What is Finance: Definition and 149 Discussions

Finance is a term for matters regarding the management, creation, and study of money and investments.
Specifically, it deals with the questions of how an individual, company or government acquires money – called capital in the context of a business – and how they spend or invest that money. Finance is then often split into the following major categories: corporate finance, personal finance and public finance.At the same time, and correspondingly, finance is about the overall "system"

i.e., the financial markets that allow the flow of money, via investments and other financial instruments, between and within these areas;
this "flow" is facilitated by the financial services sector.
Finance therefore refers to the study of the securities markets, including derivatives, and the institutions that serve as intermediaries to those markets, thus enabling the flow of money through the economy.A major focus within finance is thus investment management – called money management for individuals, and asset management for institutions – and finance then includes the associated activities of securities trading and stock broking, investment banking, financial engineering, and risk management.
Fundamental to these areas is the valuation of assets such as stocks, bonds, loans, but also, by extension, entire companies. Given its wide scope, finance is studied in several academic disciplines, and, correspondingly, there are several related professional qualifications that can lead to the field.

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  1. M

    Programs Preparing for a Finance PhD Program: What It Takes

    I would like to study Maths or Physics for my undergrad and eventually, go to grad school. I can't possibly know if I'd want to go to grad school in science and I'm just curious with regards to what it takes to get into a Finance PhD program. For maths/physics, it is my understanding that very...
  2. S

    Quasilinear PDEs in industry, finance or economics.

    Homework Statement I've been reading some introductory PDE books and they always seem to motivate the search for solutions of the first order quasilinear PDE by the method of characteristics, by introducing a flow model; i was thinking, could someone give an example of a phenomenon modeled by...
  3. G

    Math Physics/Math(s) in the UK - finance?

    I am reading Physics and Mathematics at a top UK university. I would like to eventually have a job in quantitative finance. Reading the forums I have learned that it is conventional for applicants to be at least an MSc and are usually physics Phds. This is good, but I do not wish to take...
  4. E

    How many have you worked in a finance world?

    this goes out to the theoretical physicists out there. have you thought about it or is too degrading and "beneath" you to do so?
  5. T

    Physics Unsustainable Wealth: The Rise of Finance Capital and its Impact on Society

    Hi, I've heard of physicists working on the financial sector. Do these physicists only have a bachelor degree, master or PhD? And is it difficult to go to the financial sector as a physicist?
  6. B

    Quantitative Finance: closest thing to go back to Science for business student?

    I'm a 20 years old female, need some guidance from seniors. :) It's been my dream to work with rockets, propulsion, and everything related to outer space. In short: NASA. I understand that the competition in this field is fierce considering skills in numeracy (physics/math). I took Science...
  7. qspeechc

    Economics and Finance Books for a Beginner

    Hi everyone. I didn't put this in the Science Book Discussion because I don't really know if people would consider this science. Please move it if you think appropriate. Basically, I don't know anything about economics, finance and the related subjects. So much of the news is about...
  8. J

    Pursuing Physics, but limited finance. ISO opinions.

    Hello guys. I am a student in Pakistan. I am really into Physics/maths. And Id like to pursue an education in one of these fields particularly Physics(undergrad). I just got done with my Alevels. ( Cambridge international examinations). I am expecting a relatively decent result and my past...
  9. S

    Physics Finish MSc in Physics, work for 3 years in finance, do PhD?

    Currently I am doing my MSc in Physics with a focus on Condensed Matter Theory. I have about one more year to go, after which I will have to decide how to carry on. By the time I finish my Masters I will be 23 years old. This summer I will do a well-paid internship in the financial sector at...
  10. Z

    Preparing for a Career in Quantitative Finance: What to Do in 2 Years

    Me: an undergraduate math major, two years left, very well qualified, very disillusioned with the idea of an academic career, considering a switch to finance. I'm wondering what would be involved in making this switch. This is all hypothetical, but if I were to do this what should I do in the...
  11. N

    Find a Job in Biotech & Finance: Advice for Recent Graduates

    My friend completed completed a biotech degree and is completing an MBA in finance. What kind of jobs can she get? Does she need to have a Masters to get a really good job? Or is getting certification in something is the best way to go? Can someone please advice?
  12. D

    Can a Finance Major Get into a Masters Program in Applied Mathematics?

