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What is an Investing Company?

Definition:

One of the key components of managing your wealth is an investing company.

What is an investing company?

Investing companies invest securities and pool your cash with that of other participants to meet the objectives outlined in the contract.

Different businesses utilize a variety of investment tools, including closed funds, open funds (mutual funds), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and others.

Your investing objectives and level of risk tolerance will influence the fund that is best for you to invest in. Services are not provided for free; as well as other running expenses, you must pay fees for managing the fund. Working with an investing firm, however, enables you to benefit from expert management.

Investment companies’ objectives

These businesses make it possible to streamline the exchange of shares, bonds, mutual funds, corporations, and other assets. By making an investment in the business, you pool your finances with those of other investors. Profits and losses are divided among the invested funds proportionately.

Let’s assume that the investing firm pooled $100,000 from multiple distinct clients. In this instance, if your contribution was $10,000, your share would be 10% of any gains or losses the investment generated. The Securities and Exchange Commission oversees these businesses’ operations (SEC).

What kinds of businesses are involved in investments?

There are just three different sorts of investment businesses in the United States, despite the wide range of investment opportunities. Each investment firm is classified into one of the following categories by federal law:

  • Mutual funds (they are open companies)
  • Closed funds (same as closed companies)
  • Mutual funds (they are mutual funds).

Although each of them has a unique set of traits, they do have certain similarities. Thus, you can purchase redeemable shares of a mutual fund or mutual fund in open firms. You may sell your shares back to the fund or trust if you no longer want to own them since they are redeemable. They may also be redeemed from you by a broker working on behalf of a fund or trust.

True, you won’t always have the option to choose the sale price in this situation, and you’ll probably have to take a loss. The net asset value (NSA) of the investment business whose shares you hold is often what determines the sale price. You must first remove liabilities from assets before dividing by the total number of shares to determine net asset value. Mutual funds and mutual funds often compute the ARR after the exchange closes because this number fluctuates regularly.

Shares sold by closed-end funds are not redeemable, hence they are traded differently. If you own shares in a closed fund and wish to sell them, you must locate a different investor who is willing to purchase them on the secondary market, such as the stock exchange.

Why should you pick an investing company?

Although investing gives you the chance to grow your money, it may also result in their loss. You may use the assistance of an investment consultant to help you choose an investment firm, balancing risk and return. Yet, there is risk involved in any investment; no firm or financial advisor promises excellent returns or zero chance of losing money.

You are capable of managing your own portfolio. You will have a great deal of freedom to select the best investing plan for you as a result. Moreover, it may provide commission savings.

The concepts of investing, such as portfolio construction, risk tolerance, market cycles, and diverse asset classes, must also be well studied and understood. This is certainly conceivable, and someone could find it appealing, but it will take a lot more time than hiring a professional.

What is Expropriation?

Definition:

Expropriation is the process in which the government takes someone’s private property for public use if it is in the best interest of society.

What is expropriation?

According to the doctrine called eminent domain, the government has the right to seize a person’s private property against his wishes if it can prove that it is in the public interest. However, under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the government cannot transfer private property to public use without just compensation. For this reason, the government must pay owners when their property is taken by expropriation. The owner can take steps to challenge the seizure, but they may still end up losing their property. A common reason for expropriation is the development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and utilities.

Purposes of Expropriation

The primary purpose of expropriation is to enable the government to force the sale of private property when a legitimate public need arises. Federal, state, and local governments have the power of expropriation.

The most common use of expropriation by the government is for infrastructure development. Building roads, railroads, utilities, parks, schools, or public health buildings are the most common reasons for expropriation.

The government does not need the owner’s permission to proceed with expropriation, but they must pay for the property. The Fifth Amendment includes a clause which states that governments cannot take land for public use without just compensation. In most cases, “just compensation” is the fair market value of the property.

How does expropriation work?

When the government decides to appropriate someone else’s property, the first step is condemnation. In this part of the process, the government declares that the property has a legitimate public use and that they intend to acquire it. The government then arranges for an appraisal. As the Constitution requires the owner to be fairly compensated, an appraisal is required to determine fair market value.

After the appraisal, the government makes an offer to the property owner based on the appraised value. At this point, there may be room for negotiation. The property owner could accept the amount offered, or they could counter with a higher figure.

