What is Finance?
Finance is money and how it is used in projects, small businesses, banks, and almost everywhere. It includes activities like earning, investing, borrowing, saving, and budgeting. Financing is providing funds for business activities, including purchases and investing.
Importance of Finance:
Financial institutions play a very vital role in any government’s economic system as it allows purchasing and selling.
- It deals with how an individual, government, business owners acquire the capital needed and how they invest/spend that money.
- The financial markets allow the flow of money and are facilitated by the financial services sector.
- Finance also includes liabilities and assets of an individual, business, or company, which is based on space and time while keeping in mind the risks of future outcomes.
Types of Finance-
Finance used by individuals is Personal Finance, by Governments is called Public/Government Finance and by businesses is called Corporate Finance.
- Personal Finance: It is the spending and saving of money being mindful of risks and uncertainty of the future by an individual.
- It also includes tuition fees, cars, insurance (health or property), and investing for retirement.
- Loans also come under Personal Finance.
- Taxes which play an essential role in every household can also be kept in mind while talking about Personal Finance.
- Corporate Finance: As the name suggests, it is the funding and organizational structure of businesses and corporations.
- It includes a balance of risk and profitability while being aware of maximizing assets.
- Managers also take actions to increase the value of the firm for the shareholders using the tools for allocating financial resources.
- Public/Government Finance: Country’s revenue, debt load towards other governments, and expenditures are the core of Public Finance.
- It is mainly concerned with the budgeting process of the country.
- Central banks like the RBI in India act as lenders and players while influencing the economy.
What is capital in a business?
Capital is the money that allows the businesses to buy raw materials, produce goods, and offer services to the audience.
Sources of capital in business are equity and debt. The dissemination of money depends on the budget, which focuses on the goals of the company, targets, sales goals, costs, the investment required to achieve goals, and much more.
The sources of finance can be broken down in the following way-
- Basis of Time:
- Long Term – Shares, Loans, Venture Funding, etc.
- Medium-Term – Bonds, Lease finance, etc.
- Short Term – Fixed Deposits, Bill Discounting, etc.
- Basis of Ownership & Control:
- Owned – Equity capital, Retained Earnings, Convertible Debentures, etc.
- Borrowed – Commercial Loans, Debentures
- Basis of Source of Generation:
- Internal – Equity Capital, Retained Earnings, etc.
- External – Retained Profits, Sale of Assets, etc.
The two ways of financing a small business are:
- Debt – It is a loan that needs to be paid back with interest.
- Equity – It is a part of your business you sell to a shareholder.
Conclusion:
To sum it all, you should always have a financial agent/guide who can help you during your process of raising your business with capital or investing. Generating finance is better when we have a helping hand with us.