What are projected cash flows?

Projected cash flows are like planning how much money you’ll have in your piggy bank next month, based on what you put in and take out today.

Imagine you have a lemonade stand. Every day, you get some coins from customers, that’s cash coming in. But you also spend money on lemons and sugar, that’s cash going out.

What's a projection?

A projection is like making a guess about the future based on what you know now. So, projected cash flows are your best guess of how much money you’ll have in your piggy bank next month, or even next year! You use past sales and expenses to help you make that guess.

Why it matters

If you know you'll have more coins coming in than going out, you can plan for a bigger lemonade stand. If not, maybe you need to save up or cut back on sugar. It’s like having a map, it helps you know where you’re headed with your money!

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Examples

  1. A bakery predicts how much money it will make and spend next month to know if it can afford new ovens.
  2. A student estimates their future income and expenses to decide whether to take a loan for college.
  3. A small business owner guesses how many customers they'll have each week to plan their supplies.

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