Cash Management Course

Lesson 1 • Cash Management in the Business Context

Situates cash management within broader corporate strategy and financial planning. Shows how poor cash management leads to operational failure.

Lesson 2 • What Cash Management Means

Defines cash management and distinguishes it from general accounting. Establishes the vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • The Cash Flow Cycle

Maps the movement of cash through operating, investing, and financing activities. Connects cycle timing to liquidity risk.

Lesson 1 • Data Sources and Assumptions

Identifies reliable internal and external data inputs for forecasting. Teaches how to document and validate key assumptions.

Lesson 2 • Scenario and Sensitivity Analysis

Applies best-case, base-case, and worst-case scenarios to cash forecasts. Prepares students to stress-test liquidity under adverse conditions.

Lesson 3 • Forecast Accuracy and Variance Analysis

Measures forecast performance and diagnoses sources of error. Builds a feedback loop that continuously improves forecast quality.

Lesson 4 • Building a Direct Cash Forecast

Walks through constructing a daily or weekly cash receipt and disbursement schedule. Reinforces the direct method introduced in the previous section.

Lesson 1 • Types of Bank Accounts

Distinguishes operating, concentration, disbursement, and zero-balance accounts by function. Provides the structural vocabulary for account design.

Lesson 2 • Managing the Banking Relationship

Covers bank selection criteria, service agreements, and ongoing relationship management. Equips students to negotiate fees and service levels effectively.

Lesson 3 • Cash Concentration Techniques

Explains physical and notional pooling methods for consolidating balances. Shows how concentration reduces idle cash and borrowing costs.

Lesson 4 • Account Structure Design

Guides the design of a multi-entity or multi-location account hierarchy. Connects structure to cash visibility and control objectives.

Lesson 1 • Receivables Financing Options

Surveys factoring, invoice discounting, and supply chain finance as tools to convert receivables to immediate cash. Evaluates cost-benefit trade-offs.

Lesson 2 • The Order-to-Cash Cycle

Traces cash flow from customer order through final receipt. Identifies bottlenecks that delay cash collection.

Lesson 3 • Payment Channels and Lockbox Services

Compares electronic and paper payment channels for speed and cost. Introduces lockbox services as a tool to accelerate deposit availability.

Lesson 4 • Collections Strategies and Processes

Presents proactive and reactive collection tactics for different customer segments. Reduces days sales outstanding through structured follow-up.

Lesson 1 • Payment Terms Optimization

Analyzes how extending or standardizing payment terms affects working capital. Teaches negotiation tactics for favorable supplier terms.

Lesson 2 • The Procure-to-Pay Cycle

Maps the full procure-to-pay process and its cash flow implications. Identifies where delays and errors inflate disbursement costs.

Lesson 3 • Supplier Relationship and Payment Strategy

Balances cash conservation with supplier satisfaction and supply chain stability. Develops a tiered payment strategy based on supplier criticality.

Lesson 4 • Payroll Cash Management

Addresses the unique timing and volume characteristics of payroll disbursements. Integrates payroll funding into the overall cash forecast.

Lesson 1 • Monitoring and Reporting Investments

Establishes daily and periodic reporting routines for the investment portfolio. Connects portfolio performance to the overall cash position report.

Lesson 2 • Portfolio Construction and Laddering

Applies maturity laddering to balance yield and liquidity across the investment portfolio. Reduces reinvestment risk through diversified maturities.

Lesson 3 • Short-Term Investment Instruments

Surveys money market funds, treasury bills, commercial paper, and repos as investment vehicles. Compares yield, safety, and liquidity for each.

Lesson 4 • Liquidity Policy and Target Balances

Establishes the framework for setting minimum cash reserves and target operating balances. Links policy to risk tolerance and operational needs.

Lesson 1 • Audit, Compliance, and Regulatory Oversight

Prepares cash managers for internal and external audits and regulatory examinations. Covers documentation, evidence, and remediation of findings.

Lesson 2 • Fraud Risks in Cash Management

Catalogs common cash fraud schemes including check fraud, ACH fraud, and internal theft. Teaches detection and prevention for each scheme type.

Lesson 3 • Internal Control Framework for Cash

Applies a standard internal control framework to cash-specific risks. Establishes the control environment as the foundation for all cash safeguards.

Lesson 4 • Operational Risk and Business Continuity

Identifies operational risks that disrupt cash processing and develops continuity plans. Ensures cash operations survive system failures and disasters.

Lesson 1 • Global and Multicurrency Cash Management

Extends cash management principles to multinational operations with multiple currencies. Addresses cross-border pooling, repatriation, and currency risk basics.

Lesson 2 • Working Capital Optimization Strategy

Synthesizes receivables, payables, and inventory management into a unified working capital strategy. Quantifies the cash impact of optimization initiatives.

Lesson 3 • Performance Measurement and Reporting

Establishes KPIs and dashboards that measure treasury effectiveness and communicate results to leadership. Drives continuous improvement through data.

Lesson 4 • Treasury Policy Framework

Defines the scope, objectives, and governance structure of a formal treasury policy. Connects policy to board-level risk appetite and financial strategy.

Lesson 5 • Cash Management in Mergers and Acquisitions

Addresses cash due diligence, integration planning, and treasury consolidation in M&A transactions. Prepares students for the complexity of combining cash operations.