Financial Accounting

Strategic financial management is basically about the identification of the possible strategies capable of maximizing an organization’s market value. It involves the allocation of scarce capital resources among competing opportunities. It also encompasses the implementation and monitoring of the chosen strategy so as to achieve agreed objectives.

The key decisions falling within the scope of financial strategy include the following:

1. Financial decisions – this deals with the mode of financing or mix of equity capital and debt capital. If it is possible to alter the total value of the company by alteration in the capital structure of the company, then an optimal financial mix would exist – where the market value of the company is maximized.

2. Investment decision – this involves the profitable utilization of firm’s funds especially in long-term projects (capital projects). Because the future benefits associated with such projects are not known with certainty, investment decisions necessarily involve risk. The projects are therefore evaluated in relation to their expected return and risk. For these are the factors that ultimately determine the market value of the company. To maximize the market value of the company, the financial manager will be interested in those projects with maximum returns and minimum risk. An understanding of cost of capital, capital structure and portfolio theory is a prerequisite here.

3. Dividend decision – dividend decision determines the division of earnings between payments to shareholders and reinvestment in the company. Retained earnings are one of the most significant sources of funds for financing corporate growth, dividends constitute the cash flows that accrue to shareholders. Although both growth and dividends are desirable, these goals are in conflict with each other. A higher dividend rate means rate means less retained earnings and consequently slower rate of growth in future earnings and share prices. The finance manager must provide reasonable answer to this conflict.

It should be noted that the theory of corporate finance is based on the assumption that the objective of management is to maximize the market value of the company. More specifically, it is settled in finance that the main objective of a company should be to maximize wealth of its ordinary shareholders.

A bank levy is when your bank account is frozen and all or part of the monies in your bank account is seized. Bank levy’s can happen for many reasons, however the two most common are due to unpaid taxes and unpaid debt.

A bank levy just doesn’t happen immediately; usually it is the result of a creditor trying to force a debtor to repay a debt. Obviously in the case of taxes, if the IRS has sent you a letter stating that you owe taxes and you either refuse to pay the debt or don’t respond to their requests by either making a repayment plan or trying to work with them towards repayment, a tool they will use is a bank levy. They will freeze your accounts and seize any money in your account up to the amount that you owe.

The bank account can be almost any type of account (e.g. savings, checking, etc) and while most levy’s occur in the US, the IRS or other creditors can sometimes go after off shore accounts. Once a bank levy is made on your account, any money that is in the account will be seized. If there is not enough money in the account, all money will be removed and your account will usually remain frozen until the debt is paid off.

It should be noted that while the IRS are usually the ones that use this method the most, other creditors have used this method to receive repayment for their debts. For instance, if you have a judgment against you for a credit card debt, the creditor can file for a bank levy to be placed on your account. While state laws differ, in most cases certain monies in your account are exempt including welfare payments, social security payments, VA benefits, child support, etc. If a bank levy has been placed on your account by a creditor, you usually have 30 days to contest the levy (in the case that monies that were seized are exempt). If a bank levy occurs, you should contact the court to find out how to file for an exemption immediately.

It should be noted that a bank levy can occur quite frequently and it is not a one time event. A creditor can request a bank levy as many times as he or she would like to until the debt is paid off. Many banks charge a penalty to their customers if their bank account receives a levy. This amount can be over $100 each time. It should be noted that any checks that have been written before the event that have not been cashed will bounce, because your account is frozen. It should also be noted that withdrawals can not occur, but in many cases deposits can. So if you have received a bank levy and have your employer deposit money into your account, this money will be seized as well.

Like any other business, non-profit organizations have their own set of financial statements, presenting information relevant to managers, donors, bankers, and other interested parties. The main difference between a non-profit organization and a for-profit is that a non-profit has no owners, no investors. That is major – you will not see owner’s equity or profit or losses in financial statements.

Statement of Financial Position

This financial statement is the balance sheet of a non-profit organization. The main difference between a regular balance sheet and a statement of financial position is the presence of “net assets” instead of owner’s equity in the statement of financial position. Since non-profits have no owners and no investors, the lack of owner’s equity in this financial statement is understandable.

The formula for the statement of financial position is: Assets = Liabilities + Net Assets

Statement of Activities

The statement of activities is comparable to the income statement. Revenues are presented along with expenses, usually summarized by functional area, such as programs, administration, and fundraising. Unlike a for-profit income statement, the statement of activities does not show profit or loss; instead it presents “changes in net assets”.The statement of activities typically shows two lines: one line with beginning net assets and a last line item with ending net assets. This presentation is unique to the non-profit sector.

The formula for the statement of activities is: Revenues – Expenses= Change in net assets + beginning net assets = Ending net assets

*The ending net assets in this statement should agree with the same items in the Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Functional Expenses

This statement is unique to the non-profit organization with nothing like it in the for-profit business. This statement details the expenses and it is presented in a matrix format with expense descriptions as lines and three functional areas as columns. Many times program area is shown in more than one column, identifying each program separately. The expectation is that most money is spent in the program area, reflecting the organization mission and objectives.

The basic formula for the statement of functional expenses is: Total Expenses= Program Expenses + Administrative Expenses + Fundraising Expenses

*The ending balance of the statement of functional expenses should agree with the expenses per Statement of Activities.

Statement of Cash Flows

This statement is the same as per for-profit businesses. It shows cash received and how it was used. As the case with for-profit, the statement can be prepared using the direct method or indirect. The idea is the same, but obviously containing non-profit specific information, such as grants receivable or cash from donations.

The formula for Statement of cash flows is: Change in Cash=Cash from Operations+ Cash from Investing+ Cash from Financing

*The statement of cash flows contains cash balance that should agree with the same cash balance in the financial position.