Regardless of the price the government offers, the property owner could sue to challenge the sale. They may do so because they don’t think the offer the government is making qualifies as fair compensation. It may also be that they do not believe there is a legitimate public benefit from expropriation.

Is it possible to challenge the expropriation of one’s property?

Individuals can contest the expropriation of their property, but the results of historical decisions have been mixed. In many of these cases, courts (including the U.S. Supreme Court) have upheld the government’s right to force the sale of private property for the public good.

A well-known case in Connecticut involved a controversial lawsuit that reached the Supreme Court. In 1998, a major pharmaceutical company announced plans to build a research center in New London, Connecticut, a town that was in economic decline. The area chosen for the facility was residential, meaning that people still lived there.

The town decided to use the government’s expropriation powers to force the sale of the land so that a pharmaceutical corporation could build its facility. Most of the homeowners agreed to the deal, but a small fraction did not.

They argued that the city’s use of eminent domain was inconsistent with its intended purpose, given that they were expropriating the property for sale to a private company, not for public use. The case went through the state trial court and the Connecticut Supreme Court before finally reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that because the facility would provide economic development for the town, there was a legitimate public benefit.

Direct VS. indirect expropriation

Expropriation can be classified as direct or indirect. Direct expropriation refers to cases in which the government takes property and transfers ownership to the current owner. It is the most common type of expropriation when the government forces the sale of private property for public use.

Indirect expropriation occurs when the government deprives homeowners of their ability to use the property without fully taking title to it. This is more common in indirect expropriation and can refer to an example where increased regulation prevents a foreign government or corporation from using its assets.

Consequences of expropriation

If the government has used its expropriation power to force the sale of your private property, you will have to move. Depending on the type of property, the consequences could be even greater than if it were just a single-family home.

Unfortunately, expropriation has huge consequences for the tenants of the building as well. Not only are they forced to move out of their home or apartment, but they receive no compensation from the government for their problems or moving expenses.

What is a Contingent Beneficiary?

Definition:

A contingent beneficiary is a person who gets a life insurance payout or the balance of a pension account if the primary beneficiary does not wish or is unable to do so. This may also be relevant if the primary beneficiary has died.

Why do you need a contingent beneficiary?

Many bank deposits enable you to choose a beneficiary. The most apparent example is a life insurance policy that you purchase with the intention of providing financial advantages to your family members in the case of your death. This money can be used to pay for a memorial or to replace your income if you have financial responsibilities.

Some accounts also enable you to specify the beneficiary. When you form a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA), your assistant normally permits you to choose the beneficiary who will get these assets after your death.

Even if you assume who will receive your assets in the case of your death, there is always the possibility that they will not be able to take possession of them. For example, your primary beneficiary may pass away before you. As a result, you should additionally name a contingent beneficiary. If the primary beneficiary dies before you, this individual will receive your life insurance payout or other assets. The assets can also be given up voluntarily by the main beneficiary, in which case they would go to your contingent beneficiary. You should always have a backup strategy in place for any legacy assets you own. If you haven’t named a beneficiary, or if your main beneficiary has died, and you don’t choose a contingent beneficiary, your assets may not reach those you expected, may be lost, or may result in additional fees.

If this occurs, the individual may have to go to court to obtain your property, even if it’s your adult kid whom you plan to hand the assets to. That wouldn’t just be a complex procedure, but he would also have to pay legal expenses.

Contingent beneficiary VS. primary beneficiary

You can choose one primary beneficiary who will get all of your earned assets. You can even appoint many persons, each of whom will receive a proportion of the assets. If you don’t indicate which portion each of them should receive, they will often receive equal amounts.

Your primary beneficiary is the one to whom you choose to transmit inherited property after your death. The contingent beneficiary will only receive the assets if the primary beneficiary is unable to take the benefit, such as if they died before you, or if they give up the assets.

Contingent beneficiary VS. co-beneficiary

Only if your main beneficiary dies before you or abandons the inheritance your contingent beneficiary can get your assets. Nonetheless, it is allowed to have a secondary primary beneficiary. This candidate is a co-borrower. The co-beneficiary can help in a variety of ways. First, if you die, your two co-owners can divide your assets equally. You can also indicate what proportion of your assets each recipient will get. Instead, you can state which particular assets will be given to which recipient in your will.

Who should be your contingent beneficiary?

