Financial forecasting

Description

The tool used in performing fiscal financial management to identify revenue trends and estimated financial conditions.

Alternative labels

monetary estimating
financial planning
financial calculating
monetary planning
monetary calculating
financial estimating

Skill type

knowledge

Skill reusability level

cross-sector

Relationships with occupations

Essential knowledge

Financial forecasting is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:

Financial planner: Financial planners assist people dealing with various personal financial issues. They are specialised in financial planning, such as retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance planning, and tax planning. They advise a strategy tailored to the client’s needs. They ensure the accuracy of bank and other financial records while maintaining a customer-orientated approach and following ethical standards.
Corporate treasurer: Corporate treasurers determine and oversee the financial strategic policies of a company or organisation. They use cash management techniques like account organisation, cash flow monitoring, liquidity planning and control, risk management including currency and commodity risks and maintain close connection with banks and rating agencies.
Budget manager: Budget managers assess financial proposals of different departments before granting financial resources to projects. They monitor the implementation of budget policies and procedures. They work closely with other departments in the evaluation of programs, their impact in the organisation, the revenue that they can yield, and the financial efforts required.
Investor relations manager: Investor relations managers disseminate the investment strategy of the company and monitor the reactions of the investment community towards it. They use marketing, financial, communications, and security law expertise to ensure transparent communication to the larger community. They respond to inquiries from shareholders and investors in relation to the company’s financial stability, stocks, or corporate policies.
Fiscal affairs policy officer: Fiscal policy officers research, analyse and develop policies related to taxation and government spending in public policy sectors, and implement these policies to improve the existing regulation around the sector. They work closely with partners, external organisations or other stakeholders and provide them with regular updates.  
Business manager: Business managers are responsible for setting the objectives of the business unit of a company, creating a plan for the operations, and facilitating the achievement of the objectives and implementation of the plan together with employees of the segment and stakeholders. They keep an overview of the business, understand detailed information of the business unit and support the department, and make decisions based on the information at hand.
Economic adviser: Economic advisers research economic developments and advise on economic problems. They forecast trends and behaviour in economics, and advise on finance, trade, fiscal and other related matters. They advise companies and organisations on techniques to gain economic profit.
Public finance accountant: Public finance accountants head the treasury department of a governmental institution. They manage the institution’s financial administration, expenditure and income generation, and compliance with taxation and other financial legislation. They perform administrative duties to ensure record keeping, develop plans for budget management and perform financial forecasts.
Financial risk analyst: Financial risk analysts correctly identify and review potential risk areas threatening the assets or capital of organisations. They specialise in either credit, market, operational or regulatory risk analysis. They use statistical analysis to evaluate risk, make recommendations to reduce and control risk and review documentation for legal compliance.
Forecast manager: Forecast managers have a deep understanding of the operations of the company, the inventory levels, production batches, requirements and costs of production per product, and trends in the demand levels. They use all that information in combination with forecasting software in order to define production orders aiming for the most efficient production combinations.
Credit risk analyst: Credit risk analysts manage individual credit risk and care for fraud prevention, business deal analysis, legal documents analysis and recommendations on the level of the risk.
Dividend analyst: Dividend analysts calculate and allocate dividends and interest incomes of a company’s earnings to a category of its shareholders. They assess business systems and processes in order to identify user needs and to deliver appropriate solutions. They also undertake dividend forecasts on amounts and payment schedules and identify potential risks, based on their financial and market price expertise.

