Pass the WGU Courses and Certificates Financial-Management Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

FINRA’s core function is regulating brokerage firms and registered representatives to ensure fair and honest markets. It establishes and enforces rules governing trading practices, licensing, disclosure, and ethical conduct. FINRA also conducts examinations, investigates misconduct, and administers arbitration and mediation between investors and brokers. Unlike the Federal Reserve or FDIC, FINRA does not manage monetary policy or insure deposits. Financial management and regulatory texts consistently describe FINRA as a critical component of U.S. securities market oversight. Option D correctly identifies its primary role.

Opportunity cost represents the return a firm forgoes by investing resources in one use instead of the next best alternative. In inventory management, capital tied up in inventory cannot be used for other value-generating activities such as investing in new projects, paying down debt, or returning cash to shareholders. Financial management emphasizes opportunity cost as a key component of inventory carrying costs, along with storage, insurance, and obsolescence. Ignoring opportunity costs can lead to excessive inventory levels and reduced firm value. Option B correctly identifies this fundamental concept.

Extending credit allows firms to attract customers who are unable or unwilling to pay cash at the time of purchase. In competitive markets, offering favorable credit terms can increase sales volume, improve customer relationships, and enhance market share. While credit sales delay cash inflows and introduce default risk, they can generate higher revenues and profits if managed properly. Financial management texts stress the importance of balancing increased sales against the costs of credit, including collection expenses and bad debt losses. Option C correctly identifies the primary strategic benefit of extending credit in competitive environments.

The Gordon growth model values a stock assuming dividends grow at a constant rate indefinitely. The formula is:

Stock Value = D₁ ÷ (r − g),

where D₁ is the expected dividend next year, r is the required rate of return, and g is the growth rate. Substituting the values:

$2 ÷ (0.10 − 0.05) = $2 ÷ 0.05 = $40.

This model is widely used in valuation for mature companies with stable dividend growth. It highlights the sensitivity of stock value to growth expectations and required returns. Option C correctly applies the Gordon growth model formula.

When sales grow and cost of goods sold (COGS) is assumed to be a spontaneous account, COGS increases proportionally with sales. In the current year, Kretsmart’s gross margin ratio is calculated as Gross Margin ÷ Sales = $55 ÷ $100 =55%, while COGS represents45%of sales.

Sales are projected to grow by 10% per year for two years. Therefore, projected sales for Year 2 are:

$100 × 1.10 × 1.10 =$121.00.

Since COGS remains 45% of sales, projected COGS for Year 2 equals:

$121.00 × 0.45 =$54.45.

Gross margin is then calculated as:

$121.00 − $54.45 =$66.55.

Financial management forecasting techniques commonly use percentage-of-sales assumptions for spontaneous accounts such as COGS, inventory, and receivables. This method allows managers to project future income statements consistently with expected growth. Option B ($66.55) correctly reflects the projected gross margin for Year 2 under these assumptions.

Asset tangibility directly affects a firm’s ability to obtain debt financing because lenders prefer collateral-backed loans. Firms with higher tangible assets face lower borrowing constraints and typically carry higher leverage. This relationship is well documented in capital structure research and financial management textbooks. Tangible assets reduce credit risk and expected losses in default, allowing firms to raise debt more easily and at lower cost. Option B correctly captures this core capital structure relationship.

Voting rights are a defining characteristic of common stock and represent ownership and control in a corporation. Holders of common stock typically have the right to vote on key corporate matters such as electing the board of directors, approving major mergers or acquisitions, and authorizing significant changes to corporate governance. These rights align with the role of shareholders as residual claimants, meaning they receive what is left after all other obligations—such as debt and preferred dividends—are met. Preferred stockholders usually do not have voting rights under normal conditions, as preferred stock is structured to resemble a hybrid between debt and equity, emphasizing fixed dividend payments rather than control. Bondholders and holders of convertible notes are creditors, not owners, and therefore have no voting power in corporate decisions. From a financial management perspective, voting rights are a key factor in ownership structure, agency relationships, and corporate governance. Option D correctly identifies common stock as the security that carries voting rights.

The Gordon growth model estimates the cost of common equity based on dividends, assuming dividends grow at a constant rate indefinitely. While the model is simple and intuitive, its main drawback is that it can only be applied to firms that pay dividends and have stable, predictable growth rates. Many firms—especially young, high-growth, or technology companies—either do not pay dividends or experience volatile growth, making the model inappropriate for them. Additionally, small changes in the growth rate assumption can lead to large changes in estimated equity cost, increasing sensitivity and potential estimation error. Financial management texts emphasize that while the Gordon growth model is useful for mature, dividend-paying firms, it lacks flexibility across industries and life-cycle stages. Option D correctly identifies this key limitation.

A major advantage of the Gordon growth model is that it explicitly incorporates expectations about future dividend growth. By linking the stock’s value to anticipated dividends and their growth rate, the model aligns valuation with investors’ forward-looking expectations rather than solely historical data. This forward-looking nature is consistent with modern financial management principles, which emphasize expected future cash flows as the primary driver of value. Unlike CAPM, which focuses on risk via beta, the Gordon growth model directly reflects dividend policy and growth prospects. For mature firms with stable growth, this provides a practical and intuitive estimate of the cost of equity. Option C correctly identifies this strength of the model.

Effective financial analysis requires context. Analysts must understand not only numerical differences but also the underlying reasons for those differences. Variations in firm size, accounting policies, capital structure, industry positioning, and macroeconomic conditions can significantly affect ratios. By identifying why firms differ and adjusting for external influences such as interest rates, inflation, or economic cycles, analysts gain more meaningful insights into performance and risk. This comparative, contextual approach aligns with best practices in financial statement analysis and avoids misleading conclusions drawn from raw numbers alone. Option D reflects this disciplined analytical process, while the other options oversimplify analysis or ignore critical dimensions of comparability.