Check out my definition of Financial Engineering!
VIDEO SUMMARY:
I wanted to make a video about financial engineering. I know that it sounds complicate. This is one of those areas that people really get intimidated by. But if you understand a few key concepts it can really put you a step above other accountants.
So to start off, what is financial engineering? It is using financial tools and techniques to make your resources more effective. Now that sounds a little vague, so I’m going to give you three key concepts that make this very simple to understand.
Concept 1: Everyone exists on a scale of financial maturity
So there is a scale, and on one end is low financial maturity and on the other end is high financial maturity. Let’s start on the low end. The starting point when you talk about finances is cash. A business that uses only cash. What is one tool you can use to better manage your cash? You could use a budget. A budget is a financial tool, to help you better track and manage your money. And by putting a budget in place, you have just taken a step up in financial maturity. And this continues on. You can have a checking account and savings account. You can have investment plans. You can have insurance. You can have a credit card. That increases your overall buying power. You can have a business loan. You can have annual audited financial statements. You can have internal controls. You can issue stock. You can use financial derivatives. This isn’t a comprehensive list and I’m not going to go through all of these. I just want to give you an idea, that there is this scale of financial maturity, from low to high.
Concept 2: Everyone can always improve their financial maturity
I don’t care what business you are, you can always improve to higher levels of maturity. You might be in a large business or a small business. It doesn’t matter. See if you can identify where you fall on the scale of financial maturity, and what tools and techniques you can use to take the next step. And I’m not advocating that every business should leap frog all the way to a super mature accounting department. That might not be right for your business. What I am saying is to always be aware of the next step to push your business forward.
Concept 3 is the reason why.
Concept 3: Increasing financial maturity improves your resource effectiveness
This means more money. The farther along you are on the scale of financial maturity, you make more money. Let’s go back to the example of moving from cash to using a budget. When you start managing your money better, each dollar you have is going to become more effective. It’s like you have more money, because your cash is no longer flying around everywhere. And the same concept goes for all the other tools. Credit cards increase your buying power. Derivatives mitigate risk and free up capital. All these tools are designed to give you more money.
Concept 4: Everyone can do financial engineering.
When people hear the phrase “financial engineering” they get intimidated. They don’t know what it means. It seems scary. Finance and accounting are really confusing. But here is the thing. You are already doing it. You are somewhere on this scale. So I always encourage people to go out and learn as much as you can about this stuff. Everyone can do it. And the reward, is more money.
So I also have a message specifically for accountants. This is one of those areas where you can really add value to your organization as an accountant. If you look at your organization and identify where you sit on this scale of financial maturity. You can then find ways to push your organization to higher levels, and that will really add value to your business.
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Neither Zach De Gregorio or Wolves and Finance Inc. shall be liable for any damages related to information in this video. It is recommended you contact a CPA in your area for business advice.