Introduction to Finance

Finance is a broad term encompassing various things regarding the financial management, generation, and distribution of funds and investments. Finance is an important part of the economy and plays a crucial role in delivering economic activity and growth to a country. Some economists and others categorize it as the system of evaluating and using financial instruments to gain advantage over other enterprises. The best way to define finance is to say that it is the science of managing financial resources in order to meet the economic objectives of the nation. Finance helps a company to develop, establish, expand, purchase, and dispose of its assets. It also facilitates the movement of capital between the companies and between countries.

There are three major parts to finance: personal finance, public finance, and national finance. Within these three categories, there exist various other categories like investment banking, corporate finance, financial services, merchant finance, and non-financial services. All these subjects are important in the overall analysis of the economy and are required to be studied carefully by a well informed manager. Public finance is concerned with governmental organizations, interest payments on debts of individuals, and payments on loans made by banks to individuals and companies.

In personal finance, the three main aspects are income, spending, and saving. Within these three main aspects, there are various sub-divisions such as investment, saving, and spending for growth and retirement. In addition, there is investment management which takes care of all the processes involved in managing money through investment and savings. This includes budgeting, debt analysis, debt repayment, balance sheet analysis, asset allocation, corporate planning, and private financial plan making.

Public finance is the study of governmental institutions, including government banks, the central bank, and public money agencies. In this context, it also includes other financial activities like budgeting, debt management, central bank supervision, and other monetary policy issues. The scope of public finance is vast and covers all types of governmental activities. This includes economic growth and expansion, political stability, social welfare, consumer protection, immigration, foreign trade, financial institutions, budget deficits and surpluses, international trade, public health, national defense, international monetary system, tax and social security programs, exchange rates, and financial institutions regulation.

Finance is an important area of the business world and also involves the investment practices of companies. The areas of finance that affect businesses include finance cost, plan and coordinate financing, tax management, capital budgeting, working capital budgeting, venture capital, financial plan optimization, and investment strategies. Finance course teaches students how to manage their own personal finances, establish a sound financial plan, prepare an annual budget, and how to minimize risks in investment. There are many specialization areas in finance. Finance graduates can look forward to a bright future by combining knowledge of different specialized areas of finance.

Finance is the art and science of dealing with financial instruments. It involves both short-term and long-term options for making better utilization of resources with a view to achieving a particular objective. Finance degree can be obtained through online finance courses or traditional college courses. Finance curriculum is highly specialized, and may incorporate financial theory, application of complex economic concepts, methods to measure financial risk, decision making, and accounting principles. A strong background in mathematics is beneficial, as is prior experience in other related disciplines such as accountancy, business administration, finance, mathematics, statistics, and other relevant work experience.