Chapter
4 
Long-Term Financial 
Planning and Growth 
4-1 
Key Concepts and Skills 
 Understand the financial planning process 
and how decisions are interrelated 
 Be able to develop a financial plan using 
the percentage of sales approach 
 Understand the four major decision areas 
involved in long-term financial planning 
 Understand how capital structure policy 
and dividend policy affect a firms ability to 
grow 
4-2 
Chapter Outline 
 What is Financial Planning? 
 Financial Planning Models: A First Look 
 The Percentage of Sales Approach 
 External Financing and Growth 
 Some Caveats Regarding Financial 
Planning Models 
4-3 
Elements of Financial Planning 
 Investment in new assets  determined by 
capital budgeting decisions 
 Degree of financial leverage  determined 
by capital structure decisions 
 Cash paid to shareholders  determined by 
dividend policy decisions 
 Liquidity requirements  determined by net 
working capital decisions 
4-4 
Financial Planning Process 
 Planning Horizon - divide decisions into short-run 
decisions (usually next 12 months) and long-run 
decisions (usually 2  5 years) 
 Aggregation - combine capital budgeting 
decisions into one big project 
 Assumptions and Scenarios 
 Make realistic assumptions about important variables 
 Run several scenarios where you vary the 
assumptions by reasonable amounts 
 Determine at least a worst case, normal case and best 
case scenario 
4-5 
Role of Financial Planning 
 Examine interactions  help management see 
the interactions between decisions 
 Explore options  give management a systematic 
framework for exploring its opportunities 
 Avoid surprises  help management identify 
possible outcomes and plan accordingly 
 Ensure feasibility and internal consistency  help 
management determine if goals can be 
accomplished and if the various stated (and 
unstated) goals of the firm are consistent with 
one another 
4-6 
Financial Planning Model 
Ingredients 
 Sales Forecast  many cash flows depend directly on the 
level of sales (often estimated sales growth rate) 
 Pro Forma Statements  setting up the plan as projected 
financial statements allows for consistency and ease of 
interpretation 
 Asset Requirements  the additional assets that will be 
required to meet sales projections 
 Financial Requirements  the amount of financing 
needed to pay for the required assets 
 Plug Variable  determined by management decisions 
about what type of financing will be used (makes the 
balance sheet balance) 
 Economic Assumptions  explicit assumptions about the 
coming economic environment 
4-7 
Example: Historical Financial 
Statements 
Gourmet Coffee Inc. 
Balance Sheet 
December 31, 2004 
Assets  1000  Debt  400 
Equity  600 
Total  1000  Total  1000 
Gourmet Coffee Inc. 
Income Statement 
For Year Ended 
December 31, 2004 
Revenues  2000 
Costs  1600 
Net Income  400 
4-8 
Example: Pro Forma Income 
Statement 
 Initial Assumptions 
 Revenues will grow at 
15%  (2000*1.15) 
 All items are tied 
directly to sales and 
the current 
relationships are 
optimal 
 Consequently, all other 
items will also grow at 
15% 
Gourmet Coffee Inc. 
Pro Forma Income 
Statement 
For Year Ended 2005 
Revenues  2,300 
Costs  1,840 
Net Income  460 
4-9 
Example: Pro Forma Balance 
Sheet 
 Case I 
 Dividends are the plug 
variable, so equity 
increases at 15% 
 Dividends = 460 NI  90 
increase in equity = 370 
 Case II 
 Debt is the plug variable 
and no dividends are paid 
 Debt = 1,150  (600+460) = 
90 
 Repay 400  90 = 310 in 
debt 
 
Gourmet Coffee Inc. 
Pro Forma Balance Sheet 
Case 1 
Assets  1,150  Debt  460 
Equity  690 
Total  1,150  Total  1,150 
Gourmet Coffee Inc. 
