The six reasons why risk management might increase the value of a firm is that it allows corporations to (1) increase their use of debt; (2) maintain their capital budget over time; (3) avoid costs associated with financial distress; (4) utilize their comparative advantages in hedging relative to the hedging ability of individual investors; (5) reduce both the risks and costs of borrowing by using swaps; and (6) reduce the higher taxes that result from fluctuating earnings.