To survive today's economy and thrive into the future, finance execs will need to "future-proof" their finance function, says Margaret Yao, managing director with JPMorgan's liquidity solutions area. Yao has four suggestions for enhancing a company's liquidity management structure to improve its working capital.

Earlier this month, FASB Staff Position FAS 115-2, Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments, went into effect. FAS 115-2 changes the way in which other-than-temporary impairments, or OTTI, are evaluated and accounted for. The change really centers on "the presumption regarding the intent and ability of the organization to hold the security," according to a June 2009 Insurance Research Note from Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The new calculations could get complicated, according to Jay Hanson, partner and national director of accounting with McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. Hanson says that while large organizations should have the resources to complete all the necessary number-crunching, smaller firms are likely to struggle.

In the hope of setting their cash free, companies are exploring real estate deals.

Even in downturns, some sectors do well. Not surprisingly, the asset-based lending world is often among them, as companies look for alternatives to scarce bank debt. Asset-based lending grew 8 percent in 2008 to nearly $600 billion in loans outstanding, the Commercial Finance Association (CFA) reports.

How likely is a shift to a global reserve currency (a reserve currency is maintained by central banks so that they can invest in and trade with other countries, and manage the value of their own currency)? At this point, not very, says Jason Hsu, an assistant professor of finance at UCLA's Anderson School of Management and Managing Director of Research and Investment Management at Research Affiliates. "The world doesn't move that quickly," he says. "There are too many moving parts that would need to fall into place for that to be reality."

CFOs and treasurers are taking a few concrete steps to help their companies survive the downturn, according to Jim Graves, senior vice president with Key Bank. He has noticed several themes consistently emerge in conversations with clients over recent months: financial executives are putting heightened emphasis on credit quality, taking a greater interest in card programs, paying greater attention to discounts, renewing their commitment to supplier relationships, and renewing interest in cash management services.

In April, the European Union approved several new regulations governing the activities of credit rating agencies there. Among other changes, the agencies can no longer provide advisory services, must disclose the models and methodologies they use, and must have at least two directors on their boards whose compensation isn't tied to the agency's business performance. That prompts the question, should the U.S. adopt similar rules?

If you've been focusing more on your firm's investment policies, you're not alone. The battering investors have taken in the stock market has prompted many institutional investors to examine just where they're placing their money -- more than half the respondents to a recent Greenwich Associates survey have reviewed or changed their policies in the last 12 months in an attempt to cut volatility while boosting predictability.

Over-the-counter instruments, such as forward contracts and options, offer viable ways to hedge a company's risk. The use of options has grown steadily over the past few years for several reasons, says Bob Park, president and CEO with FINCAD, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based developer of financial analytic software. For starters, banks saw a market poised for growth, and went after it. Perhaps more importantly, the ranks of businesses operating internationally continue to grow, and most can use protection against currency fluctuations, in order to gain some control over costs.

Integrated business planning (IBP) can increase your organization's financial return and improve its strategic position. Learn more by reading Ventana Research's report "Integrated Business Planning: Redesigning Planning for a More Dynamic Business Environment" in the BPM Resource Center.