What is the Difference Between Cash Flow and Fund Flow?
Whether it’s a start-up, small or big company, managing its financial health effectively is crucial for an organisation’s success. Cash flow and fund flow are two essential financial tools that are beneficial to assess an organisation’s economic well-being. While they often function interchangeably within a company, there are slight differences between them, with distinct purposes, scope and insights. So, let’s discuss these concepts in detail, emphasising the difference between cash flow and fund flow statement.
Table Of Content
What is a Cash Flow Statement?
Key Features of Cash Flow
What is a Fund Flow Statement?
Key Features of Fund Flow
Key Difference Between Cash Flow and Fund Flow Statement
Advantages of Cash Flow
Disadvantages of Cash Flow
Advantages of Fund Flow
Disadvantages of Fund Flow
The Bottom Line
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Cash Flow Statement?
Cash flow is a financial statement that tracks the movement of cash and cash equivalents into and out of a company throughout a specific period. It highlights a company’s cash inflows and outflows, offering details about its liquidity and financial position. The financial cash flow statement is an essential tool to assess how a company generates cash and uses it to determine if it can meet its immediate obligations.
Key Features of Cash Flow
Tracks Cash Inflows and Outflows
It shows all cash transactions, including cash receipts from customers, payments to suppliers, and other cash-related activities.
Types of Activities
The cash flow statement is generally divided into three main categories, including:
Operating Activities
These refer to the main business operations, like sales and expenses.
Investing Activities
These include long-term investments, such as purchasing or selling property.
Financing Activities
These relate to how the business is funded, including borrowing, issuing equity and paying dividends.
Acts as a Bridge
It provides a bridge between the income statement and the balance sheet (a snapshot of assets, liabilities, and equity).
Insights into Liquidity
It helps evaluate a company’s ability to pay its bills, invest in new projects, and manage its debts.
What is a Fund Flow Statement?
A fund flow statement is a financial report that evaluates a company’s balance sheets from two consecutive periods to demonstrate how funds have moved from one period to the next. It tracks the sources of funds and their uses, helping to explain changes in a company’s working capital and financial structure.
Key Features of Fund Flow
Sources of Funds
It identifies the areas from where the company is getting its funds, such as profits, loans, investments, or the sale of assets.
Uses of Funds
It shows how the company is spending its funds, such as obtaining new assets, paying debts, or distributing dividends.
Changes in Working Capital
It provides insights into the changes of a company’s short-term assets and liabilities over time.
Financial Health
It enables investors to understand a company’s financial position, its ability to manage funds effectively, and its overall financial stability.
Key Difference Between Cash Flow and Fund Flow Statement
Here is a list of key differences between cash flow and fund flow statements.
Cash Flow Vs Fund Flow
| Factors | Cash Flow | Fund Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Cash flow denotes the movement of actual cash and cash equivalents into and out of a company during a particular time, highlighting liquidity and short-term solvency. | Fund flow focuses on changes in the company’s financial position, including cash and non-cash transactions. |
| Purpose | The main purpose of a cash flow is to track the inflows and outflows of cash during a specific accounting period, helping to understand if liquidity and financial health are managed effectively. | The main purpose of a fund flow is to evaluate and understand the fund movement within a company, highlighting the sources and uses of those funds. |
| Scope | It indicates a company’s short-term liquidity and its ability to meet immediate liabilities. | It provides an overall picture of financial health, considering both cash and non-cash transactions. |
| Focus | It focuses on short-term liquidity and the ability to meet immediate obligations. | It focuses on long-term financial health, along with a company’s ability to invest in growth, manage debt and generate profits. |
| Disclosures | The cash flow statement discloses the inflows and outflows of cash under the three main categories: operating, investing, and financing activities. | A fund flow statement provides information about the sources of funds a company uses (such as loans or equity) and those funds’ investing activities (like asset purchases or debt repayments). |
| Timing | It focuses on short-term cash position | It analyses the long-term financial position. |
| Components | A cash flow statement is categorised into three key sections – operating, investing and financing activities. | A fund flow statement is categorised into two primary sections – sources of funds and applications of funds. |
| Accounting Method | Accounting for the cash flow statement is done on the movement of liquid cash, in the form of currency or bank transfer. | Accounting for the fund flow statement is done based on the accrual of funds. |
| Non-cash Items | A cash flow statement does not consider non-cash items. These transactions affect the company’s net income, not directly its cash balance. Non-cash items include depreciation, amortisation and stock-based compensation. | A fund flow statement considers non-cash items. They include depreciation and changes in working capital. |
| Analysis Purpose | Cash flow analysis helps companies understand the movement of cash into and out of a company, and provides insights into its liquidity, solvency, and ability to meet immediate obligations. | Fund flow analysis evaluates the cash movement within a company during a certain period, manages working capital, and makes informed investment decisions. |
