The Real World of Finance: 12 Lessons for the 21st Century

In the old, industry-based economy, financial managers concerned themselves with little more than minimizing capital costs and maximizing returns. Today’s CFO, however, not only must act as a financial ambassador between the company, its board of directors, and the investment community, but also must confront radically new takes on bedrock concepts like profitability, working capital, and risk management. With his twelve simple lessons, insider James Sagner turns traditional financial thought on its head and cracks the code to the new economy in The Real World of Finance: 12 Lessons for the 21st Century.

Citing a variety of real-world successes and scandals of Fortune 500 companies, Sagner reveals how outdated financial principles can set dangerous precedents and expose corporations to unnecessary risks. He also shows how these lessons apply to the Enron collapse. He addresses a variety of topics, including:

• Financial responsibilities outside finance
• Noncredit banking services
• Rating agencies
• Investment banking
• The CFO’s focus

Financial managers cannot afford to rely on yesterday’s rules of thumb. With a lively, no-holds-barred style, James Sagner’s The Real World of Finance delivers a practical blueprint for financial success in the twenty-first century.