All Posts by Aaliyah Jordan

|In: Corporate Finance|Last Updated:
How to Calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)

The Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) is a crucial metric in corporate finance, representing the average rate of return a company is expected to pay to all its different security holders (both debt and equity) to finance its assets. It is most frequently used as the discount rate in a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation model to determine a company’s intrinsic value.

A lower WACC is generally favorable, as it indicates lower financing costs and suggests the company can create value more easily.

The WACC Formula

WACC is a weighted average that combines the costs of a company’s different sources of capital—primarily equity and debt—based on their proportion in the company’s capital structure.

The standard formula for WACC, considering only debt and common equity, is:

$$WACC = \left( \frac{E}{V} \times r_e \right) + \left( \frac{D}{V} \times r_d \times (1-T_c) \right)$$

Where:

VariableDescription
$\frac{E}{V}$Weight of Equity: The proportion
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|In: Business Finance|Last Updated:
Stock Up Smart: Finding the Best Low-Interest Small Business Loans for Inventory Financing

For retail and e-commerce businesses, inventory is lifeblood. Securing the necessary stock without crippling cash flow requires smart, low-interest financing. While countless options exist, three primary types stand out for cost-effectiveness and suitability for purchasing goods.

1. 🥇 SBA Loans: The Gold Standard

The SBA 7(a) loan program, backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, is generally the most cost-effective solution.

  • Low Interest Rates: Interest rates are capped and typically offer the lowest Annual Percentage Rate (APR) compared to all other small business loans, often tied to the prime rate.
  • Long Terms: Repayment terms can extend for many years, significantly lowering monthly payments and improving cash flow.

The major drawback, however, is the application process. It is notoriously slow, often taking months, and requires strict eligibility—including strong personal credit, business collateral, and detailed financial documentation. This is not a viable option for urgent or seasonal inventory …

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|In: Investments|Last Updated:
Navigating Risk: Emerging Market Bond Funds vs. ETFs – Which is the Smarter Play?

Adding emerging market (EM) bonds to a fixed-income portfolio can boost yield, but it also introduces significant risk. The choice between an actively managed mutual fund and a passively managed Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is crucial, as each vehicle manages and introduces different risks into this complex asset class.

1. 🌊 Liquidity and Trading Risk

The mechanics of trading introduce immediate risk differences. EM Bond ETFs offer high intra-day liquidity, meaning they can be bought and sold throughout the trading day. However, they carry tracking error risk: they can trade at a premium or discount to their Net Asset Value (NAV), especially during times of market volatility when the underlying bonds are hard to price.

EM Bond Mutual Funds are priced and traded only once a day at NAV. While this eliminates the premium/discount issue, their liquidity is lower. Critically, during severe market stress, funds may invoke …

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|In: Business Finance|Last Updated:
Building a Robust Financial Projection Model for Your Tech Startup: A Step-by-Step Guide

Securing funding and charting a clear path to profitability requires more than just a great idea—it demands a credible financial projection model. This 3-to-5-year plan translates your vision into actionable numbers, essential for both strategic planning and investor confidence. Here is a practical, four-step guide to building your model.

1. 📈 Revenue Modeling: The Engine

Your revenue model is the heart of the projection. For tech startups, especially SaaS, rely on unit economics rather than vague market sizing. This is the bottom-up approach, which is far more credible to investors than the top-down approach (simply claiming a small percentage of a large market).

Start by defining your key metrics:

  • Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR): The predictable monthly income.
  • Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): How much it costs to gain one paying customer.
  • Churn Rate: The percentage of customers who stop subscribing.

Your model should calculate revenue by projecting monthly customer …

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|In: Investments|Last Updated:
Smart Money Management: Top Robo-Advisors for Automated Tax-Loss Harvesting

Robo-advisors have democratized sophisticated investment strategies, and one of their most powerful features for taxable accounts is automated Tax-Loss Harvesting (TLH). TLH is a strategy where an investment portfolio’s manager sells securities that have dropped in value (a loss) to offset capital gains realized from the sale of profitable investments. This lowers an investor’s current tax bill, saving them real money. The leading robo-advisors have turned this complex, manual task into a seamless, automated process.

Understanding the TLH Advantage

For high-net-worth investors or those with significant assets in taxable brokerage accounts, the tax savings from TLH can often outweigh the fees charged by the robo-advisor.

  • How it Works: The robo-advisor monitors your portfolio continuously. If a security drops in value, it is sold, and the loss is realized. Immediately, the proceeds are used to buy a highly correlated but different security to maintain your asset allocation and market exposure.
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