You can name anybody as a contingent beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is usually someone close to you who relies on your earnings. It is frequently your spouse or child. Your dependent beneficiary is generally someone close to you, such as a parent or a sibling or sister. In the end, you can name anyone as a contingent beneficiary for your accounts.

The single exception is that minors under the age of 18 cannot lawfully accept an inheritance. You can identify the kid as your dependent beneficiary, but you must also establish some ground conditions. You must choose someone as the child’s legal guardian or trustee who will take the money on his behalf.

A person must be at least 21 years old in some instances to benefit from a life or property insurance coverage. For example, an 18-year-old Colorado citizen can only inherit up to $10,000. If the amount is larger, they must wait until 21 to get it.

If you choose, you can name more than one contingent beneficiary. A parent may name their spouse as the principal beneficiary of their inheritance. Any of your adult children can be named as dependent beneficiaries. If your spouse passes away before you, each of your contingent beneficiaries will receive an equal share of your assets.

In most circumstances, you can modify your dependent beneficiary at a later date. Contact an insurance company or other institution that holds your inherited assets, such as a life insurance policy, to make the change. The only exception is if your account is irreversible, as certain insurance plans and trusts are. Indeed, it would be excellent to overestimate your primary and contingent beneficiaries sometimes. A lot might occur in a few years, which may force you to change your beneficiaries.

What is a tertiary beneficiary?

If the main and contingent beneficiaries can’t or are unwilling to take your inherited assets, the tertiary beneficiary will. Take this candidate to be a contingent beneficiary.

A tertiary beneficiary is unlikely to inherit your assets in the long run. When you, your primary beneficiary, and your contingent beneficiary all die in the same incident or very near together, this is an option.

Imagine you are a married couple with two children. One of your children is beyond the age of 18, while the other is under the age of 18. Your primary beneficiary is your spouse, and your adult kid is a contingent beneficiary. If you, your spouse, and your adult child all die in a vehicle accident, your assets will be distributed to the third beneficiary (if you have one).

What is a Disbursement?

Definition:

Disbursement is the distribution of money from a person’s or company’s bank account, such as payments to workers, invoices, or dividends.

What is a Disbursement?

Disbursement is the procedure by which an individual or legal entity transfers money from one of its accounts to another person’s or legal entity’s accounts. Every payment, such as dividends, employee remuneration, or bill payment, is termed a disbursement. Accountants track payments and record them into the company’s general ledger. The payout record must include the payment date, the purpose for the payment, the payee, the way it was paid by the firm, and how the payment affected the company’s balance.

Disbursements are often payments made in cash or monetary equivalents. A disbursement is also the payment of a monthly bill by cheque or an electronic transfer from your account to someone else’s account.

Examples of a disbursement

A disbursement is any kind of financial payment made from one person’s or organization’s account to another person’s account.

A coffee shop, for example, receives a batch of roasted coffee beans from its supplier. A week later, the supplier delivers the retailer a grain bill. To pay for coffee, the shop processes the invoice and sends an electronic transfer. An electronic transfer is disbursement recorded by the store’s accountant. Financial support to students is another example of a disbursement. When a student obtains a scholarship from an organization, the organization is obligated to pay the student’s fees.

Once you and your mate meet for lunch and the friend charges your credit card, you will most likely owe your companion the amount of your meal. You transfer money from your account to his when you send him a payment using a peer-to-peer transfer app. The software may even operate as your personal accountant, recording who you paid, how much you transferred, and the reason for the transaction you provided.

How does the disbursement work?

The disbursement procedure is determined by the person who sends the payment. Cash, checks, email transfer, or bank transfer are all acceptable methods of payment.

A lender funding a personal loan, for example, is likely to transfer money immediately to your bank account. A student lender or scholarship organization will most likely transfer the funds straight to your college, but they may also give you a check. If you have paid your insurance costs, your health insurance provider will nearly always pay straight to the doctor or hospital where you received treatment.

If you obtain a loan with qualifying conditions, such as a student loan, the lender may postpone payment until you fulfill those requirements and show proof. They will deposit the money to your student account once you show verification. An escrow account is used for some payments, where a third party controls cash until you complete the conditions for a full payment. You can, for example, make property tax payments to an escrow account. The operator of the escrow account transfers the amount to the government on one of the tax payment days. Escrow accounts are commonly utilized in real estate deals.

Why do businesses track disbursements?

