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Basic Finance

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Finance has a close relationship to a number of other business disciplines. It is important that we understand why a finance major needs these other skills and abilities. Let's take them one at a time: 1. Economics provides the theory that finance uses. The field of finance is a very new discipline, beginning formally around 1920. Before that, financial problems were referred to as "economic problems" or (even earlier) "problems in political economy." During the 1920s, finance broke away from economics and became a discipline of its own. Think of finance today as being applied economics. In other words, economics provides the theory; finance takes that theory and applies it to real world situations. 2. Accounting is sometimes called "the language of business" and it is certainly true that it is a language that finance practitioners need to be familiar with. Finance majors work with numbers generated by the accounting profession: income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, etc. Although finance practitioners don't need to know the intricate details of how these numbers were determined, they do need to know enough accounting to properly use these numbers in an analysis of financial problems. 3. Management provides the communication and organizational skills that all finance personnel need. Finance practitioners spend most of their day interacting with other people, so the ability to work effectively with others is crucial. 4. Marketing skills are increasingly important to finance people. Banks want their officers to serve a lead role in business development (i.e., gaining new clients for the bank). Stock brokers and mortgage bankers continually seek new clients. Finance practitioners who are skilled at presenting themselves and their firms in the best light will thrive in a competitive marketplace. 5. Computer skills

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