Capital structure planning is very important to survive the business in long run.

After simple watching the balance sheet of company, you see two sides of balance sheet. One side is liability side and other side is asset side. Liability side is the mixture of finance of company which company has collected from internal and external sources and it has been used or will be used for development of company. Liability side of balance sheet is made under perfect capital structure planning. Finance manager and other promoters decides which source of fund or funds should be selected after monitoring the factors affecting capital structures. So, capital structure planning makes strong balance sheet. The right capital structure planning also increases the power of company to face the losses and changes in financial markets. Following points shows the importance of capital structure and its planning.

1. To reduce the overall risk of company When we make capital structure before actual getting money from money supplier, we can do many adjustments for reducing our overall risk. Suppose, we have made capital structure in which we add three sources of fund, one is equity share, and other is debenture and last is pref. shares. Because we know that we have to pay debt at its maturity at any cost and its interest at fixed rate. So, we try to get minimum debt in new business because in new business our rate of return will be less than rate of interest and for getting more loan means taking high risk of return more amount of interest even there is no profit.

But, if our business will be succeeded, at that time, we can increase estimated amount of debt by just changing the value of debt in capital structure (written just for planning) inexcel sheet. We can easily pay the interest because our ROI is very high. At that, time company can enjoy the trading on equity. But finance manager should also careful watch whether shareholders are more expected regarding dividend or not. Because high expectation will also against the development of our company. 2. To do adjustment according to Business Environment Company also adjusts different sources expected amount according to business environment. Suppose in future, if government of India cuts off his relation with China, from where our company is getting fund, it will definitely tough for us to get more money from China. But proper planning of capital structure of future sources will be helpful for us to enlarge our area for getting money. In finance, it is called maneuverability. It means to create mobility of sources of fund by including maximum alternatives in planned capital structure. Suppose, if RBI increases the interest rate, it means your cost for getting debt will be high, at that time, you can choose any other cheap source of fund. 3. Idea generation of new source of fund Good planning of capital structure will make versatile to finance manager for getting money from new sources. If you have studied Wikipedias page of venture capital orprivate equity sources, you would precisely understand that how finance managers of company are generating new and new idea for getting money from public at low risk. Promoters or managers do 10 minutes meeting with investors and motivate them by showing the special event which they have made in PPT.

You often hear corporate officers, professional investors, and analysts discuss a company's capital structure. You may not know what a capital structure is or why you should even concern yourself with it, but the concept is extremely important because it can influence not only the return a company earns for its shareholders, but whether or not a firm survives in arecession or depression. Sit back, relax, and prepare to learn everything you ever wanted to know about your investments and the capital structure of the companies in your portfolio! Capital Structure - What It Is and Why It Matters The term capital structure refers to the percentage of capital (money) at work in a business by type. Broadly speaking, there are two forms of capital: equity

capital and debt capital. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks and a substantial part of wise corporate stewardship and management is attempting to find the perfect capital structure in terms of risk / reward payoff for shareholders. This is true for Fortune 500 companies and for small business owners trying to determine how much of their startup money should come from a bank loan without endangering the business. Let's look at each in detail:

Equity Capital: This refers to money put up and owned by the shareholders (owners). Typically, equity capital consists of two types: 1.) contributed capital, which is the money that was originally invested in the business in exchange for shares of stock or ownership and 2.) retained earnings, which represents profits from past years that have been kept by the company and used to strengthen thebalance sheet or fund growth, acquisitions, or expansion. Many consider equity capital to be the most expensive type of capital a company can utilize because its "cost" is the return the firm must earn to attract investment. A speculative mining company that is looking for silver in a remote region of Africa may require a much higher return on equity to get investors to purchase the stock than a firm such as Procter & Gamble, which sells everything from toothpaste and shampoo to detergent and beauty products. Debt Capital: The debt capital in a company's capital structure refers to borrowed money that is at work in the business. The safest type is generally considered long-term bondsbecause the company has years, if not decades, to come up with the principal, while paying interest only in the meantime. Other types of debt capital can include short-term commercial paper utilized by giants such as Wal-Mart and General Electric that amount to billions of dollars in 24-hour loans from the capital markets to meet day-to-day working capital requirements such as payroll and utility bills. The cost of debt capital in the capital structure depends on the health of the company's balance sheet a triple AAA rated firm is going to be able to borrow at extremely low rates versus a speculative company with tons of debt, which may have to pay 15% or more in exchange for debt capital. Other Forms of Capital: There are actually other forms of capital, such as vendor financing where a company can sell goods before they have to pay the bill to the vendor, that can drastically increase return on equity but don't cost the company anything. This was one of the secrets to Sam Walton's success at Wal-Mart. He was often able to sell Tide detergent before having to pay the bill to Procter & Gamble, in effect, using PG's money to grow his retailer. In the case of an insurance company, the policyholder "float" represents money that doesn't belong to the firm but that it gets to use and earn an investment on until it has to pay it out for accidents or medical bills, in the

case of an auto insurer. The cost of other forms of capital in the capital structure varies greatly on a case-by-case basis and often comes down to the talent and discipline of managers. Seeking the Optimal Capital Structure Many middle class individuals believe that the goal in life is to be debt-free (see Should I Pay Off My Debt Or Invest?). When you reach the upper echelons of finance, however, that idea is almost anathema. Many of the most successful companies in the world base their capital structure on one simple consideration: the cost of capital. If you can borrow money at 7% for 30 years in a world of 3% inflation and reinvest it in core operations at 15%, you would be wise to consider at least 40% to 50% in debt capital in your overall capital structure. Of course, how much debt you take on comes down to how secure the revenues your business generates are - if you sell an indispensable product that people simply must have, the debt will be much lower risk than if you operate a theme park in a tourist town at the height of a boom market. Again, this is where managerial talent, experience, and wisdom comes into play. The great managers have a knack for consistently lowering their weighted average cost of capital by increasing productivity, seeking out higher return products, and more. To truly understand the idea of capital structure, you need to take a few moments to readReturn on Equity: The DuPont Model to understand how the capital structure represents one of the three components in determining the rate of return a company will earn on the money its owners have invested in it. Whether you own a doughnut shop or are considering investing in publicly traded stocks, it's knowledge you simply must have.
Definition of 'Capital Structure'
A mix of a company's long-term debt, specific short-term debt, common equity and preferred equity. The capital structure is how a firm finances its overall operations and growth by using different sources of funds. Debt comes in the form of bond issues or long-term notes payable, while equity is classified as common stock, preferred stock or retained earnings. Short-term debt such as working capital

requirements is also considered to be part of the capital structure.

Investopedia explains 'Capital Structure'

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