Businesses watch disbursements because they want to know when money moves their accounts.

Consider your checking and savings accounts. Is it beneficial to know when funds are being transferred from an account to pay a credit card bill or rent? Is it advantageous to be able to go back and verify your records for unexpected activities or to ensure that you’ve paid the bill?

People and businesses alike need to know what is happening with their money. Companies must worry about compliance with accounting and auditing regulations in addition to understanding their financial status. Monitoring payments also assists businesses in detecting scams. If there are multiple unexpected or odd payments in the record, all of which go to the same account, this might indicate cheating.

Monitoring when cash leaves the firm’s accounts also assists the company in planning for the future. If the accountant detects that the firm tends to make a lot of payments at a given period of the month or year, the organization’s management can ensure that a big cash balance has been prepared and stored for this time. This lowers the possibility of a cash shortfall in the register.

What is loan disbursement?

When you seek a loan, your lender may either decline or agree to supply you with the funds you requested. If the lender approves your application, they must make the funds available to you in some way. The procedure of moving funds from the lender’s accounts to yours is known as loan payment.

The way in which lenders distribute cash to borrowers is determined by the type of loan. If you obtain a personal loan, the lender will most likely transfer cash immediately into your bank account. If you apply for a student loan, the lender can send a check straight to your school to cover tuition and fees. Mortgage lenders will very certainly deliver the money directly to the seller.

Requesting information about how the disbursement works from your lender is an important aspect of the loan procedure. If you need money right away, you don’t want to discover that the lender is only ready to pay you in another method

What is a Work-in-Progress (WIP)?

Definition:

Work-in-progress (WIP) refers to items that are not entirely finished and are at various stages of the manufacturing process.

What is Work-in-progres?

WIP is shown in the balance sheet and includes the expenses of raw materials, labor, and overhead spent in bringing the product to the point in the production cycle where it is. Work-in-progress does not include finished items held in the company’s warehouse or raw materials that have not yet been processed. While a product goes through the supply chain, its manufacturing expenses often rise, raising the cost of WIP. If the product is purchased, it transfers from the category of WIP to the category of ready-made goods, and then from the category of ready-made stocks to the category of cost of goods sold.

How does work-in-progress work?

Work in progress (WIP) is a component of a company’s balance sheet that includes any items that are presently in production.

Companies may use it to track the product’s location in the manufacturing process as well as the rate at which it moves from one step to the next one. WIP is often a mix of raw materials, equipment, human labor, and overhead. Overhead costs include indirect expenditures like rent and utilities.

Work in progress is a stage between the original raw materials and the finished result. It is worth mentioning that the raw material does not belong to the work in progress because it has not yet been employed in the creation of this product. It also does not include final items that have already passed the production process and are ready for sale.

Work-in-progress VS. finished products

Work-in-progress refers to items that have already entered the manufacturing process but are not yet final products. The inability of the corporation to sell these things is a distinguishing aspect of work-in-progress.

Completed items, on the other hand, have completed the full production line and are available for purchase. Generally, goods follow the same production process:

Raw materials > Work-in-progress > Finished products.

It should be mentioned that the distinction between raw materials and completed goods is entirely subjective, based on the goals for which the goods are used by the business. Let’s imagine a corporation makes and sells buttons. A button is a finished product for it, ready for sale. On the other hand, this button is a raw material for a corporation that employs buttons to make the product it sells, for instance, a clothing factory. The way a company defines a product on its balance sheet is determined by what the company does with that product.

How to maintain records of work-in-progress?

Work in progress is recorded as a current asset on the balance sheet, usually as part of inventories. Any assets that may be turned into cash within a year are considered current assets. Because the majority of things may be manufactured and sold in less than a year, inventories are considered current assets.

When a corporation initially purchases raw materials for the creation of goods, these raw materials are shown in the balance sheet as a special subclass of assets. The materials are then shifted to the category of work in progress on the balance sheet when the firm has already used them in the creation of items. And once the firm has completed production and is ready to sell the product, it reflects on the balance sheet as a finished product.

Gradually, once a product is sold, the value is deducted from the inventory shown on the balance sheet and reflected in the income statement as a component of the expenses of goods sold.

How to calculate the work-in-progress?

