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What does a Business Financial Manager do?
A business financial manager helps a business regulate its financial decisions. This can involve helping a business set business plans and goals to allocate its assets. It can also involve helping a business comply with accounting requirements, determine areas where spending and costs are too high, and determine what areas are profitable and should be exploited.
Generally, a business financial manager will have a degree in finance, accounting, economics, statistics, or a related field. Most commonly, business financial managers also attend an advanced degree program, such as an MBA program. During their academics, they learn how to read balance sheets, the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), as well as other useful information such as the stages of a product life cycle or how to calculate profit/loss on a given product or project.
Upon completing his education and entering the workforce, the business financial manager will generally work with the executives and managers of a company to get an overview of the company's financial picture and goals. He may also interface with the accounting department and/or accounts receivable department to get an idea of the company's financial situation and profitability.
A part of the duties of a business financial manager may involve helping a company write a business plan or prospectus either for the business as a whole or for a given project or series of projects. In such cases, the business will lay out the goals and aims of a particular endeavor. The business financial manager will fill in financial information related to that proposed project or endeavor so investors or banks can get an idea of how the finances of the project will work.
Some business finance managers actually manage the company's assets, signing off on checks and other expenditures. Others just give guidance as to how money should be spent and where it should be allocated or saved. The specific role and function a manager plays in handling the finances of a company will depend on how large the company is and on how much money it has at its disposal.
Some companies will hire a full-time business finance manager to handle their accounts and to advise them on financial decisions. Others will outsource and use management consulting firms or financial advisers who work on a consultant basis. Outsourcing this task can be a good way for smaller companies to save money.
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![A business financial manager guides a business in its financial decisions.]()
By: Andrey BurmakinA business financial manager guides a business in its financial decisions. -
![A business financial manager will have a degree in finance, accounting, economics, statistics, or a related field.]()
By: Minerva StudioA business financial manager will have a degree in finance, accounting, economics, statistics, or a related field. -
![A financial manager typically works closely with other members of the management team on matters that can affect the financial health of the organization.]()
By: Photographee.euA financial manager typically works closely with other members of the management team on matters that can affect the financial health of the organization.
Discussion Comments
At the very basic level, the business financial manager just keeps track of the business' finances to make sure that everything is in order. For example, if expenses are getting out of hand, or if the business is incurring losses, the financial manager should be able to see this quickly and advice the decision makers on how to fix the problem.
So, in a nut-shell, the business financial manager is a problem solver when it comes to money. His goal is reduce expenses and increase the profits of his employer.
It's a demanding job but I think that it's also very fulfilling. I enjoy it.
@ddljohn-- Well, yes, a business financial manager will most likely need to do analysis because that's the required step before he or she can advise their employer on the right financial decisions for the company.
As the article suggested, this post is actually a fairly flexible one. The duties can be more restricted or more expanded based on the company and what their needs are. In large companies, where there is a financial team, the financial manager will probably not do much of analysis. That's why companies hire financial analysts.
But in a smaller company where there is just a few people working on finances, the business financial manager might be required to do a larger variety of tasks including collecting and analyzing data to provide sound financial advise. So it depends.
Does a business financial manager also do analysis? Or is that not part of the job's duties?
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