| Usage | The cash flow statement is essential for understanding the short-term phenomena affecting a company’s liquidity. | The fund flow statement is crucial for evaluating the long-term financial strategy. |
| Presentation Format | Categorised into operating, investing, and financing activities, a cash flow statement generally presents cash inflows and outflows in a specific structure, through a direct or indirect method for operating activities. | Fund flow presents the cash movement in a single statement format, with supporting schedules. |
| Impact on Business | The significant impact of cash flow is on a business’s ability to operate, grow, and remain financially stable. While positive cash flow enables investment, debt repayment, and overall business strength, Negative cash flow may lead to liquidity problems in the future. | The fund flow statement affects businesses by indicating their financial management, which can impact everything, including their abilities, attractiveness, investors, and lenders. |
| Key Elements | The cash flow statement includes cash receipts from sales, payments to suppliers, salaries, and other cash-related transactions. | The fund flow statement includes changes in current assets, current liabilities, and non-cash transactions like depreciation. |
| Example | Cash flow indicates a company’s ability to pay its bills on time, invest in new projects, or manage its finances effectively. | Fund flow indicates a company’s decision to invest in long-term assets, issue debt, or increase working capital. |
Advantages of Cash Flow
Now that you understand the key difference between cash flow and fund flow statements, let’s explore the advantages of cash flow below.
Liquidity
The cash flow statement indicates a company’s ability to generate cash from its operations, investing, and financing activities. This helps assess the company’s ability to meet its short-term and long-term financial obligations.
Financial Health
By evaluating cash inflows and outflows, investors can get a clear picture of a company’s financial health and its ability to sustain operations.
Cash Management
The statement helps track the cash movement and find the areas where improvements can be required.
Investment Decisions
The statement can be used by stakeholders to evaluate a company’s ability to generate cash and make informed decisions about investing.
Growth Opportunities
By assessing cash flows, companies can make informed decisions about investment plans and growth opportunities.
Disadvantages of Cash Flow
Here is a list of the disadvantages of cash flow.
Limited Liquidity Assessment
While the report demonstrates cash flow, it doesn’t reflect a company’s true liquidity, as liquidity also depends on assets that can be converted into cash quickly.
Time Consuming
Presenting a cash flow statement, particularly using the direct method, can be time-consuming, especially for larger organisations.
Data Inaccuracy
The accuracy of the cash flow statement is based on the accuracy of the fundamental financial data.
Excludes Non-cash Transactions
The cash flow statement doesn’t include non-cash transactions, such as depreciation and amortisation, leading to an incomplete picture of a company’s financial health.
Advantages of Fund Flow
There are several advantages of the fund flow statement, including:
Improved Financial Control
The fund flow statement provides a comprehensive view of how a company’s funds are created and used during a specific period, allowing businesses to manage their resources efficiently and find potential financial blockages.
Strategic Planning
The fund flow statement enables long-term planning by providing an understanding of future financial needs, investment plans, and potential financial risks.
Working Capital Management
The fund flow statement highlights changes in a company’s working capital, allowing it to enhance its current assets and liabilities, indicating good liquidity and financial health.
Enhanced Decision-making
Understanding the funds flow helps organisations make more informed decisions about investments, expenses, and resource allocation, resulting in enhanced financial outcomes.
Risk Identification and Mitigation
Assessing fund flow movements helps businesses identify potential financial risks and implement strategies to mitigate them.
Disadvantages of Fund Flow
Here are the disadvantages of the fund flow statement:
Limited Scope
The fund flow statement focuses on the cash movement only, not measuring the other financial metrics like profit and loss, which are critical for understanding a company’s financial health fully.
Lack of Originality
The fund flow statement repositions the current financial data instead of presenting new numerical information, which makes it less beneficial for decision-making.
No Cash Position
By assessing fund flow, a company cannot determine its cash position. For this, a separate cash flow statement is required.
No Prediction of Future Performance
The fund flow analysis statement doesn’t predict future cash flows or profitability, restraining its use for strategic planning and prediction.
The Bottom Line
While cash flow and fund flow statements are essential tools for financial analysis, they serve unique purposes. Cash flow refers to the immediate availability of cash, while fund flow indicates the complete picture of a company’s financial health and long-term sustainability. Companies must prepare both statements to make informed decisions and to identify areas for financial growth.
We hope this blog on ‘cash flow vs fund flow’ helps you understand these two valuable concepts in financial analysis. Well, if you are still confused about the ‘key difference between cash flow and fund flow’, then take a financial management course and seek expert guidance from the right career partner, like Jaro Education for a better career opportunity in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