To calculate the work-in-progress, add up all of the expenses associated with getting the product to the point where it is in the manufacturing process. The formula is as follows:

WIP = cost of raw materials + cost of labor + cost of overhead

The importance of work-in-progress

The inclusion of work-in-progress in the balance sheet helps the firm to account for inventory that, while not yet completed, will generate more revenue in the near term. Work in progress is more expensive than raw resources. Since they are entirely ready for sale, finished items are more expensive than work-in-progress. The product gains value as it progresses through the manufacturing process.

Analysts as well as investors can also benefit from the work-in-progress indication by researching the company’s production line. For instance, a corporation may have more goods in work-in-progress than normally, yet sales have not grown. This expansion might indicate that there are issues with the production cycle, or that the business has reasons to expect that sales will expand in the nearish term.

If additional goods appear in the work-in-progress stage, this might be a favorable sign, especially if the company’s sales have already improved. In this condition, a growth in the volume of work-in-progress indicates to investors that it is possible to invest more in labor and capital.

Consequently, knowing the factors that lead to changes in work-in-progress is critical to recognizing their impact for the business.

What are Statistics?

Definition:

The field of statistics offers techniques for analyzing datasets in order to fully explain a dataset (descriptive statistics) or to make generalizations about a wider population (logical statistics).

What are Statistics?

Researchers utilize a set of techniques called statistics to gather, examine, and draw conclusions from data. There are many different approaches to data analysis, which are often divided into descriptive and inference statistics.

You may learn about the characteristics of the full data collection, such as mean and dispersion, and how data points relate to one another using descriptive statistics. You may draw conclusions about a bigger population from a smaller sample by using the numbers presented.

Many uses in financial analysis and investment may be made using statistical approaches since they are effective at assessing, estimating, and summarizing enormous volumes of data. You may assess the performance of individual stocks using statistical measurements like standard deviation, R-square, and Sharpe Ratio.

Why do investors need statistics?

An investor can use statistics to conduct research and analysis of the stock market and determine how to improve the performance of the investment portfolio. For example, you wanted to calculate the average return of an investment portfolio with a combination of assets. Using weighted average statistics, you can account for how much you invest in each type of asset in the portfolio.

The formula for calculating the weighted average yield is as follows:

Weighted average = (R1 * W1) + (R2* W2) + … + (Rn* Wn)

R represents the return for a certain class of assets;

W represents the percentage (or weight) of that particular asset in the investment portfolio.

Types of statistics

Inferential statistics and descriptive statistics are the two primary categories of statistics. There are extra categories for each broad category of statistic.

1. Summary statistics known as descriptive statistics are those that quantify or list qualities from a collection of data.

Among its measures are the following:

  • Mean
  • Fashion
  • Median
  • Range
  • Dispersion
  • Normative deviation

2. Using inferential statistics,you may examine a sizable group using the data presented without having to take into account each individual topic or group member.

For instance, a firm that sells doughnuts would be interested in learning about Americans’ preferred flavors so that it can improve the taste of its own doughnuts. However, polling more than all Americans is difficult to implement, and economically impractical. Instead, the company can use statistical sampling methods to create a more manageable sample of 700 people who are representative of the entire US population and then apply a number of statistical studies. For example, you can try to test the null hypothesis, which is that there is no significant relationship between two variables (for example, age and preference for caramel doughnut filling.

Measures of inferential statistics are:

  • Confidence interval
  • Hypothesis theory

Thus, statistics and statistical analysis are important in all areas of life. Do not underestimate the role of statistics in the investment sector.

How to Use Morningstar X-Ray to Its Full Potential

If you’re like the majority of investors, you’re constantly searching for a competitive advantage that will enable you to make wiser investing choices. Using Morningstar X-Ray, you can gain insights into your investments and discover new opportunities. In this blog post, we’ll examine Morningstar X-Ray and how it might help you make better investing decisions.

Investors can benefit from Morningstar X-Ray, a potent analysis tool, in a variety of ways. It can be used to gauge a portfolio’s degree of diversification, to start. Second, it can be applied to pinpoint possible risk and reward zones. It can also be used to create expert portfolio reports.

The Advantages of Using Morningstar X-Ray

There are several advantages of using Morningstar X-Ray. First off, it is a simple instrument that can be used effectively without the need for specialist knowledge or training. It is also a highly thorough analytical tool that considers a variety of investment types and styles. Finally, it is reasonably priced when compared to other tools of a similar nature that are available.

