Sources of Finance-Retained Profit

by Paul Taylor
(Canada)

This is a source of finance that would only be available to a business that was already in existence. Profits from a business can be used by the owners for their own personal use (shareholders in plcs receive a share of the company profits in the form of a dividend - usually expressed as Xp per share) or can be used to put back into the business. This is often called 'ploughing back the profits'.


The owners of a business will have to decide what the best option for their particular business is. In the early stages of business growth, it may be necessary to put back a lot of the profits into the business. This finance can be used to buy new equipment and machinery as well as more stock or raw materials and hopefully make the business more efficient and profitable in the future