Financial (Money) Management

Financial Management can be a minefield of confusion if you don't know what you're doing - but it's also a field of gold if you know where to look! Avoid many common mistakes, and learn the ropes from the experts. Take control of your finances.

Course Code: BBS104
Fee Code: S2
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
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LEARN ABOUT MONEY

This is a course about how to accumulate, borrow, spend, invest and save money. Some people have an intuitive ability with money, where everything they touch turns to gold, others need to take a much more conscious approach to handling money if they are to maximize their assets. It aims to improve your ability to make the right decisions about managing finances.

Throughout the course the student will develop their ability to make better decisions with respect to the following sorts of problems, such as:

  • How to better invest money.
  • How to capitalize on your home
  • How to buy more economically to cut food bills.
  • How to minimize taxation.
  • How to bulk buy to minimize costs.
  • Deciding how much to keep in reserve for a "rainy day".
  • How often to restructure your personal budget.

These and more problems are dealt with throughout this comprehensive guide to money management.


Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

  1. Understanding Financial Terminology
    • Financial management Goals
    • Financial terminology/language
    • Financial statements
  2. Planning and Managing your Cash
    • Budgeting
    • Cash flows
    • Profit and Loss
    • Balance sheet
    • Financial records
    • Problem solving
  3. Borrowing : for goods and against property, assets, etc.
    • Why borrow?
    • Types of loans and Sources of funds
    • Getting a mortgages to suit you
    • Credit card control
    • Debt Management
  4. Buying
    • What to look for
    • Hidden traps
    • Consumer protection
    • Deciding when not to buy on credit
    • Forms of credit.
  5. The Money Market
    • Introduction
    • Sterling Money Market Operations
    • Reserve Averaging Scheme
    • Standing Facilities
    • OMOs
    • Money
    • Investment
  6. Investing
    • What is an investment?
    • Investment Types: Housing, land, stocks, bonds, trust funds, antiques business investments, insurance (annuities) and more.
    • Buying shares
    • Spreading your investment
    • Investment appraisals
    • A lifetime guide to money matters: Managing your cash, debt, insurance, housing, strategic planning
    • Making your own money
    • Using your money
    • Keeping your money
    • Counting your money
    • Enjoying your money
    • Investing in shares
    • Buying or starting a business
  7. Risk and Superannuation -Lump sum, roll over etc.
    • Handling lump sums
    • Investment options
    • Superannuation for:
    • Employees
    • Employers
  8. Reducing Costs -Cutting down on expenditure. Getting better credit card rates.
    • Methods of cost saving
    • Alternative Living
    • Reducing the cost of credit
    • Use your property
    • Organizing your finances
  9. Banks -How they can help you.
    • E-commerce
    • Bank clearing house
    • Choosing a bank
    • Types of banks
    • Bank fees
    • Getting the most from your bank including reduced credit card rates.
  10. Communication
    • Introduction
    • Understanding Financial Terminology
    • How to deal with financial advisors
    • Understanding Communication
    • Interpersonal Communication skills

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

  • Develop an understanding of the nature and scope of financial management, and key terminology used.
  • Discuss planning the management of financial resources.
  • Differentiate alternative sources of finance.
  • Determine appropriate and affordable purchasing.
  • Describe the nature and scope of the investment market.
  • Compare investment options
  • Discuss personal financial risk management
  • Identify ways of reducing expenditure without seriously affecting outcomes.
  • Choose and use banks more effectively.
  • Improve communication skills in order to more clearly interact with people providing financial services.

Three Goals for Financial Management

Whether you are managing money on a small or large scale; and whether in a business or personal context, there are always three things you must aim to achieve:

  1. Increase Assets  Total assets (e.g. Money and investments such as property, shares, etc) either increase or decrease, but never remain constant. If assets decrease and continue to decrease, eventually there will be no assets (or finance) to manage.
  2. Sustain Cash Flow   Assets need to be used in order to survive. Businesses use assets to sustain activities that generate income. People use assets to sustain their existence. If cash flow stops, a business stops doing business. If personal cash flow stops, there is no money for food or shelter.
  3. Organise Finance Effectively  Finance must be organised and controlled well if you are to optimise gains and minimise losses. Financial activities (business or private) are subject to legal controls (e.g. everyone pays tax, and everyone must be able to account for how they handle their finance).

