Equity financing and Debt financing
The choice of equity financing enables businesses to share risks with investors, and this option is particularly necessary for businesses that need to generate more cash flows as there is no need for debt payments unlike debt financing. Furthermore, since investors have a direct stake in a business they are likely to offer their assistance. In essence, the business gets access to cash on hand, and since investors have a long-term view about the business, they do not expect immediate returns to their investments. Nonetheless, equity finance also has drawbacks for the business, as investors become owners, whereby decision making becomes more collaborative. Investors share business profits and since there is loss of control in the business, making decisions might take time and effort (Walter, 2003). In any case, as investors gain more control of the business they may want to have their representatives in the top decision making organs of the business. At other times profit distribution exceeds what the business would repay for a loan.
The debt financing option ought to be chosen where there is a need for total control of the business. Thus, the main benefit is that there are no controlling interests from investors, whereby all the profits made are not shared among the investors and they do not have a stake in making decisions. Furthermore, loan interest is tax deductible for businesses which result to debt financing (Walter, 2003). So long as one makes the debt payments, the lenders do not share the profits. The debt is paid over time in installments, and if the interest rates are low the option should be chosen over equity financing.
The major disadvantage of debt financing is that the loan must be repaid in full together with the installments. Additionally, failure to pay exposes the business to property repossessions, and it is harder to get debt financing if the business has a bad reputation for defaulting. Debt financing reduces future earnings as a portion of earnings must be set aside to pay for debt payments, and this can deepen the cash flow problem if the business is not doing well.
Selecting an investment banker An investment banker plays an important role in raising capital and offering financial advice. The investment banker ought to have experience and understand the business segment of the organization. This should enable the investment banker to form and build relationships with venture capitalists and other investors. Essentially, it should be easy for the investment bankers to sell the idea about the organization’s business. Raising capital is also dependent on reputation of the investment banker, and they should have solid experience backed by contacts that facilitate execution of the best deals. It is also necessary to understand the motives of the investment banker before choosing financing options. As such I would advice the client to understand the objectives and goals of an investment banker. Since it would be easier to find background information on the investment banker, there is a need to choose an investment banker who is aggressive in looking for the best deals. Essentially, the investment banker whose goals fit in with that of the business should be chosen in addition to looking for those offering the best deals. Overall mutual trust will allow the client and investment banker to communicate openly about the client’s goals and business operations, while the client should trust the banker’s ability to offer advice and counsel. Risk and returns common stocks and corporate bonds
There is a historical relationship between risk and returns of investment, whereby smaller stocks tend to have higher returns, and higher returns are riskier. Riskier investment options have historically had higher returns, as the riskier investments have higher standard deviations. Risk denotes the possibility than one will lose money from an investment while returns are