Finance quick-reference checks and formulas for analysis, liquidity, capital budgeting, valuation, risk, financing, and transaction recommendations.
Use this cheat sheet after reading the Finance guide pages. It compresses the response habits needed for financial analysis, treasury, capital budgeting, valuation, risk management, and corporate finance transactions.
| Step | Question | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Decision | What decision is management making? | Decision frame. |
| 2. Method | Which ratio, valuation method, capital budgeting tool, risk measure, or financing comparison fits? | Method selection. |
| 3. Inputs | Which assumptions, market data, forecasts, covenants, or constraints matter? | Evidence quality. |
| 4. Result | What does the calculation or exhibit show? | Quantitative support. |
| 5. Advice | What should the entity do, and what could change the conclusion? | Recommendation with risk. |
[ \text{Cash conversion cycle} = \text{DIO} + \text{DSO} - \text{DPO} ]
[ \text{NPV} = \sum_{t=1}^{n} \frac{\text{Cash flow}_t}{(1+r)^t} - \text{Initial investment} ]
[ \text{WACC} = (w_d \times k_d \times (1 - T)) + (w_e \times k_e) ]
[ \text{Debt-to-equity ratio} = \frac{\text{Total debt}}{\text{Total equity}} ]
The answer should explain what the formula output means for liquidity, value, risk, feasibility, market access, or strategy.
| Topic | Trigger | Response move |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Analysis and Planning | Ratio, benchmark, trend, proposal, sensitivity, simulation, or risk-return exhibit appears. | Interpret the evidence, identify limitations, and recommend based on decision purpose. |
| Treasury Management | Cash shortfall, working capital policy, portfolio, financing source, capital structure, or cost of capital appears. | Connect timing, source, cost, risk, covenants, control, and implementation. |
| Capital Budgeting | Project proposal, NPV, IRR, tax effect, feasibility, sensitivity, or strategic fit appears. | Evaluate the project with quantitative and qualitative evidence before recommending. |
| Valuation | Asset, business, intangible, multiple, cash flow, discount rate, or value range appears. | Match method to purpose and evidence quality, then support a value or range. |
| Financial Risk Management | Exposure, market change, policy, derivative, hedge, interest-rate, FX, commodity, or compounding risk appears. | Size the exposure and match mitigation to objective, term, notional, and residual risk. |
| Corporate Finance Transactions | Purchase, sale, expansion, control change, distress, recovery, or liquidation appears. | Compare transaction or recovery alternatives and recommend the value-preserving path. |
Choose the tool after defining the decision.
| Decision cue | Useful method | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidity or working capital | Cash forecast, cash conversion cycle, receivables, inventory, payables, credit terms. | Timing gaps, recurring shortfalls, covenant limits, supplier effects. |
| Financing source or capital structure | Cost, covenant, leverage, control, flexibility, tax shield, market access. | Lowest cost may increase risk or reduce flexibility. |
| Capital project | NPV, IRR, payback, tax effects, sensitivity, strategic fit. | One metric should not override feasibility or downside risk. |
| Valuation | Asset method, multiple, DCF, value range, intangible analysis. | Method must fit purpose, data quality, and assumptions. |
| Risk or hedge | Exposure sizing, term, notional, basis risk, policy objective. | Hedge should match the exposure being managed. |
| Distress or transaction | Recovery value, sale option, liquidation path, control change, stakeholder effect. | Timing and value preservation may dominate accounting profit. |
Finance answers should challenge the input that could change the conclusion.
| Input | Ask | Response move |
|---|---|---|
| Forecast cash flow | Is it recurring, one-time, seasonal, or constrained? | Qualify the result and identify cash risk. |
| Discount rate or WACC | Does the rate match project risk and capital structure? | Explain whether the rate is supportable. |
| Market multiple | Is the comparable actually comparable? | Use a range or caveat if evidence is weak. |
| Growth or margin | Is the assumption consistent with case facts and capacity? | Test sensitivity or downside case. |
| Covenant or borrowing limit | Does the option remain feasible after financing constraints? | Add compliance or lender-risk discussion. |
| Hedge term or notional | Does the derivative match the exposure? | Identify mismatch, basis risk, or residual risk. |
| Mistake | Correction |
|---|---|
| Producing a calculation without advice. | State the action supported by the result. |
| Treating valuation output as exact. | Use a range or explain uncertainty when assumptions are sensitive. |
| Choosing the lowest financing cost. | Consider control, covenants, flexibility, risk, and market access. |
| Ignoring downside cases. | Explain whether sensitivity or scenario results change the recommendation. |
| Recommending a hedge without matching it to exposure. | Check notional, term, basis risk, counterparty risk, and documentation. |
| Need | Sentence frame |
|---|---|
| Decision | “Management is deciding whether to [action], so the relevant finance question is [liquidity/value/risk/financing/etc.].” |
| Method | “[Method] is appropriate because the case provides [inputs] and the decision requires [output].” |
| Result | “The result indicates [effect], which means [business implication].” |
| Sensitivity | “The conclusion is most sensitive to [input], because [case reason].” |
| Recommendation | “Management should [proceed/reject/renegotiate/defer/hedge/restructure] and monitor [risk or metric].” |
Before a timed Finance case, run this sequence:
| Question | Purpose |
|---|---|
| What decision is being made? | Prevents formula-first responses. |
| Which method fits the decision and evidence? | Prevents tool mismatch. |
| Which assumption changes the conclusion? | Forces sensitivity. |
| What qualitative constraint matters? | Prevents metric-only recommendations. |
| What action follows? | Forces finance advice. |
Before leaving a Finance response, confirm that each issue has a decision, method, inputs, result, limitation, risk, and recommendation.