How Morningstar X-Ray Operates

Investors must first choose the firms or securities they wish to research before using Morningstar X-Ray. Then, as a percentage of the entire portfolio, X-Ray will divide up each security by asset class, industry, and geographic location. Both a pie chart and a numerical format are used to display this information.

Investors may determine how well-diversified their portfolio is across various asset classes, industries, and geographical locations once the research is complete. They can contrast the distribution of their portfolio with particular benchmarks like the S&P 500 Index. An investor can use X-Ray to uncover new investment options that will help them reach their desired degree of diversification if their portfolio is not as varied as they would like it to be.

Portfolio optimization using Morningstar X-Ray

Create portfolio reports that appear professional using Morningstar X-Ray, a potent tool. The reports can be modified to display various data sets and are available in a variety of formats (PDF, Excel, etc.). The reports can also be set up to be automatically generated and emailed on a schedule.

You can use Morningstar X-Ray to help you optimize your portfolio. You can use the tool to analyze your holdings and performance in great detail, which will allow you to deploy your funds wisely. Additionally, X-Ray provides robust backtesting tools so you may experiment with different investment approaches before applying them to your actual portfolio.

Conclusion

As investors, we are constantly seeking ways to optimize our portfolios and maximize the return on our assets. The effective instrument Morningstar X-Ray can assist us in carrying out this task. We can easily and swiftly examine our portfolios using X-Ray, identify any areas where we are over or underexposed, and make changes as necessary. In addition, X-Ray enables us to compile expert portfolio reports and monitor our development over time. Start utilizing Morningstar X-Ray if you’re serious about getting the most out of your investing portfolio. The only method to guarantee that your portfolio is appropriately diversified and optimized for maximum return is to do so.

So why are you still waiting? Use X-Ray right away!

What is a Book Value?


Definition:

The book value of a company is all of its material assets with the deduction of its liabilities, and the book value of an asset is its present value on the (balance sheet) books.

Book value is the amount a company assigns to an asset on its books (financial records). When a firm buys an asset, the purchase price is the book value. The asset may become less valuable as it is used. If the asset is a capital expenditure (something that will be used for many years), its value is usually depreciated i.e., decreased each accounting period. Its book value becomes its original cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment (other significant decrease in value). The book value is not necessarily the same as the market value (at which the asset will be sold). And it also does not include intangible assets such as patents or brand recognition.

EXAMPLE

Imagine you own a small IT company and buy computers, each for $1,000. Today, your balance sheet lists one computer as an asset with a book value of $1,000. Over the next year, employees will use those computers every day. They will have scuffs, scratches, and worn parts. You know, a used computer isn’t worth what it was last year. So it shouldn’t be a surprise when the book value of the asset drops to $900. The remaining $100 is called depreciation (a decrease in value due to depreciation). The purchase price minus depreciation is the book value.

What is a book value?

Book value can be applied to an asset or a company. For an asset, book value is the purchase price minus any decreases in value. These can include accumulated depreciation (an accounting process of decreasing the value of an asset over time) and impairment (a permanent accounting decline where the value of an asset decreases more than depreciation).

Not everything a company buys has a book value. Small purchases are often recorded as expenses rather than as assets because they are consumed in the process. But other purchases, especially large purchases, have value over a longer period. Known as capital expenditures, they must be amortized in a company’s books over many years. Examples may include computers, copiers, automobiles, and commercial real estate .

The formula for depreciation depends on the type of asset. Three general formulas:

  • Straight-line: reduces the value of an asset by the same amount each year over its useful life.
  • Units of production: decreases the value of an asset based on how often it is used.
  • Double-decreasing balance: decreases the value of an asset by a larger fraction in previous years and by a smaller fraction later.

What is the purpose of book value?

Book value gives investors a better idea of how much a company’s assets are worth. If a company simply kept the purchase price of fixed assets (items used over several years) on its books, it would inflate the value of the company. Just as a used car is not worth as much as a new one, the value of equipment declines as it is used.

A company’s book value tells investors how much the company could be worth if it sold all of its tangible assets and used the proceeds to pay off its debts . In theory, this is how much shareholders would get back if the company went into liquidation. It is an estimate of the value of the company based on its accounting records, not how much investors are willing to pay for it. Comparing a company’s book value to its market value can help investors assess whether its stock is undervalued or overvalued.