Pro Forma Balance Sheet 
Case 1 
Assets  1,150  Debt  90 
Equity  1,060 
Total  1,150  Total  1,150 
4-10 
Percent of Sales Approach 
 Some items vary directly with sales, while others do not 
 Income Statement 
 Costs may vary directly with sales - if this is the case, then the 
profit margin is constant 
 Depreciation and interest expense may not vary directly with 
sales  if this is the case, then the profit margin is not constant 
 Dividends are a management decision and generally do not vary 
directly with sales  this affects additions to retained earnings 
 Balance Sheet 
 Initially assume all assets, including fixed, vary directly with sales 
 Accounts payable will also normally vary directly with sales 
 Notes payable, long-term debt and equity generally do not 
because they depend on management decisions about capital 
structure 
 The change in the retained earnings portion of equity will come 
from the dividend decision 
4-11 
Example: Income Statement 
Tashas Toy Emporium 
Income Statement, 2004 
% of 
Sales 
Sales  5,000 
Costs  3,000  60% 
EBT  2,000  40% 
Taxes 
(40%) 
800  16% 
Net Income  1,200  24% 
Dividends  600 
Add. To RE  600 
Tashas Toy Emporium 
Pro Forma Income Statement, 
2005 
Sales  5,500 
Costs  3,300 
EBT  2,200 
Taxes  880 
Net Income  1,320 
Dividends  660 
Add. To RE  660 
Assume Sales grow at 10% 
Dividend Payout Rate = 50% 
4-12 
Example: Balance Sheet 
Tashas Toy Emporium  Balance Sheet 
Current  % of 
Sales 
Pro 
Forma 
Current  % of 
Sales 
Pro 
Forma 
ASSETS  Liabilities & Owners Equity 
Current Assets  Current Liabilities 
  Cash  $500  10%  $550    A/P  $900  18%  $990 
  A/R  2,000  40  2,200  N/P  2,500  n/a  2,500 
  Inventory  3,000  60  3,300      Total  3,400  n/a  3,490 
    Total  5,500  110  6,050  LT Debt  2,000  n/a  2,000 
Fixed Assets  Owners Equity 
  Net PP&E  4,000  80  4,400    CS & APIC  2,000  n/a  2,000 
Total Assets  9,500  190  10,450    RE  2,100  n/a  2,760 
    Total  4,100  n/a  4,760 
Total L & OE  9,500  10,250 
4-13 
Example: External Financing 
Needed 
 The firm needs to come up with an 
additional $200 in debt or equity to make 
the balance sheet balance 
 TA  TL&OE = 10,450  10,250 = 200 
 Choose plug variable 
 Borrow more short-term (Notes Payable) 
 Borrow more long-term (LT Debt) 
 Sell more common stock (CS & APIC) 
 Decrease dividend payout, which increases 
the Additions To Retained Earnings 
4-14 
Example: Operating at Less than 
Full Capacity 
 Suppose that the company is currently operating at 80% 
capacity. 
 Full Capacity sales = 5000 / .8 = 6,250 
 Estimated sales = $5,500, so would still only be operating at 88% 
 Therefore, no additional fixed assets would be required. 
 Pro forma Total Assets = 6,050 + 4,000 = 10,050 
 Total Liabilities and Owners Equity = 10,250 
 Choose plug variable 
 Repay some short-term debt (decrease Notes Payable) 
 Repay some long-term debt (decrease LT Debt) 
 Buy back stock (decrease CS & APIC)  
 Pay more in dividends (reduce Additions To Retained Earnings) 
 Increase cash account 
4-15 
Work the Web Example 
 Looking for estimates of company growth 
rates? 
 What do the analysts have to say? 
 Check out Yahoo Finance  click the web 
surfer, enter a company ticker and follow 
the Analyst Estimates link 
4-16 
Growth and External Financing 
 At low growth levels, internal financing 
(retained earnings) may exceed the 
required investment in assets 
 As the growth rate increases, the internal 
financing will not be enough and the firm 
will have to go to the capital markets for 
money 
 Examining the relationship between growth 
and external financing required is a useful 
tool in long-range planning 
4-17 
The Internal Growth Rate 
 The internal growth rate tells us how much 
the firm can grow assets using retained 
earnings as the only source of financing. 
 Using the information from Tashas Toy 
Emporium 
 ROA = 1200 / 9500 = .1263 
 B = .5 
 
% 74 . 6
0674 .
5 . 1263 . 1
5 . 1263 .
b ROA - 1
b ROA
  Rate Growth  Internal
4-18 
The Sustainable Growth Rate 
 The sustainable growth rate tells us how 
much the firm can grow by using internally 
generated funds and issuing debt to  
maintain a constant debt ratio. 
 Using Tashas Toy Emporium 
 ROE = 1200 / 4100 = .2927 
 b = .5 
% 14 . 17
1714 .
5 . 2927 . 1
5 . 2927 .
b ROE - 1
b ROE
  Rate Growth    e Sustainabl
4-19 
Determinants of Growth 
 Profit margin  operating efficiency 
 Total asset turnover  asset use efficiency 
 Financial leverage  choice of optimal debt 
ratio 
 Dividend policy  choice of how much to 
pay to shareholders versus reinvesting in 
the firm 
4-20 
Important Questions 
 It is important to remember that we are 
working with accounting numbers and ask 
ourselves some important questions as we 
go through the planning process 
 How does our plan affect the timing and risk of 
our cash flows? 
 Does the plan point out inconsistencies in our 
goals? 
 If we follow this plan, will we maximize owners 
wealth? 
4-21 
Quick Quiz 
 What is the purpose of long-range planning? 
 What are the major decision areas involved in 
developing a plan? 
 What is the percentage of sales approach? 
 How do you adjust the model when operating 
at less than full capacity? 
 What is the internal growth rate? 
 What is the sustainable growth rate? 
 What are the major determinants of growth?