Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs, Executives and Directors

Overview:

Great entrepreneurs, executives and directors know that when they are talking dollars, they are making sense. When they look at a set of financial statement, they can immediately evaluate performance, identify issues, and probe for insight. Whether they are in the boardroom, a conference, or a meeting for dinner, they are comfortable talking about the numbers to raise money, negotiate deals, or make investment decisions. Financial intelligence gives these senior people their swagger.

This course demonstrates how seasoned executives act and sound like financial experts without dwelling on the details of how one prepares financial reports and analysis. The emphasis of this course is on the users of financial information and serving their needs to make better decisions.

In this course, you will learn to look at financial statements through the eyes of a seasoned executive. You will learn how to probe into issues of performance and identify root cause. You will learn to rise above the preparation aspects of accounting and finance that bog down many new financial professionals and scare most non-financial professionals. The insights will help you negotiate your next financing or make your next investment decision. Regardless of whether you have a financial background or not, you will benefit from taking this course to hone your financial intelligence.

Course Content:

In this course, you will gain knowledge about the following topics:

• The origins of financial systems and why you care
• Read the income statement to evaluate performance
• Assess the balance sheet to facilitate financing strategy
• Evaluate cash flow, notes to the financial statements, and the finance function
• Drill deeper in management accounting and finance

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify the users and their needs
• Recognize the importance of accounting processes, systems, and internal controls
• Analyze financial statements to evaluate performance, financial strength, and cash flow generation
• Evaluate variances and root cause of performance
• Assess costing analysis and decisions of operating leverage
• Make investment decisions and critically analyze forecasts

Who Will Benefit: 

New financial professionals that have yet to develop the skills beyond preparing financial reports and analysis.