The difference between book value, fair value and market value

There are several ways to determine the value of a company, stock or assets:

Book value in a business context refers to the total value of a company’s physical assets minus its liabilities.

Fair value is the amount an investor, owner, or analyst assigns to something. It is a subjective estimate (an educated guess) of how much a company, stock, or asset would be worth in the open market.

Market value is how much someone actually pays for something. It is the price determined by the market, in other words, the buyer and seller concerned. When an asset is sold, its market value is determined. At that point, it is taken off the balance sheet and the sale price goes on the income statement . The market value can be higher, lower, or equal to the book value.

How to calculate it

1. To determine the book value of individual assets, start with the purchase price (also called basis cost). Then subtract all depreciation up to that point. If an asset has undergone some unusual depreciation, it may also be impaired.

Book Value = Purchase Price – Accumulated Depreciation – Impairment


2. The book value of a company is essentially its net worth :

The book value of a company = total assets – intangible assets – total liabilities

If the company had $7 million in physical assets and owed $2 million, its book value would be $5 million.

To get total assets, add up the book value of all the company’s fixed assets. Also include cash, cash equivalents, inventories, investments, and other assets that are not depreciated. Do not count intangible assets, such as brand awareness or patents. Liabilities include loans the company has taken out, bonds it has issued, amounts it owes suppliers, and other debts. Essentially, the book value of a company is an estimate of what would be left if the owners sold its tangible assets and used the proceeds to pay off liabilities. It is sometimes called the book value of equity.


3. To calculate the book value per share, first determine the book value of the company. Then divide the book value of the company by the number of outstanding shares of common stock .

Book value per common share = (total assets – intangible assets – total liabilities) / number of common shares outstanding

What is a good book value?

If a company has a negative book value, it indicates that it has more liabilities than assets it can use to pay them off. In general, it may indicate a potential problem. The company may be over-indebted (holding too much debt) and at higher risk of bankruptcy .

Good book value is usually determined by comparing it to the market value of the company. This measure is called the price-to-book ratio:

P/B ratio = Price-to-book / Book value of stock

What is a FICO score?

Definition:

A FICO Score is a person’s credit rating that lenders use to assess how well someone is doing with debt and whether it is a good idea to lend them money.

What is a FICO score?

FICO Scoring is an assessment of your creditworthiness based on your debt payment history, the amount you owe, and other factors. Lenders and businesses use it to help them decide whether to lend you money, give you a credit card, or let you buy goods and services on credit. It is a numerical score between 300 and 850 developed by Fair Isaac Corporation. A high score means that you are considered a reliable borrower, able to repay on time, and it is easier for you to borrow money at the best interest rates. A low score means that you are considered a risky person who may not repay your debt, and you may have to pay higher rates or may be denied credit altogether.

What does FICO score mean?

A FICO scoring is an approximate measure of how well you are doing with debt. A high score means that you are generally doing well with your debts and paying your bills on time. A low score means you may have had debt problems in the past, such as missed payments or exceeding your credit card limits. Lenders look at FICO scoring in these ranges:

Less than 580: Bad

580 – 669: Fair

670 – 739: Good

740-799: Very good

800 or more: Outstanding.

If you have an exceptional FICO scoring, it means you have a track record of paying on time and keeping your debt at a reasonable level compared to your credit limits. A low FICO scoring can mean the opposite: you’ve had trouble paying your bills on time and have too much debt.

What affects a FICO score?

FICO scoring is affected by five main factors.

  • Payment history
  • Amount owed
  • Length of credit history
  • Credit balance
  • New credit

Payment history is the most important factor in calculating your FICO scoring. It tracks your history of paying bills on time. Every time you pay a bill on time, it helps your score. If you miss a payment or are late in making it, it can affect your score.

The amount you owe is the amount of money you owe and is the second biggest factor affecting your credit score. You can split this part of your FICO scoring into two parts: how much debt you have and how much of your credit limits you have used.

Length of credit history – generally, the longer you’ve had access to credit, the more experience you have with debt. If you regularly open new accounts, this can lower the average age of your accounts and therefore lower your credit score. It also means that keeping old cards open instead of canceling them can raise your FICO scoring, even if you don’t use them.

Credit Balance – part of dealing with credit is gaining experience with different types of debt. Your credit portfolio takes into account the different types of credit accounts you may have had, such as mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and credit cards. Generally, the more different types of debt you have had, the better it reflects on your account.

