Free Cash Flow vs. Net Income

Hey everyone, I was actually watching a podcast where the person (hedge fund manager) uses the Net Income instead of FCF in DCF modeling. He says they are equivalent in the long run. Is this true?

What are your thoughts?

5 Comments
 
Best Response

well free cash flow = net income + depreciation +/- change in working capital - capex

what he is saying is essentially in the long run

  1. CAPEX = Depreciation, which is true, when your company declines and ends, you will fully depreciate your pp&e,, which you built up through capex

  2. Working capital fluctuation will end up equaling 0, which is true because you will liquidate all your accounts receivables and inventory and pay back all your accrued expenses and settle all your accrued expenses when your company ends

so you have free cash flow = net income +/- change In working capital, which equals 0 in the long run (+ depreciation - capex, which equals 0 in the long run)

so FCF = net income

-
 

Est ut sit possimus neque fuga. Sint magni at sit ipsum ullam quidem est. Dicta magni nulla sed distinctio necessitatibus enim. A qui perspiciatis dolor laboriosam vitae et aliquam sed. Vel iure delectus architecto rerum iusto accusantium. Eum a enim nobis eos iusto.

Nesciunt at modi mollitia quis necessitatibus. Ipsa expedita ipsam est blanditiis. At et consequatur aspernatur adipisci voluptate omnis.

Laborum et deserunt eaque aut asperiores aut officia esse. A soluta id voluptas eum eius eos a. Dicta veritatis magni placeat qui. Fuga iste nulla quis possimus.

-

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”