Topic outline of finance

:"For a more comprehensive list, see the List of finance topics."

Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organizations raise, allocate and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to finance:

Essence of finance

The term finance may incorporate any of the following:
* The study of money and other assets
* The management and control of those assets
* Profiling and managing project risks
* As a verb, "to finance" is to provide funds for business.

Branches of finance

* Personal finance

Personal finance is the application of the principles of finance to the monetary decisions of an individual or family unit. It addresses the ways in which individuals or families obtain, budget, save and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future life events. Components of personal finance might include checking and savings accounts, credit cards and consumer loans, investments in the stock market, retirement plans, social security benefits, insurance policies, and income tax management.Contents [hide]

#Personal financial planning
#Popular Tools
#See also
#References

Personal financial planning

A key component of personal finance is financial planning, a dynamic process that requires regular monitoring and reevaluation. In general, it has five steps:

#Assessment: One's personal financial situation can be assessed by compiling simplified versions of financial balance sheets and income statements. A personal balance sheet lists the values of personal assets (e.g., car, house, clothes, stocks, bank account), along with personal liabilities (e.g., credit card debt, bank loan, mortgage). A personal income statement lists personal income and expenses.
#Setting goals: Two examples are "retire at age 65 with a personal net worth of $200,000 American" and "buy a house in 3 years paying a monthly mortgage servicing cost that is no more than 25% of my gross income". It is not uncommon to have several goals, some short term and some long term. Setting financial goals helps direct financial planning.
#Creating a plan: The financial plan details how to accomplish your goals. It could include, for example, reducing unnecessary expenses, increasing one's employment income, or investing in the stock market.
#Execution: Execution of one's personal financial plan often requires discipline and perseverance. Many people obtain assistance from professionals such as accountants, financial planners, investment advisers, and lawyers.
#Monitoring and reassessment: As time passes, one's personal financial plan must be monitored for possible adjustments or reassessments.

Typical goals most adults have are paying off credit card and or student loan debt, retirement, college costs for children, medical expenses, and estate planning.
* Corporate finance
* Public finance
* Project Finance
* Trade finance

History of finance

Basic finance concepts

General

* Risk

Accounting

* Accounting
* Balance sheet
* Book keeping
* FASB
* Income statement
* Working capital

Asset types

* Real Estate
* Securities
* Commodities
* Futures

Raising capital

* Debt
* Factor

* Securities
** Initial public offering

Regulation

* Federal Reserve
* Federal Trade Commission
* License
* Securities Exchange Commission

* Insurance
* Bank
* Budget
* Capital
* Cash flow
* Checking
* Contract
* CPA
* Credit
* Inventory
* Investment
* Investor
* Junk bond
* Money market fund
* Money order
* Opportunity cost
* Owner
* Royalty
* Savings
* Stock
* Wire transfer

Funding
Hedging
Interest
Yield
ArbitrageFinancial Vehicles
Collective investment scheme
Trusts

Finance lists

Finance scholars

Leaders in finance

See also

External links

* [http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/category.cfm?cid=1 Wharton Finance Knowledge Project] - aimed to offer free access to finance knowledge for students, teachers, and self-learners.
*For material covering three areas in finance - corporate finance, valuation and investment management, see [http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/ Prof. Aswath Damodaran]
*For links to finance web sites, grouped by topic see [http://web.utk.edu/~jwachowi/wacho_world.html Web Sites for Discerning Finance Students] , Prof. John M. Wachowicz [http://www.recent-articles.info -]
*For the introductory finance web site at the University of Arizona, [http://www.studyfinance.com/ studyfinance.com]
*For introductory articles, a full glossary and links to resources on behavioral finance see the [http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pgreenfinch/behavioral-finance.htm BF gallery]
*For the law of the financial markets see [http://www.seclaw.com SECLaw.com]
*For stock market related financial definitions see [http://www.thestreet.com/_wiki/university/glossary/index.html TheStreet.com Glossary]
* [http://www.the-financedirector.com The Finance Director] provides access to essential suppliers of financial services and solutions
* [http://www.arabianbusiness.com/banking_finance/ Middle East Banking & Finance News] — "ArabianBusiness.com"