Short-term and long-term financing strategies both have their advantages. The advantage of some short-term debt (repayable within one year of the balance sheet date) is that it often does not require interest payments to creditors. For example, accounts payable may not require payment of interest if they are paid within the first 30 days they are outstanding. Short-term debt also has its disadvantages; payment is required within at least one year, and often sooner. Interest rates on short-term debt are often higher than on long-term debt. An increase in the proportion of short-term debt is more risky because it must be renewed and therefore renegotiated more frequently.
The advantages of long-term debt are that payment may be made over an extended period of time. Risk may be somewhat reduced through the use of a formal contractual agreement that is often lacking with short-term debt. The disadvantages of long-term debt are that interest payments must be made at specified times and the amounts owing may be secured by assets of the company.
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