Water Solutions: Financial Planning 101 - July 2023

Water Solutions - Financial Planning 101

Speaker: Dawn Lund, Utility Financial Solutions

Gain confidence in your ability to understand and communicate the financial position of your utility through financial statement analysis.  Understand the content and purpose of the balance sheet, income and cash flow statements and how the information can be used to paint a picture of the utility’s financial position.   Learn how the trial balance is used to create these important documents, as well as prepare a long-term financial forecast.  Understand the information needed in a forecast including how grants and financing are incorporated in the projection to help fund your asset management plan.  Understand key financial terms and targets such as debt to equity ratio, age of system, minimum cash reservice, debt coverage ratio and how they can be used for decisions regarding the utility’s long-term financial sustainability. 

 Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to successfully:

 Identify the purpose of the three financial statements

1. Outline information used in a long-term financial projection
2. Understand the importance of key financial targets and how they work together
3. Develop best practices for overall long-term financial sustainability