    Hello I'm new here. I've wanted to ask this for quite a while to someone but didn't know where to. You see, I made a mistake, I majored in finance during my undergrad education and now I want to do an MS in Applied Mathematics (or similar). Yes, I understand it should have been the other way...
  13. ╔(σ_σ)╝

    Mathematical Finance Program at UofT

    I just got of the phone with departement and I have heard good things about the program. Pros I may not need to retake math courses I already took in engineering. The program is only one year. 4 months school, 4 months internship and 4 months school. Department has 100% sucess rate of finding...
  14. turbo

    News Political campaign finance reform Please

    Political campaign finance reform... Please! It is time to take big money out of politics. If I want to give $5 or $10 to a politician to help with their campaign, that should be just fine. If XYZ Corp wants to dump tens of thousands of dollars, that should NOT be allowed. Corporations are...
  15. J

    Nuclear fusion finance plan rejected by EU Parliament

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12007965" Can anyone shed any light on this? Will work on building ITER be delayed or postponed because of this wrangling? They are talking about absolutely huge amounts of money which is maybe politically unpalatable for many european...
  16. D

    Regarding Quantitative Finance

    I like to keep my options open. I'm doing a combined BA/MA in mathematics right now, and hope to go on to get a PhD. That being said, I think a lot about how I will make my living. Of course, I'd love to have a great Professorship at a great university and do groundbreaking research, but the...
  17. P

    Finance Classes to for aspiring quant?

    I'm an undergraduate math major who aspires to be a quant. Should any finance/economics courses be taken? Or is this portion of the job considered to be trivial?
  18. N

    Finance Problem but its basic math, i just cant see it right now

    Homework Statement A. 53% B. 40% C. 30% D. 70% E. 36% Solution: WACC = wd kd (1 - T) + wsks ; 13.00% = wd (9% (1 - 0.35)) + (1 - wd) ($2(1.075)/$25.00 + 7.5%) ; Solve for wd = 30%. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution...
  19. C

    Physics What types of jobs do physicist/mathematicians go for after their degree?

    Hey there, I'm in second year of a physics/math degree. I've had some revelations over the past year and realize that I probably will not be interested in entering into the field of research or academia. I'm looking at the field of finance now (I hear that this is a common career path for...
  20. N

    Science or Finance: Picking a Career Path

    Hi, basically I'm trying to find a job but indecided as to where I want to go. I've been applying to Finance stuff in the City cos the pay is good... and I think its pretty glamourous to work there... but I've not been having much success, probably cos my background is science and I have no...
  21. M

    Schools Finance major science options for grad school

    Ok, I was somewhat interested in finance when I was in high school, and I went to a community college and found the business classes very boring, so I started taking math and science classes, which I liked. I took up to Calculus 2, and some programming classes, and engineering physics I, and...
  22. R

    From Facilities Management to Finance?

    I currently have a job extracting and manipulating data from a database using various 4th gen database programming languages. I love number crunching and programming and I want to do this as a career. I want to do some sort of stats course which is designed for people from various disciplines...
  23. I

    Physics Question: Is it worth pursuing a postdoc in finance as a physics Ph.D.?

    (In case you don't know me, I just finished a physics phd) Based on my current job hunt, it appears that physicists are no longer highly sought after on Wall st. Physicists can get quant jobs, but the positions are highly competitive. To make myself a more competitive candidate, I'm...
  24. I

    Exploring Borel Spaces and Sigma Algebras in Stochastic Calculus for Finance

    Hey, I'm studying for interviews at the big finance firms, where I hear they grill you on stochastic calculus and finance stuff. I'm currently studying Oksendal and Shreve, and while I can follow the applied math parts, I would like to get a firmer grasp on the pure math parts. Does...
  25. N

    Help with Finance: Finding an Introductory Book

    I need help finding a solid introductory book on finance. I know nothing about finance other than its definition on wikipedia and I want to learn more. Can anyone recommend a solid text that starts from the most fundamental concepts and definitions and works its way up?
  26. N

    Another finance analyst thread.

    Hi there. Sorry for the lengthy thread! Please persevere :smile: I have seen that there are many of these threads - so apologies for the bits that overlap. I have tried to keep this as 'original' as possible - but with all of the help I have had so far from browsing this forum I couldn't...
  27. I

    Exploring Alternative Distributions in Ito's Lemma for Financial Engineering

    For any financial engineers here who understand Hull's derivative pricing book. I've gone through chapter 12 (Wiener Processes and Ito's Lemma, 2008 edition). The derivation of Ito's lemma assumes epsilon is normally distributed with a mean of zero and a variance of 1. I have a hard time...
  28. E

    ENGINEERING SCIENCE: MATH STATS and FINANCE OPTION

    I was recently accepted into engineering science 1t4. I am very intrigued by the new finance option being offered but don't have a lot of information about it. I've seen the statement on the u of t website but honestly that doesn't help very much. I would appreciate it greatly if someone with...
  29. K

    Physics Physics Major to Finance: Advice Needed

    Hey everyone, I am new to the forum. I just graduated with a B.S. degree in Physics and a minor in finance. I have been working in semiconductor industry for about 6 months.I am very interested in trading and want to move my future careers in that direction. How marketable is my degree to...
  30. B

    Finance Problems: Compound and Simple Interest Rates for $7,700 Investment

    Homework Statement Compute the compound amount after 1 year for $7,700 invested at 8% interest compounded quarterly. What simple interest rate will yield the same amount in 1 year? (Round your answer to 2 decimal places.) 2. The attempt at a solution I did this on my calculator so...
  31. Y

    Exploring the Interplay of Mathematics of Finance and Number Theory

    Hi, I'm not sure to which forum my question related. Is there a connection between models used in mathematics of finance (such as Markov property or Brownian motion) and topics related to number theory (like Zeta functions for example)? Thanks
  32. X

    Careers in Finance: Physics vs Business Majors

    I've heard that firms tend to hire physics majors because business majors can't do the necessary math. Whats the difference? Sorry I'm a noob.
  33. A

    Is High-Paying Finance DONE for?

