Finance is the comprehensive study and practice of how individuals and organizations acquire, manage, and allocate monetary resources over time, while actively assessing and managing the inherent risks involved. It delves into fundamental concepts such as capital, debt, interest rates, and the time value of money, encompassing various asset types like real estate, securities, and commodities. The field utilizes sophisticated tools like arbitrage, hedging, and modern portfolio theory for investment and risk management, including metrics like Value at Risk. Historically, finance has been shaped by pivotal events, from the 17th-century Tulip Mania to the 1929 Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression, and the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting its dynamic and often volatile nature. Spanning areas like accounting, banking, and corporate finance, it provides crucial frameworks for funding, investment, and capital structure decisions vital for economic growth and stability.