BUDGETING IS IMPORTANT

Budgeting is all about planning your management of finance. It considers the money you are likely to get and then determines the spending you should be carrying out. There should be a properly considered balance between what comes in and what goes out. 
The world of finance is of course never completely predictable; so any budget plan is likely to need some adjusting and monitoring as time moves on; but whether you are handling your own personal finances, or the finances of a business; a budget is always going to be better than no budget.  You will come to understand and appreciate that better as you progress through this course.

There are many different types of budgets: simple and complex; short and long term, and dealing with just one sector of financial activity, or many sectors.

Example: Cash Budgets for Business

A business cash budget looks at the future cash inflows and outflows of a business.  The cash budget is very important for trading businesses because of the considerable investment made by management in the inventory sold by the business.  The success of a trading business is generally determined by the ability of management to turn its investment of stock into cash on a regular basis.

Because many businesses purchase their stock on 30 or 60 days credit, it is very important to be able to know the expected cash situation of the business in the approaching months.

A cash budget may be prepared on a yearly basis, but can be more useful if divided into monthly intervals.  The monthly intervals allow for greater control, as there is added detail relating to the timing of receipts and payments, and also greater frequency of reporting which leads to more frequent comparisons.

Benefits of a Cash Budget Predicts the likely cash position of a business
  • Reveals expected receipts and payments
  • Warns of cash shortages
  • Identifies any idle funds
  • Helps in identifying seasonal fluctuations
  • Pin-points problems with cash receipts or payments
  • Improves business planning
  • Provides a useful source for comparison

The preparation of a cash budget must take into account all future inflows and outflows of cash.

Anticipated cash inflows (receipts) for a Business

  • Cash sales of inventory
  • Collections from debtors from credit sales made previously
  • Loans (e.g. from banks, finance companies)
  • Cash contributions by the proprietor (i.e. additional capital)
  • Extraordinary revenue (e.g. interest revenue, commissions)
  • Cash receipts from the disposal of non-current assets

Anticipated Cash Outflows (payments)

  • Cash purchases of inventory
  • Cash withdrawals by the proprietor
  • Repayment of loans
  • Payments to creditors for credit purchases made previously
  • Cash payments of expense items (ordinary and extraordinary)
  • Cash payments for additional non-current assets

  

 

Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

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What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


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Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Sonia Andrews

15 years experience in business, bookkeping and accounting.

David Crothers

Extensive international experience in business and finance. Chartered Accountant with 20 years experience in corporate and financial roles. David has a FCA, GAICD, B.Sc.Econ (Hons), Cert IV TAA.





Tutors

Meet some of the tutors that guide the students through this course.

David Crothers

David is a graduate of Queens University Belfast, and a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years working experience in corporate and financial roles, both in Australia and other parts of the world. He is currently working as Chief Financial Officer at a diversified business in Sydney where his responsibilities include fiscal and managerial leadership, internal and external reporting, cash management, budgeting, debt funding and productivity improving. While David has worked at several multinational organisations, his current focus is family business management and he is an active participant in international family business conferences. He is also a passionate advocate of education, and currently tutors in a range of business and accounting subjects.

Lyn Quirk

Lyn has 35 years of experience in the Fitness, Health and Leisure Industries. She has a string of qualifications that are far too long to list here; being qualified and registered to teach, coach or instruct a wide range of different sports and other skills.

Lyn established and managed Health clubs at three major five star resorts on Australia's Gold Coast, including The Marriott. She was a department head for a large government vocational college (TAFE), and has conducted her own aquafitness business for many years. Lyn has among her other commitments worked as a tutor for ACS for almost 10 years, and over that time, participated in the development or upgrading of most courses in her fields of expertise.

Gaynor Hartley

Dip.Hort.Sc., Cert.Tiss.Cult., MAIH

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