    Or, could it be like the dotcom bubble, where everybody thought it best not to go into CS/technology... but the demand should soon start accelerating again? This question is inspired by people who say that "the days of the fat bonuses and salaries for the finance/banking industry are gone...
  34. S

    Need help with this problem set finance excersises please it's due 2 p.m.

    Economics 173B Summer 2009 Problem Set #2 Write your solutions clearly and show at least three steps of work: (1) set-up (2) equation (3) solution. Circle your solution. 1. a. Share price is $100.00, expected dividend is $ 4.00 one year from now. expected capital gain is 9%, What is the...
  35. U

    Marketing vs Finance: Help Me Decide My Future

    Marketing vs. Finance **HELP** I'm am currently pusuing Psychology in college but I'm not really getting much support because supposedly psychology won't provide for me very well economically. I believe i have a passion for psy but I'm currently not doing very well because i would prefer not to...
  36. M

    Finance question: delta confidence interval

    Hi, if I have the confidence interval for the point estimate of an option price A which was found through simulation, can I also find a confidence interval for delta (dA/dS), where S is underlying asset price, without further simulation? thanks, sl
  37. Link

    Programs Which minor is the best complement to an engineering major, finance or economics

    So I'll be doing a degree in engineering but will have some space for some free electives and see myself working as a engineering manager in a high tech company in the future. My goal is to earn as much money as possible. (yes I am a modern ebenezer scrooge:D) Thus I'm interested to know which...
  38. T

    News The do nothing method of finance, would it work?

    http://uk.news.yahoo.com/11/20090114/tpl-brown-brands-conservatives-the-do-no-0a1c1a1_1.html" So what should be done and do the libertarians/conservatives have it right in returning to a capitalist ideal not a socialist plan? If not what other options are there?
  39. O

    Finance and Math with 37points in IB?

    I have a problem. I graduated with very hard combination from IB: natural sciences (except biology) all HLs, Economics HL, HL Math and two languages SL. In practise, I did 5 HLs but IBO allowed only 4. Yet, I cannot get to the best universities as the border is 38, despite my extra HL. My...
  40. G

    What is Computational Finance?

    Hello, I'm in my last year of a B.Sc with a double major in math and physics. I was somewhat interested in becoming an actuary, and was discussing it with a friend of mine when he brought up computational finance as an alternative. I did some 'googling' about it, and i seems pretty...
  41. rocomath

    Programs Finance Major: Univ. of Houston students help me out

    Finance Major: Univ. of Houston students help me out! So I am currently a Math major, but I am trying to change my major to Finance. I am at the website, but when I keep clicking the links for Advising, they're not working! http://www.bauer.uh.edu/Finance/index.asp - Academic Advising not...
  42. E

    Programs Going into finance after physics PhD

    I have seriously started considering going for a career in finance (as a "quant") after finishing my PhD in physics (theoretical astro/particle physics). Anyone who knows what the prospects for getting good jobs in finance (Europe or US) as a physics PhD looks like today? After the "rocket...
  43. J

    Studying Is a strong foundation in math necessary for success in finance?

    Hey all, I was studying maths and finance, I dropped the maths after getting a few borderlines. Also I am not sure whether I like the more advanced subjects I like the introduction to calculus, group theory and such but I am not sure what I want to do. Is there any aptitude tests or any sort...
  44. S

    Help please: career in finance.

    Hi, I'm a second year Physics Undergraduate (just completed my second year), and next year will be doing a project based around finance (which I want to get into after I finish my degree). I will be taking extra courses next year to supplement my aim (these courses include derivatives...
  45. S

    How Do I Solve Finance Equations Without Using Excel's Built-in Functions?

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  46. R

    Find Final Amount on Deposit After 21 Years of Compounding Interest

    Sam deposts $10,000 at the beginning of each year for 12 years in an account paying 5% compounded annually. He then puts the total amount on deposit in another account paying 6% compounded semiannually for another 9 years. Find the final amount on deposit after the entire 21 year period. Did...
  47. R

    Finance stock homework help

    I need some help on some finance questions 1) A stock that sold for $22 at the beginning of the year was selling for $24 at the end of the year. If the stock paid a dividend of $0.50 per share, what is the simple interest rate on an investment in thei stock? the simple interest rate formula...
  48. O

    Definition of dynamic noise and observational noise in finance

    Hi, i have problems differentiating these two terms. can anyone give some examples of these two terms? Thanks!
  49. C

    Career Options in Economics/Finance: Salary Expectations

    What are the career options if I take economics or finance as my major. How much salary can I expect. Will it be atleast 6 digit.
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