1. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
a. Perhaps the most important step when developing forecasted financial statements is to determine the breakdown of common equity between common stock and retained earnings.
b. The first, and perhaps the most critical, step in forecasting financial requirements is to forecast future sales.
c. Forecasted financial statements, as discussed in the text, are used primarily as a part of the managerial compensation program, where management’s historical performance is evaluated.
d. The capital intensity ratio gives us an idea of the physical condition of the firm’s fixed assets.
e. The AFN equation produces more accurate forecasts than the forecasted financial statement method, especially if fixed assets are lumpy, economies of scale exist, or if excess capacity exists.

In both the AFN and the FFS method, the first step is involving the forecasting of sales.

2. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
a. The sustainable growth rate is the maximum achievable growth rate without the firm having to raise external funds. In other words, it is the growth rate at which the firm's AFN equals zero.
b. If a firm’s assets are growing at a positive rate, but its retained earnings are not increasing, then it would be impossible for the firm’s AFN to be negative.
c. If a firm increases its dividend payout ratio in anticipation of higher earnings, but sales and earnings actually decrease, then the firm’s actual AFN must, mathematically, exceed the previously calculated AFN.
d. Higher sales usually require higher asset levels, and this leads to what we call AFN. However, the AFN will be zero if the firm chooses to retain all of its profits, i.e., to have a zero dividend payout ratio.
e. Dividend policy does not affect the requirement for external funds based on the AFN equation.

The equation for AFN is