needs to be both understood… and addressed. That’s because the concept of timing has just kicked in … your have produced your goods or provided your services and a specific amount of time has lapsed as you now generate revenues via invoicing… and wait for payment. It’s no secret that that whole cycle varies between each company and industry. But whether your cycle is 30 days or 120 days the effects of that timing require certain activities to be financed.

The timing around this cycle, as well as the solutions that your bring to bear makes or breaks your overall liquidity and solvency – aka ‘ Survival’!Example of the need to finance that cycle are should be quite clear – your firm must buy supplies or inventory, at the same time taking on payables. Wages and salaries must be covered and then you’re in the waiting game when it comes to delivery and acceptance of your goods and services, as well as final payment from your clients based on your credit terms. It’s therefore no secret to the business owner to see that using our example it can easily take those 30-120 days for a dollar to in effect flow through your company.

Again… it’s ‘ timing’!When you look at your balance sheet you see that the ratios of current assets and liabilities have also changed dramatically. You’re unfortunately less liquid and this can only be solved by financing the shortages you have carried. Of course your customer could pre pay you in advance for orders, or pay you ‘ cash on delivery ‘ but that’s not the perfect world we dream about.Financing business cash flow is all about monetizing and managing your assets.

Solutions in Canada include:

Receivable financing
Commercial bank lines of credit
Asset based lines of credit
Sale lease backs
Tax credit monetization
Purchase Order and Supply Chain financing

Utilize one or a combination of solutions to manage the ‘ patterns’ of financing that your business needs. Seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist your with putting together a solution that addresses the timing of cash flows and capital in your business.

Variable Universal Life Insurance With World Financial Group

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Variable universal life insurance is a life insurance policy that is available from World Financial Group, and is a very wise investment for your future. Unlike universal health insurance, a variable universal life insurance policy involves investments that are made on your behalf in stocks. Even though many individuals feel that this type of policy is more rigid and risky, brokers that invest the policy funds for World Financial Group, take every care with the assets they are trusted with. Because of the many restrictions and investment that is made into each of the variable universal life insurance policies with World Financial Group, it is a very important and good investment to make for your own future and that of your family.

Some of the things that you need to understand about this type of policy include the premiums, benefits and investments that are made. A premium payment schedule is set up from the beginning and must be adhered to over the entire life of the policy. Benefits of the insurance policy can be two to three times the monetary value that you would realize with a traditional life insurance policy. Because the money paid into the policy is invested, there is a a lot more room for growth of the policy. At the same time, the investments are made can also fail, so just like playing the market there are risks involved. If you are comfortable with these risks though, the investment can be very profitable.

Explaining The Meaning Of Uninsured Losses

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Car insurance is not merely an important part of protecting yourself financially on the road – its a legal necessity. However if youre trying to make a claim after being involved in an accident that wasnt your fault, you might come across something called uninsured losses. We take a look at exactly what that means for your cover

Uninsured losses can be described as potential financial losses, and they aren’t usually covered by a standard insurance policy. Uninsured losses generally include: injury to yourself or your passengers; loss of earnings; cost of alternative travel arrangements; or recovery of your policy excess from a third party. These are all very common costs incurred as a result of an accident, and you will understandably want to protect yourself against them.

According to the Department for Transport, around 3,500 people are killed and 40,000 are seriously injured on Britain’s roads each year. If youre involved in an accident, it could seriously affect your health or ability to work, and therefore have grave financial implications too. Standard insurance will always cover liabilities to third parties. However, if an accident isnt your fault, you will have to make a case to the other partys insurance provider in order to cover the damage incurred. If the other party does not take responsibility, this could potentially turn into a costly and lengthy legal procedure.

Some insurance providers may recommend that you take out optional additional cover, often from as little as 20, to boost your protection and cover uninsured losses. With Greenbee Legal Protection, for example, you would have up to 100,000 towards legal expenses to help recover these potential losses. Just make sure you contact your insurance provider immediately after an accident, as there may be time limits that apply.

