Data & Finance for Work & Life
Finance content for professional development.
Accounting is funny about big ticket items. If a company buys a car, building, large machine, or other big purchase, the asset starts to lose value immediately. On the books (specifically, under the account “Fixed Assets at Cost”), fixed assets lose value at a hefty linear rate. In most cases, this “book value” is very […]
Fixed Assets at Cost: Lost Asset Appreciation (& Examples) Read More »
Finance and legal departments are simultaneously similar and different. They’re similar insofar as both play a supporting role in an organization, yet they’re different in terms of tools, mediums, and applicable skills. Lawyers are text-oriented thinkers whereas finance professionals look at numbers and financial statements. The good news is that they share fundamental cognitive skills:
Finance to Law: Breaking into Law with a Finance Background Read More »
Finance and Administration is more than the sum of it’s parts. This article explains why. In most companies, the term “administration” applies to departments that play a supporting role for operational teams. Administrative departments include human resources (HR), public relations (PR), corporate development and strategy (CD&S), and of course, finance. The reason we call them
Finance and Administration Function: Specialist & Manager Read More »
Most companies agree that cash is king. However, in a world of accrual accounting — where revenue and costs are recorded when a service is delivered, rather than when money is transferred — it’s easy to lose track of cash. Moreover, it’s easy to loose track within individual departments. Cash flow tables help departments and
Cash Flow Table: Definition, Excel Example, & Template Read More »
Interest and profit are both results of the way in which organizations make money, but make no mistake: they are not the same. The challenge is that you cannot directly compare interest and profit because they’re separate ideas. By way of metaphor, it would be like comparing a window and a garage door; interest is
Interest vs Profit: Difference Between Bank & Company Income Read More »
Every organization has goals. In a competitive market, goals are a necessity for survival. But not all objectives are alike. One company objective may be to minimize layoffs during economic downturn. Another might be to open a store in a prestigious location. Some companies even set goals to get Super Bowl ads! These are examples
Financial Objectives: what are they, who uses them, & why? Read More »
Financial analysts are a necessity in almost every industry, but they have a unique set of responsibilities in healthcare. In an industry overwhelmed with a large aging population, a suddenly-larger number of people with insurance (including Medicare), and a shift from service-based care to value-based care, financial analysts are responsible for maintaining financial integrity and
Healthcare Financial Analyst Guide: Why & How to Become One Read More »
Finance is about money, and money requires math. However, most financial professionals only need basic knowledge in algebra and simple rules such as the order of operations to excel in their job. What’s most important is being fast with basic math, and having a critical mind to understand the three financial statements, as well as
Math for Financial Analysts: What do you really need? Read More »
At the end of the day, what good is marketing if it doesn’t turn a profit? Financial analysis in marketing allows marketers to understand the impact of their strategic decisions on the financial results of the company. Marketers familiar with financial terminology and concepts such as return on investment (ROI) have a better chance of
Financial Analysis in Marketing: Example & Excel Template Read More »
The term investment base shows up most often in three financial contexts: sales of receivables, capital structuring, and valuations. In a sentence, investment base is an umbrella term used to reference the valuable portion, or net portion, of a pool of assets and liabilities. The reason we use the term “investment base” rather than “available
Investment Base: What is it? And why is it important? Read More »
