# Financing: What It Means and Why It Matters

![Financing](https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/HDbELuzrt2zzpjICRZcgkPWutPU=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/financing.asp-final-82e5fad17d2e4314919a6d6061083b54.png)

*— Investopedia / Theresa Chiechi*

> **Definition**
>
> Financing allows corporations and consumers to access capital for business operations, investment activities, or personal expenses.

## What Is Financing?

Financing is the process of raising money for different activities like starting a business, making a purchase, or investing. You can raise cash by borrowing it (debt financing) from financial institutions or by bringing in shareholders or partners. This is called equity financing, which means you give up a share of ownership in your project. Financing may make more sense because you can put your own cash to better use while using someone else's capital to fund your immediate needs.

### Key Takeaways

*   Financing allows you to raise cash to fund business activities, make investments, or make purchases.
*   There are two types of financing: debt financing and equity financing.
*   Debt financing tends to be cheaper and comes with tax breaks.
*   The main advantage of equity financing is that there is no obligation to repay the money acquired through it.  
    

## Understanding Financing

There are two main types of financing available for companies: [debt financing](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/debtfinancing.asp) and [equity financing](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/equityfinancing.asp). Debt is a loan that must be paid back often with interest, but it is typically cheaper than raising capital because of tax deduction considerations. Equity does not need to be paid back, but it relinquishes ownership stakes to the shareholder. Both debt and equity have their [advantages and disadvantages](https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042215/what-are-benefits-company-using-equity-financing-vs-debt-financing.asp).

Financing is a way to leverage the [time value of money (TVM)](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/timevalueofmoney.asp) to put future expected money flows to use for projects started today. Financing also takes advantage of the fact that some individuals in an economy will have a surplus of money that they wish to put to work to generate returns, while others demand money to undertake investment (also with the hope of generating returns), creating a market for money.  

> **Important**
>
> Most companies use a combination of both debt and equity to finance operations.

## Types of Financing

### Equity Financing

"[Equity](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/equity.asp)" is another word for ownership in a company. For example, the owner of a grocery store chain needs to grow operations. Instead of debt, the owner would like to sell a 10% stake in the company for $100,000, valuing the firm at $1 million. Companies like to sell equity because the investor bears all the risk; if the business fails, the investor gets nothing.

At the same time, giving up equity is giving up some control. Equity investors want to have a say in how the company is operated, especially in difficult times, and are often entitled to votes based on the number of shares held. So, in exchange for ownership, an investor gives their money to a company and receives some claim on future earnings.

Some investors are happy with growth in the form of share price [appreciation](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/appreciation.asp); they want the share price to go up. Other investors are looking for principal protection and income in the form of regular [dividends](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dividend.asp).

### Advantages of Equity Financing

Funding your business through investors has several advantages, including the following:

*   The biggest advantage is that you do not have to pay back the money. If your business enters [bankruptcy](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bankruptcy.asp), your investor or investors are not [creditors](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/creditor.asp). They are part-owners in your company, and because of that, their money is lost along with your company.
*   You do not have to make monthly payments, so there is often more cash on hand for operating expenses.
*   Investors understand that it takes time to build a business. You will get the money you need without the pressure of having to see your product or business thriving within a short amount of time.

### Disadvantages of Equity Financing

Similarly, there are a number of disadvantages that come with equity financing, including the following:

*   How do you feel about having a new partner? When you raise equity financing, it involves giving up ownership of a portion of your company. The riskier the investment, the more of a stake the investor will want. You might have to give up 50% or more of your company, and unless you later construct a deal to buy the investor's stake, that partner will take 50% of your profits indefinitely.
*   You will also have to consult with your investors before making decisions. Your company is no longer solely yours, and if the investor has more than 50% of your company, you have a boss to whom you have to answer.

### Debt Financing

Most people are familiar with [debt](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/debt.asp) as a form of financing because they have car loans or mortgages. Debt is also a common form of financing for new businesses. Debt financing must be repaid, and lenders want to be paid a [rate of interest](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/interestrate.asp) in exchange for the use of their money.

Some lenders require [collateral](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/collateral.asp). For example, assume the owner of the grocery store also decides that they need a new truck and must take out a loan for $40,000. The truck can serve as collateral against the loan, and the grocery store owner agrees to pay 8% interest to the lender until the loan is paid off in five years.

Debt is easier to obtain for small amounts of cash needed for specific assets, especially if the asset [can be used as collateral](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/assignment-of-accounts-receivable.asp). While debt must be paid back even in difficult times, the company retains ownership and control over business operations.