New Credit – when you apply for credit, lenders usually ask one of the credit bureaus for a copy of your credit report. The bureaus take note of these requests for new credit accounts and add a note on your credit report. Each inquiry can often lower your score by several points for a period of time.

Is FICO score = credit score?

Your FICO score is a credit score, but not all credit scores are FICO score.

FICO scoring uses information from your credit report to calculate a score that assesses your reliability as a borrower. FICO scoring is the most widely used credit score, but other companies have developed other credit scores based on their own formulas. Two examples are the Equifax credit score and the VantageScore. Because each formula is different, your FICO scoring may be different from your Vantage Score or Equifax credit score, even though all three are credit scores.

What is a good FICO score?

FICO states that scores between 670 and 739 are considered good scores. It considers scores of 740 to 799 to be very good, and scores of 800 or more to be exceptional. Scores in the “good” range are close to or above the average for consumers in the U.S., which puts you in an excellent position to get credit from most lenders. Once you reach a very good or exceptional score, credit terms become more attractive.

How do I get a FICO score?

Many companies offer free credit monitoring and scoring services that allow you to track your credit and the factors that affect it. Most of these services give you a credit score, but use their own proprietary formulas or rely on methods provided by other companies, such as VantageScore. Your credit report contains the information used to calculate your FICO scoring, and federal law allows you to get a free copy of your report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year. You can request copies at AnnualCreditReport.com .

Some credit card companies, such as American Express, offer their customers free FICO score as a benefit.

7 Best wealth management platforms

X Best wealth management platforms to harness the innovation

The Wealth Management Platform is a one-stop platform for advisors. It provides a truly comprehensive overview of client assets, financial goal planning and portfolio management capabilities. The platform provides comprehensive alerts, RM and KPIs at the network level. It provides full MiFID II compliance, risk profiling and target market validation, and is an industry-leading pre-costing system. The system is built around a workflow approach to help with in-person or remote customer meetings. The system is based on full investment management (discretionary/advisory) and brokerage coverage.

The Wealth Management Platform helps bank clients make sure their financial investments are safe, resulting in increased engagement and willingness to invest. The platform can help meet growing demand as well as reduce administrative efforts and costs.

Here are the top 10 digital wealth management platforms:

1. Third Financial

Third Financial is a digital wealth management platform. The company specializes in three main areas – outsourcing operations to wealth managers, providing financial advisory services and portfolio management tools for fintech. Third Financial ensures a smooth customer onboarding and ensures you get the best service at the best price.

2. Objectway

Objectway is a digital wealth management platform. Objectway’s platform improves customer engagement and significantly improves your front office productivity by streamlining back office operations. Objectway has a wide range of services – it acts as an expert in private, custody and retail banking, offering wealth and asset management as well as investments.

3. Addepar

Addepar is one of the best state management platforms. It features continuous data management, unlimited scalability and a personalized customer-centric approach. With several of the most compelling features on the market, Addepar has become a target for integration, investment advisors, private banks and brokers. This platform helps to significantly optimize the management of digital assets and facilitates the analysis of financial health through the preparation of specialized reports.

4. T-REX

T-REX is one of the leading wealth management platforms that aims to push the boundaries of financial services to meet the demands of complex markets. T-REX focuses on non-traditional, riskier markets. T-REX uses digitization of data, process automation and workflows. On top of all this, T-REX advertises itself as a specialist in analyzing the entire investment lifecycle. In addition, the platform is sought after for its risk mitigation, transaction efficiency and analytical tools.

5. Clearfunds

Clearfunds is about accurate data analytics and helping to automate processes at minimal cost. In order to attract the mass user to investing, the company has an investment advisory service based on artificial intelligence – Smart Portfolio.

6. Corfinancial

Corfinancial helps global companies and individuals solve wealth integration problems. The company develops its research and development to prevent upcoming market trends. Its services can be divided into 3 categories – product solutions, marketplace and remote financial management.

7. Personal Capital

Personal Capital is a free online wealth management platform that allows you to view all your accounts in one place. A powerful dashboard gives you insight into your entire financial picture.

A wealth management platform is essentially a way for you to easily manage your state or your client’s state. You can choose the ideal wealth management platform that appeals to you most in terms of the interface and the features it provides.