Meeting minutes are an important record of what took place in a meeting, including items that were discussed, decisions that were made, tasks that were accomplished and delegated and timelines for completion that were set. Ideally, meeting minutes are used by both meeting attendees and those who missed the meeting as a reference for actions that need to be taken. Minutes are also used in future as a resource should someone want to go back and reference a specific time or project. Finance meeting notes need to be especially detailed and specific as they deal with important numbers and statistics. If you are in charge of taking finance committee meeting notes, be sure your notes follow company protocol and adhere to basic guidelines for taking effective and efficient meeting notes.

Note the company name, date and time at the top of the document. Also include any other relevant information, such as specific department or team name or any specific reason the meeting was called.

Record attendees. Attendees for a finance committee meeting typically include a board chairman, board members and staff directly related to company financials, such as an accountant or finance manager. If it is a government finance meeting, the city manager and even the mayor may be present. Additionally, outside companies may be represented at the meeting if there is to be a discussion about a particular project. Make sure to note people's titles. If you need to, pass around an attendance sheet so you make sure to get the correct names of attendees. You can also record the names of attendees who could not be present but may need a copy of the minutes.

If there is an agenda, record your notes by each topic as the topic is discussed. Topics at a finance committee meeting often include budget, particular project financials, revenue or financial statements, future allocations or changes or updates to the budget calendar. Include major points of discussion and sub points in prose or bullet form depending on company protocol. Note who is speaking, any names or numbers that are mentioned, as well as anyone to whom a task is designated and a due date for the task.

Record "Other Business". After the items on the agenda have been covered, create a new section titled Other Business. Here you will make note of any new items that are brought up for discussion. Again, note the speaker, any dates or numbers discussed and any assigned tasks and due dates.

Proofread and address missing information. Before submitting your meeting notes make sure that they are legible and grammatically correct, that there are no typos and that names have been spelled correctly. If there is missing information that you know was discussed, try to locate the missing information. Try to write the minutes as soon after the meeting as possible while you can still recall what was discussed.