### Advantages of Debt Financing

There are several advantages to financing your business through debt:

*   The lending institution has no control over how you run your company, and it has no ownership.
*   Once you pay back the loan, your relationship with the lender ends. That is especially important as your business becomes more valuable.
*   The interest you pay on debt financing is [tax deductible](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/tax-deduction.asp) as a business expense.
*   The monthly payment, as well as the breakdown of the payments, is a known expense that can be accurately included in your forecasting models.

### Disadvantages of Debt Financing

Debt financing for your business does come with some downsides:

*   Adding a debt payment to your monthly expenses assumes that you will always have the capital inflow to meet all business expenses, including the debt payment. For small or early-stage companies, that is often far from certain.
*   Small business lending can be slowed substantially during recessions. In tougher times for the economy, it's more difficult to receive debt financing unless you are overwhelmingly qualified.

## Special Considerations

The [weighted average cost of capital (WACC)](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wacc.asp) is the average of the costs of all types of financing, each of which is weighted by its proportionate use in a given situation. By taking a weighted average in this way, one can determine how much interest a company owes for each dollar it finances. Firms will decide the appropriate mix of debt and equity financing by optimizing the WACC of each type of capital while taking into account the risk of [default](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/default2.asp) or bankruptcy on one side and the amount of ownership owners are willing to give up on the other.

Because interest on the debt is typically tax deductible, and because the interest rates associated with debt is typically cheaper than the rate of return expected for equity, debt is usually preferred. However, as more debt is accumulated, the credit risk associated with that debt also increases and so equity must be added to the mix. Investors also often demand equity stakes in order to capture future profitability and growth that debt instruments do not provide.

WACC is computed by the formula:

$\begin{aligned}&\text{WACC} = \left ( \frac{ E }{ V} \times Re \right ) + \left ( \frac{ D }{ V} \times Rd \times ( 1 - Tc ) \right ) \\&\textbf{where:} \\&E = \text{Market value of the firm's equity} \\&D = \text{Market value of the firm's debt} \\&V = E + D \\&Re = \text{Cost of equity} \\&Rd = \text{Cost of debt} \\&Tc = \text{Corporate tax rate} \\\end{aligned}$

## Example of Financing

Provided a company is expected to perform well, you can usually obtain debt financing at a lower effective cost. For example, if you run a small business and need $40,000 of financing, you can either take out a $40,000 bank loan at a 10% interest rate, or you can sell a 25% stake in your business to your neighbor for $40,000.

Suppose your business earns a $20,000 profit during the next year. If you took the bank loan, your interest expense (cost of debt financing) would be $4,000, leaving you with $16,000 in profit.

Conversely, had you used equity financing, you would have zero debt (and as a result, no interest expense), but would keep only 75% of your profit (the other 25% being owned by your neighbor). Therefore, your personal profit would only be $15,000, or (75% x $20,000).

## Is Equity Financing Riskier Than Debt Financing?

Equity financing comes with a risk premium because if a company goes bankrupt, creditors are repaid in full before equity shareholders receive anything.

## Why Would a Company Want Equity Financing?

Raising capital through selling equity shares means that the company hands over some of its ownership to those investors. Equity financing is also typically more expensive than debt. However, with equity there is no debt that needs to be repaid and the firm does not need to allocate cash to making regular interest payments. This can give new companies extra freedom to operate and expand.

## Why Would a Company Want Debt Financing?

With debt, either via loan or a bond, the company has to make interest payments to creditors and ultimately return the balance of the loan. However, the company does not give up any ownership control to those lenders. Moreover, debt financing is often cheaper (due to a lower interest rate) since the creditors can claim the firm's assets if it defaults. Interest payments of debts are also often tax-deductible for the company.

## The Bottom Line

Many businesses eventually need greater spending power in order to grow, and financing is the most common method of attaining it. There are pros and cons to both debt and equity financing, and each company should carefully weigh the costs of each before making a decision.  

> **Article Sources**
>
> 1.  The Hartford. "[Advantages vs. Disadvantages of Equity Financing](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/strategy/business-financing/equity-financing)."
>     
> 2.  American Express. "[What Is Debt Financing? Is It Right For My Business?](https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/blueprint/resource-center/finance/pros-and-cons-of-debt-financing/)"
>     
> 3.  Internal Revenue Service. "[Publication 535 (2022), Business Expenses](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p535)."
>     
> 4.  Harvard Business School. "[Cost of Capital: What It Is And How To Calculate It](https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/cost-of-capital)."