Breakeven analysis and cash budgeting are both short-term planning tools. It is equally important that long-term planning be periodically reviewed to ensure that the short-term goals are consistent with the long-term objectives, as well as to provide advance notice of the needs of the corporation so that appropriate decisions can be made and actions taken.
Suppose our Balance Sheet for the past year looked as follows:
2012 Balance Sheet:
Cash
50,000
Accounts Payable
100,000
Accounts Receivable
180,000
Bank Note
90,000
Inventory
200,000
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Total Current Liabs.
190,000
Total Current Assets
430,000
L-T Debt
220,000
Gross Fixed Assets
400,000
(Accum. Depr.)
(130,000)
Common Stock
10,000
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Retained Earnings
280,000
Net Fixed Assets
270,000
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Total Equity
290,000
Total Assets
700,000
Total Liab. & Equity
700,000
The assets should reflect the consequences of the past year’s activities (particularly the receivables and payables) as well as expectations of the coming year’s sales. The primary factor that influences our asset and financing requirements is the level of sales that is anticipated. We must, therefore, get a realistic estimate of what our sales will be in the coming years in order to determine the amount of assets that will be required in order to support the anticipated sales. Once we have an estimate of the amount of assets that will be required, we need to determine what financing will be necessary for the projected asset levels.
Consider the income statement for 2012 as well as the projected income statement for 2013. The assumptions used to construct the projected income statement are listed next to each category:
Income Statements:
2012
2013
Actual
Projected
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Revenues
1,000,000
1,200,000 20% increase
Cost of Goods Sold
500,000
600,000 50% of Sales
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Gross Profit
500,000
600,000
Gen. & Adm. Expense
Salaries
220,000
226,600 3% inflation Rent
60,000
60,000 Contractual Repairs & Maintenance
14,000
14,420 3% inflation Travel
23,000
23,690 3% inflation Utilities
12,000
12,360 3% inflation Depreciation
40,000
44,000 MACRS determined
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EBIT
131,000
218,930
Interest Expense
30,000
30,000
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Taxable Income
101,000
188,930
Taxes (35%)
35,350
66,126
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Net Income
65,650
122,805
Less: Dividends
25,000
25,000
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Addition to Retained Earnings
40,650
97,805
If we intend to be able to meet the growing demand, we need to be sure that we have the necessary assets on hand to support our projected level of sales, as well as the ability to finance these projected asset levels. The easiest means of projecting the balance sheet is to utilize the percent-of-sales method of projection. This technique takes each account on the balance sheet that varies with sales and expresses it as a percentage of sales. This percentage is then applied to the projected sales level to determine what levels can reasonably be expected for these accounts.
If we assume that the balance sheet for 2012 above was about right for the level of sales of $1 million that we experienced in 2012, then we can project the balance sheet for 2013 given our projected sales of $1.2 million for the year:
Note that your bank doesn’t just automatically give you more money, nor are long-term bonds automatically issued. In fact, aside from accounts payable and other accruals (which are referred to as spontaneous sources of financing) which have a zero cost, how assets are financed is a decision