Skip to main content

Looking for Valuant? You are in the right place!

Valuant is now Abrigo, giving you a single source to Manage Risk and Drive Growth

Make yourself at home – we hope you enjoy your new web experience.

Looking for DiCOM? You are in the right place!

DiCOM Software is now part of Abrigo, giving you a single source to Manage Risk and Drive Growth. Make yourself at home – we hope you enjoy your new web experience.

Calculating living expenses in a global cash flow analysis

Sageworks
April 20, 2013
Read Time: 0 min

Sageworks recently hosted a webinar, Global Cash Flow Analysis: What, When, Why, and How, which featured David Matricciano, owner of DM Analytics LLC, and Chuck Nwokocha, director of advisory services at Sageworks. They discussed best practices, adjusting for double counting, and inconsistencies with spreadsheet-based programs. During the presentation, several questions were asked by attendees. In this post, Nwokocha answers questions about calculating living expenses in a global cash flow analysis.

Q: What is the best and most supportable way to calculate living expenses?

A: The most supportable way is to be consistent.  Some institutions utilize a base formula, starting with a floor and a ceiling. For example, assume a floor of $12,000 for basic expenses of $1,000 per month for two people. If the borrower has a mortgage, the amount would be added on top of this. If they do not, rent payments are added based on averages for the area. Additionally, a specified amount, generally $2,000 to $5,000 is added for each additional family member. In this example, an annual calculation of living expenses for a family of four would look like this: $12,000 + $5,000 + $5,000 = $22,000 (plus any rent/mortgage payments). Other institutions use a flat amount, such as $25,000. Regardless of the method, it is important to be consistent.

Q: What percentage of living expenses should be used if the borrower has no reported wages on their tax return?

A: Some institutions use a percent of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) to calculate the living expenses, which generally ranges from 8% to 18%.  However, it is important to figure out the assumptions that are included in the cost of living expenses. For example, does it include rent or mortgage payments and car notes? Also, it is important to check that the AGI includes any income in addition to wages, such as social security, capital gains, pensions, real estate, and business income. This is especially important when the borrower has reported little or no wages.

For more information on global cash flow analysis, a recording of the webinar presentation and slides are available here.

Sageworks, a financial information company that provides risk management solutions to financial institutions, hosts webinars in its monthly 2013 webinar series. These free, educational webinars are led by banking industry experts who bring unique market intelligence, insights and best practices to our financial institution clientele. Access archived webinar recordings and sign up for future webinars here.

About the Author

Sageworks

Raleigh, N.C.-based Sageworks, a leading provider of lending, credit risk, and portfolio risk software that enables banks and credit unions to efficiently grow and improve the borrower experience, was founded in 1998. Using its platform, Sageworks analyzed over 11.5 million loans, aggregated the corresponding loan data, and created the largest

Full Bio

About Abrigo

Abrigo enables U.S. financial institutions to support their communities through technology that fights financial crime, grows loans and deposits, and optimizes risk. Abrigo's platform centralizes the institution's data, creates a digital user experience, ensures compliance, and delivers efficiency for scale and profitable growth.

Make Big Things Happen.