Money Management

Eight Key Benefits of Business Financial Planning

Financial planning doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a great profession for someone who wants to build their business and create wealth. You just need to take the time to learn about financial planning from the inside out. The right financial plan will help you understand your business’s needs and ability to meet them through various investment vehicles such as trusts and partnerships. If you don’t have a plan or need some help revamping your current one, this guide can help you get back on track. Here are just some of the many benefits of having a detailed financial plan in place:

Financial Planning for Growth
Every business wants to grow. To do this, you need to know the financial parameters of your current operations and have a clear plan for future growth. A financial plan will help ensure you don’t overextend your current capital. If you have a plan, you can see how much money you currently have and what you need to grow. Knowing your financial parameters can also help you see where your business is weakest. If you have an idea of what your cash flow looks like and where it is projected to be in the future, you can identify the areas in which you need to make improvements.

Secure Liquidity
One of the main reasons to create a financial plan is to find secure liquidity. If a customer owes you money, then you need to have cash on hand that can be immediately transferred to the creditor. It can also refer to the currently available value of an asset. To find liquidity, first, determine what types of assets you have and the amount of cash each one represents. Enlist all your assets, their value, and what they represent.

Asset Protection
Another key benefit of financial planning is asset protection. Simply put, this is transferring assets, such as assets in a business, property, art, or antiques, into a trust or other legal entity to shield them from claims by creditors. The most common types of asset protection trusts are:

• Trusts – This legal arrangement allows one person (such as an attorney) to serve as trustee of an asset and control its use. Trusts are very common in the context of estate planning and are also used to transfer assets into a legal entity that can be protected.

• Joint Tenancy – This is a type of trust where two people create a “joint tenancy,” which means that each person owns an equal share in the trust. Joint tenancies are most commonly used to protect real estate.

• Irrevocable Trusts – Also called “second-to-none” trusts or “once-and-for-all trust,” they are an expensive form of asset protection. It can’t be canceled or changed after signing the document.

ROI Calculation
Once you have found secure liquidity and asset protection, you can calculate your return on investment (ROI) through various investments. The first type of investment you will want to consider is an owner-occupied property. This could be an existing business in which you have an ownership stake or a new startup. Using a spreadsheet, you can calculate each investment vehicle’s return on investment and ensure you get the best returns possible.

Expertise Asset Acquisition
Owning a piece of a business is advantageous in many ways. For example, if the business starts making money and you have a piece of that, then you have a tangible asset worth more than the money you put into it. You can also use this cash flow to acquire other businesses that have cash flow but are not yet profitable. This is a great way to become part of the business world without spending a lot of time looking for great opportunities. It can help you find secure liquidity, asset protection, and the best investment return.

Business Continuity Planning
Business continuity planning is critical to your financial planning strategy because it helps you think ahead about the impact a disaster could have on your business. For example, you should consider how your office is located, how many employees you have, and other factors that could impact your ability to continue operating if there is a fire, flood, or another disaster.

Return of Investment Calendar
Your return of investment calendar is another critical element of your financial plan. It lets you know when you have money coming in from your investment vehicles and when to make payments. It’s important to know when you will have revenue coming in and when you will be spending money on your investments. This helps you plan your cash flow based on when you will have money coming in and when you will have to make payments.

Asset planning
Your asset planning is an integral part of your financial planning strategy because it helps you understand the value of your business and the assets that make up that value. For instance, your building might be an asset because it’s part of the business’s value. Your inventory of goods and services might also be an asset and your customers’ goodwill toward your brand. You also need to consider how likely you’ll get revenue from each of your assets and how much it will cost you to use each. An asset plan helps you understand your business’s value by identifying each asset’s contribution to the company’s value.

Final Thoughts
Financial planning is an essential part of growing any business. With these benefits in mind, financial planning is a must for any business owner. That’s why it’s helpful to start by thinking of it as a fun and exciting way to learn more about your business. It’s about setting a course for your business and how you plan to arrive at that course. It helps you avoid future obstacles and focus on the big picture goals of your company.

Financial planning is vital for any business and more so for startups. Your financial plan will help you understand your company’s needs and ability to meet those needs. You can use your financial plan to help you identify potential areas for growth and to help you determine how much capital you’ll need to invest in those areas.