Optional knowledge

Financial forecasting is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Accounting manager: Accounting managers assume responsibility for all accounting activities relating to financial reporting. They develop and maintain accounting principles and procedures to ensure timely and accurate financial statements issued, supervise accounting staff and manage the accounting activities within the appropriate time frame and budget.
Credit analyst: Credit analysts investigate credit applications from customers and evaluate if the applications comply with regulations and guidelines of the financial loan-granting institution. On the basis of credit analyses they advise financial institutions whether customers are loan worthy. They perform tasks such as collecting data on the loan applicant, aquire additional information from other departments or institutions and indicating what sort of agreements the financial institution should reach with the credit applicant. Credit analysts also follow up on the development of the credit portfolio of clients.
Branch manager: Branch managers are responsible for the management of all the affairs related with a company in a specific geographic region or business branch. They receive indications from the headquarters, and depending on the structure of the company, they aim to implement the strategy of the company while adapting it to the market where the branch operates. They envision management of employees, communications, marketing efforts, and follow up to results and objectives.
Investment manager: Investment managers administer the portfolio of investments that a company has. They perform close follow up of the investments looking for the most profitable solutions represented in financial products or securities. They analyse behaviour in financial markets, interests rates, and the companies’ position in order to advise on risks and profitability for the client.
Business economics researcher: Business economics researchers conduct research on topics regarding economy, organisations, and strategy. They analyse macroeconomic and microeconomic trends and use this information to analyse the positions of industries or specific companies in the economy. They provide advice regarding strategic planning, product feasibility, forecast trends, emerging markets, taxing policies, and consumer trends.
Commodity broker:
Commodity brokers act as intermediary between buyers and sellers of movable and immovable property such as raw materials, livestock or real estate. They negotiate prices and receive a commission from the transactions. They research market conditions for specific commodities in order to inform their clients. They make bid offers and calculate the cost of transactions.
Financial manager: Financial managers handle all the matters in reference to the finance and investments of a company. They manage financial operations of companies such as the assets, liabilities, equity and cash flow aiming to maintain the financial health of the company and operative viability. Financial managers evaluate the strategic plans of the company in financial terms, maintain transparent financial operations for taxation and auditing bodies, and create the financial statements of the company at the end of the fiscal year.
Financial controller: Financial controllers handle all tasks related to the budgeting and accounting aspects of a company or organisation. They implement and ensure compliance with internal financial and accounting procedures, and prepare documentation for external audits. They collect information related to financial statements such as assets, liabilities, equity, and cash flow in order to assess the company’s financial position to prepare annual budgets and forecasts.
Venture capitalist: Venture capitalists invest in young or small startup companies by providing private funding. They research potential markets and particular product opportunities to help business owners develop or expand a business. They provide business advice, technical expertise, and network contacts based on their experience and activities. They do not assume executive managerial positions within the company, but have a say in its strategic direction.
Cost analyst: Cost analysts prepare regular costs, budgeting analyses and reports in order to contribute to the overall cost planning and forecasting activities of a business. They review and reconcile key balance sheets and identify new opportunities to save costs.
Securities underwriter: Securities underwriters administer the distribution activities of new securities from a business company. They work in close connection with the issuing body of the securities in order to establish the price and buys and sells them to other investors. They receive underwriting fees from their issuing clients.
Medical practice manager: Medical practice managers manage the day-to-day operations of a medical practice. They oversee the staff and business side of the practice.
Financial analyst:
Financial analysts conduct economic research and elicit valuable analyses on financial matters such as profitability, liquidity, solvency, and asset management. They provide recommendations on financial matters for decision-making processes. Financial analysts work in both the public and the private sector.
Investment fund management assistant: Investment fund management assistants provide clients with financial planning advice on financial products and serve as the main contact point for new and old clients. They assist and perform preparatory work in the creation and administration of funds and help with the implementation of fund management decisions made by the portfolio or fund manager.
Department manager: Department managers are responsible for the operations of a certain division or department of a company. They ensure objectives and goals are reached and manage employees.
Economist: Economists perform research and develop theories in the field of economics, whether for microeconomic or macroeconomic analysis. They study trends, analyse statistical data, and to some extent work with economic mathematical models in order to advise companies, governments, and related institutions. They advise on product feasibility, trend forecasts, emerging markets, tax policies, and consumer trends.
Economic development coordinator: Economic development coordinators outline and implement policies for the improvement of a community’s, government’s or institution’s economic growth and stability. They research economic trends and coordinate cooperation between institutions working in economic development. They analyse potential economic risks and conflicts and develop plans to resolve them. Economic development coordinators advise on the economic sustainability of institutions and economic growth.
Central bank governor: Central bank governors set the monetary and regulatory policy, determine interest rates, maintain price stability, control the national money supply and issuance and foreign exchange currency rates and gold reserves. They oversee and control the banking industry.
Resource manager: Resource managers manage resources for all potential and assigned projects. They liaise with the different departments to see that all various resources are met, in a timely manner, and communicate any resourcing issues that may impact scheduled deadlines.
Supply chain manager: Supply chain managers plan, manage and coordinate all activities related to the sourcing and procurement of supplies needed to run manufacturing operations from the acquisition of raw materials to the distribution of finished products. The supplies can be raw materials or finished products, and it can be for internal or external use. Moreover, they plan and commission all the activities needed to be performed in manufacturing plants and adjust operations to changing levels of demand for a company’s products.
Risk manager: Risk managers identify and assess potential threats and risks to a company, and give advice on how to deal with them. They create preventive plans to avoid and reduce risks, and put plans in place for when the company is threatened.
Tax policy analyst: Tax policy analysts research and develop taxation policies and legislation in order to improve and develop tax policies. They advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations, as well as forecast financial influence of changes in tax policies.
Bank treasurer: Bank treasurers oversee all aspects of the financial management of a bank. They manage the liquidity and solvency of the bank. They manage and present current budgets, revise financial forecasts, prepare accounts for audit, manage the bank’s accounts and maintain accurate record-keeping of financial documentation.
Investment analyst: Investment analysts undertake research to make informed recommendations to fund managers. They research investments globally but depending on the nature and field of their employer they can specialise in fields like retail, infrastructure, energy, banking and financial services. They focus on financial and economical information such as the political and economic developments that can impact financial markets, the financial performance of the target companies and use the interpretation of data from different sources to understand how it affects investment decision making.
Investment fund manager: Investment fund managers implement and monitor the investment strategy of a fund. They manage the fund’s portfolio trading activities and supervise the financial, securities, and investment analysts in charge to perform research on the investments and then make buying and selling recommendations. They make decisions on when to buy or sell the assets included in a portfolio. This manager works in a variety of settings such as banks, companies and stockbroking companies; working closely with the investment analyst. This occupation manages strategy and does not always work with relations between shareholders or investors.
Trade development officer: Trade development officers develop and implement trade policies both internally and in international import and export relations. They analyse the domestic and foreign markets in order to promote and establish business operations, and ensure trade proceedings are compliant with legislation and businesses are protected from distortions.
Commodity trader: Commodity traders use negotiation techniques to sell and buy physical goods and raw materials such as gold, cattle, oil, cotton and wheat on the trading floor. They receive and implement purchasing and selling instructions and negotiate the terms of sale and delivery of commodities. Commodity traders do research about market conditions of specific commodities, their price trends and demand in order to inform their employers, they make bid offers and calculate the cost of transactions.
Accountant:
Accountants review and analyse financial statements, budgets, financial reports, and business plans in order to check for irregularities resulting from error or fraud, and provide their clients with financial advice in matters such as financial forecasting and risk analysis. They may audit financial data, resolve insolvency cases, prepare tax returns and provide other tax-related advice in reference to current legislation.
Futures trader: Futures traders undertake daily trading activities in the futures trading market by buying and selling futures contracts. They speculate on the futures contracts’ direction, trying to make a profit by buying futures contracts they foresee to rise in price and sell contracts they foresee to fall in price.

 


 

References

  1. Financial forecasting – ESCO

 

Last updated on September 20, 2022