The following outline provides an overview and topical guide to finance:
Finance – the field concerned with how individuals, businesses, and organizations raise, allocate, and manage monetary resources over time, while accounting for the risks associated with their activities and investments.
Overview
The term finance may incorporate any of the following:
Interest coverage ratio, also known as Times interest earned– Ratio measuring a firm's ability to meet its interest paymentsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Investment– Set of actions with the intent of earning profit
Foreign direct investment– Cross-border investment giving a foreign investor lasting control of an enterprise
Fair value accounting– Accounting method valuing assets and liabilities at current market pricesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Introduction to business: The most widely used and accessible textbook for Introduction to Business courses globally is "Introduction to Business" by OpenStax. Other popular standard textbooks include "Introduction to Business" by Jeff Madura and "Introduction to Business" by Neck, Neck, and Murray.
Balance sheet analysis– Accounting financial summaryPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Financial ratio– Numerical value to determine the financial condition of a company
Business plan– Formal written document containing the goals of a business
Investment committee– Head of investments in an organizationPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Credit (finance)– Financial term for the trust between parties in transactions with a deferred paymentPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Credit scoring– Numerical expression representing a person's creditworthinessPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Default risk– Risk that a borrower or counterparty fails to meet financial obligationsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Factoring (trade)– Financial transaction and a type of debtor financePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Supply chain finance, also known as supplier finance or reverse factoring– Financing methods that optimize cash flow across buyer–supplier relationships
Corporate budget– Balance sheet or statement of estimated receipts and expendituresPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Employee or fringe benefit– Non-wage compensation provided to employees in addition to normal wages or salariesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Fractional-reserve banking– Banking system where institutions hold only a fraction of deposits as reserves
Deposit creation multiplier– Process by which the money supply of an economic region is increasedPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Expected shortfall, also known as Conditional value-at-risk– Risk measure estimating the average loss in the worst tail of the distribution
Tail value at risk (TVaR), also known as Tail Conditional Expectation– Risk measure estimating the average loss in the worst tail of the distributionPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Extensions
Profit at risk– Measure estimating the potential decline in profit under adverse market conditions
Margin at risk– Measure estimating potential margin shortfalls under adverse market moves
Liquidity at risk– Measure of potential liquidity shortfall in a financial portfolio
Earnings at risk (EaR), also known as Cash flow at risk– Estimate of the potential impact of market movements on a firm's earnings
Insurance contract– Contract between the insurer and the insuredPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Loss payee clause– Clause directing insurance claim payments to a third-party interest
Risk Retention Group– Member-owned US liability insurance group formed under the Liability Risk Retention ActPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Contingent claim valuation– Derivative whose payoff depends on an underlying asset or uncertain future eventPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Real options– Capital budgeting analysis termPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Contingent claim analysis– Derivative whose payoff depends on an underlying asset or uncertain future eventPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Kalotay–Williams–Fabozzi– Interest-rate model describing the stochastic evolution of the instantaneous short ratePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Longstaff–Schwartz– Interest-rate model describing the stochastic evolution of the instantaneous short ratePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Chen– Three-factor short-rate model for interest-rate dynamics
Rendleman–Bartter– Short-rate model describing the evolution of interest rates
Implied binomial tree– Method for evaluating stock options that divides time into discrete intervalsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Implied trinomial tree– Method for evaluating stock options that divides time into discrete intervalsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Edgeworth binomial tree– Method for evaluating stock options that divides time into discrete intervalsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Johnson binomial tree– Method for evaluating stock options that divides time into discrete intervalsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Swaps– Exchange of derivatives or other financial instruments
Swap valuation– Exchange of derivatives or other financial instruments
Kalotay–Williams–Fabozzi model– Interest-rate model describing the stochastic evolution of the instantaneous short ratePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Longstaff–Schwartz model– Interest-rate model describing the stochastic evolution of the instantaneous short ratePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Chen model– Three-factor short-rate model for interest-rate dynamics
This section is corporate-finance-focused: for the valuation of derivatives and interest rate instruments see §Derivatives pricing; for the economic theory see §Asset pricing theory.
Semivariance– Statistical measure of how far values spread from their average
Expected shortfall (ES; also called conditional value at risk (CVaR), average value at risk (AVaR), expected tail loss (ETL))
Tail value at risk– Risk measure estimating the average loss in the worst tail of the distributionPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Statistical dispersion– Statistical property quantifying how much a collection of data is spread out
Cooperative bank– Type of retail or commercial bank organized cooperativelyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Custodian bank– Financial institution providing safekeeping and securities services
Depository bank– Specialist bank facilitating investment via depositary receipt services
Ethical bank– Bank concerned with the social and environmental impacts of its investments and loansPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Investment bank– Financial service providing capital-raising and advisory functionsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Islamic banking– Financial activities compliant with Islamic lawPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Merchant bank– Deals in commercial loans and investment
Microcredit– Small loans to impoverished borrowers
Mutual savings bank– Depositor-owned savings institution without capital stock
Offshore bank– Bank located outside the country of residence of the depositor
Private bank– Bank owned by individuals or partners with unlimited liability
Savings bank– Financial institution focused on savings deposits
Building society– Member-owned financial institution focused on savings and mortgages
Broker– Person who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission
Broker-dealer– One who engages in the business of trading securities on behalf of their customers
Brokerage firm– Person who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commissionPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Commodity broker– Agent facilitating trades in commodity markets
Insurance broker– Intermediary between buyers and sellers of insurance
Prime brokerage– Package of services offered by investment banks
Retail brokerage– Person who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commissionPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Stockbroker– Professional who buys and sells shares for others
Clearing house– Financial institution that provides clearing and settlement services
Commercial lender– Lending of moneyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Government sponsored enterprise– Type of financial services corporation created by the United States CongressPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Hard money lender– Short-term capital loans funded by private parties and secured by real estatePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Business education lists undergraduate degrees in business, commerce, accounting and economics; "finance" may be taken as a major in most of these, whereas "quantitative finance" is almost invariably postgraduate, following a math-focused Bachelors; the most common degrees for (entry level) investment, banking, and corporate roles are:
Doctoral-training in finance is usually a requirement for academia, but not relevant to industry
quants often enter the profession with PhDs in disciplines such as physics, mathematics, engineering, and computer science, and learn finance "on the job”