Corporate Finance Explained: Understanding Capital Structure – Balancing Debt and Equity

Debt vs. Equity: How Companies Make Capital Structure DecisionsHow do companies decide between debt and equity financing? Every corporate finance professional needs to understand capital structure—the mix of debt and equity that funds a company's growth, operations, and strategic moves. In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down the key concepts, trade-offs, and real-world examples of how companies optimize their capital structure.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The fundamentals of capital structure – How companies balance debt and equity financing.Debt vs. Equity: Pros and Cons – The trade-offs and risks of different financing methods.How major companies optimize capital structure:Apple’s debt strategy – Why a cash-rich company still issues corporate bonds.Amazon’s $13.7B Whole Foods acquisition – Using debt instead of equity to fund growth.Tesla’s evolving capital structure – From equity-funded expansion to leveraging debt.Airbnb’s pandemic survival strategy – Choosing debt financing to avoid investor dilution.Key theories behind capital structure – Exploring Pecking Order Theory, Modigliani-Miller Theorem, and the search for an optimal balance.Who Should Listen?Corporate finance professionals managing capital structure decisionsFP&A analysts looking to deepen their understanding of financing strategiesCFOs and investment professionals who advise on corporate funding and debt management