The Government is currently investing in a road safety strategy, which is aiming for a 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents by the end of 2010. We can all do our part to make Britains roads safer by driving carefully at all times. However, even if you are a safe and conscientious driver, you cannot always guarantee how other people may behave on the roads. By taking out comprehensive insurance you will give yourself great financial protection from accidents and as a result hopefully feel a little safer behind the wheel.

Benefits Of The Sears Credit Card

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The Sears credit card has more purchasing power than most people think. It’s not just for buying tires or batteries or even big screen TV’s. The card can do so much more, a closer look and you’ll see what I mean.

With a Sears credit card, you can buy other things such as tools, clothes, other electronics, shoes and things for the house. Whatever you see in the store can be bought and put right on the card so make no mistake, if your a little short on cash and you have the card, you can still purchase.

What Sears has done, was they partnered up with a major financial institution like Citibank, N.A. which gives them the chance to offer a wide range of offers as well as uses. Those who are out looking for a decent credit card might want to stop and have a look at the Sears card.

Anyone with a good credit history should be able to qualify without any problems and take advantage of any extras that come along with the current offer. Just to give a quick example, let’s say the current offer has a 0% interest or low interest on balance transfers.

For most consumers, they’re going to have to stop for a moment and check their finances to see if the Sears credit card will be a good fit for them. On the plus side, it is a convenience to be able to walk into a place, buy a different variety of items and if need be, put it all on the card.

Another plus about the Sears card is that you can use it at Kmart, Kmart.com, Sears.com, Sears Essentials, Sears Grand, Sears Hardware, Sears Auto Centers, Sears Hometown Stores, Lands’ End, landsend.com, The Great Indoors, and Orchard Supply Hardware, Sears Repair and Product Services, Sears Dental, Sears Portrait Studios, Sears Optical, Sears Flowers, AOL (for monthly provider fees) and Avis.

If your out there shopping around for the best credit card deal that will fit your budget and finances it’s always important to take the time to read all the terms and conditions. Especially if your opening up a new account, you definitely want to go over the benefits that come with a new account. Eventually you’ll come across the Sears card and then you can make comparisons.

It is possible to buy high quality goods at Sears or one of the other stores mentioned above and still keep your expenses low. One of the key things to keep in mind is that a credit card should be used as an aid rather than an anchor. And if you use the credit card responsibly you’ll find that it can come in handy, especially when your in a pinch.

How To Prepare For The Investment Banking Interview

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It seems that the investment banking industry has narrowly escaped Armaggedon and the survivors are waiving the bonus flags again. Intern classes are getting bigger and Business Week reported that Goldman Sachs has reclaimed the top spot as the most popular employer among elite MBA students again. If you are a career switcher and one among many MBA applicants dreaming of joining Goldman Sachs or another bulge bracket investment bank for the summer internship, this article is for you. Below we provide an overview of an investment banking interview and explain why its important to prepare in advance. This is especially true if you are a career switcher.

There are several types of questions which you are likely to be asked in your interview. They include career questions, educational questions, competency questions, fit questions, technical questions and industry questions.

While its difficult to predict which questions exactly you will be asked, there are four questions which will appear in any investment banking interview:
– The WMTYR (Walk me through your resume)
– The 3 Why’s (Why investment banking? Why our bank? Why (should we hire) you?

The answer to the first and the second questions may be quite similar to those you provided in your MBA admission interviews. Answer to the third question is a little bit more complicated and will require specific preparation.

The usual reason for interest in any specific investment bank include: (a) a strong platform, which means strong coverage teams, diverse offering of advisory and financial products, many interesting deals and opportunities to learn (b) a strong presence in specific markets or industries (c) and the most important, tons of wonderful and smart people with whom you talked with during your recruiting process and whom you really made a connection with. Networking is a critical component for your interview preparation but we will discuss this area in one of our
future postings.

Why (should we hire) you? To answer this question you need to reiterate your main strengths, interest in a specific bank and a great fit you feel for the bank you are interviewing with.
You should prepare for this question especially well as a banks approach to this question will usually be that a person who cannot sell himself cannot sell the banks products and banking is definitely a sales job.

Good to know Other challenging fit questions examining your understanding of the
investment banking can be:
– What does an investment banker actually do?
– What is the role of an associate in the investment banking?
The answer to the first question will usually go in the following way:
An investment bank serves as intermediaries between their clients
who need capital in the form of debt and equity
It provides strategic advisory services by structuring transactions
that meet clients needs and objectives
Overall, Investment bank works with companies on the transactions
that will enhance their value. This may include accessing capital
markets to find growth or expand operations, as well as investing in another
company through merger or acquisition. Banks are not only the
matchmaker between parties involved in a transaction, but also the primary
architects of the deal.

A typical answer to the question about the role of an associate will
go like this :
Analyzing industry and company data related to the transaction
Building excel models to valuate companies
Joining strategic meetings
Performing due diligence meetings with the clients
Creating, editing client presentations
Monitoring, paying close attention to documentation associated with
the deal (prospectus, internal memos)
Managing relationship with an analyst
The most important attributes that an associate should have are:
quantitative skills, the ability to learn quickly, discipline, a strong work ethic, the ability to
work in teams, detail orientation and dependability.

While answering competency and behavioral questions you should be structured and succinct. Banks like well organized and structured thinking and will quickly dismiss candidates who ramble or cannot distinguish important points from the less important ones. We recommend creating 3 bullet points for each of your answers and putting them on the paper in advance. Practice your answers with friends and be sure that your story is consistent and flows well before the interview.

The technical part

The technical part of the interview will test your familiarity with the accounting and financial terms. This will definitely require thorough preparation even if you study at one of the top MBA programs . First of all you will need to be familiar with the financial statements and their analysis. The profit and loss statement, the balance sheet and cash flow statements are all fair game in the interview.
Secondly, you will need to have a basic understanding of the company’s valuation methods. You should be very familiar with terms such as cost of capital, cash flow discounting, multiples, accretion and dilution, LBO, CAPM, WACC and Beta.

You also may be asked how M&A and IPOs work and even be given a case study on a business situation. It is strongly recommended that you start b-school having at least a basic understanding of accounting and finance.

Here are some books that can help you.
VAULT Guide to Finance Interviews by D. Bhatawedekhar, Dan Jacobson,
and the Vault Staff
Vault Career Guide to Investment Banking by Tom Lott, Derek Loosvelt
and the Staff of Vault
Heard on the Street by Timothy Falcon Crack.
Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by Tom
Copeland, et al, John Wiley & Sons Inc
Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies
by McKinsey and Company
Financial Modeling, 3rd Edition (Hardcover), Simon Benninga

In the industry part of the interview the interviewers will test your understanding of the industry and your professional interests.
You will be asked about financial news and trends, current articles related to investment banking, discussions of the economic environment and economic trends, trends in M&A and definitely about specific deals.

To be prepared for this part of the interview its advisable to start reading financial and economic newspapers and journals. The Wall Street Journal, FT and Economist are good sources to gain relevant knowledge.

A couple of additional hints:
– Know recent interesting deals executed by banks with which you are interviewing.
– Talk about deals with passion the interviewers will test not only your level of knowledge but also your passion for IB
– And finally, always read the news in the morning before your interview

Some additional books to better understand investment banking before your interview include:
The Business of Investment Banking: A Comprehensive Overview , by K.
Thomas Liaw
Blue Blood and Mutiny: The Fight for the Soul of Morgan Stanley , by
Patricia Beard
The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frres & Co. , by
William Cohan
The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade that Transformed
Wall Street , By Jonathan Knee
More entertaining books include:
Barbarians at the Gate , By Bryan Burrough and John Helyar.
Bombardiers , By Po Bronson
Monkey Business: Swinging through the Wall Street Jungle, By John
Rolfe and Peter Troob.
Liars Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street , By Michael
Lewis, Norton Books.

Good luck with your interview!

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