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Financial Analysis for Business courseAccounting & Tax Help

Financial Analysis for Business

Practical financial statement analysis, performance measurement, forecasting, and business decision-making

intermediate
1h12 lessons

Enrollment

$197.00

Enroll — $197.00

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About this course

Financial Analysis for Business teaches students how to interpret financial information and use it to make stronger business decisions.

The course moves beyond simply reading financial statements and focuses on understanding what the numbers reveal about profitability, liquidity, cash flow, debt, efficiency, and overall business performance.

Students will learn how to analyze the Profit and Loss statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows, calculate and interpret key financial ratios, identify trends and warning signs, evaluate working capital, understand break-even and contribution margin, compare actual results to budgets and forecasts, and assess the financial impact of business decisions.

Practical business examples are used throughout the course so students can apply financial analysis concepts to realistic situations involving pricing, expenses, debt, growth, cash-flow planning, and profitability.

By the end of the course, students should be able to review financial statements with greater confidence, identify areas of financial strength and weakness, calculate important performance measures, and use financial information to support planning and business decision-making.

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Curriculum

  1. 01

    Lesson 1: Understanding the Profit and Loss Statement

    Learn how to read and interpret a Profit and Loss statement, understand the relationship between revenue, cost of goods sold, gross profit, operating expenses, and net income, and use the report to evaluate business performance and identify financial trends.

    5m
  2. 02

    Lesson 2: Understanding the Balance Sheet

    Learn how to read and interpret a Balance Sheet, understand assets, liabilities, and equity, evaluate liquidity and debt levels, identify financial strengths and warning signs, and use the Balance Sheet to assess the financial position of a business.

    5m
  3. 03

    Lesson 3: Understanding the Statement of Cash Flows

    Learn how to read and interpret the Statement of Cash Flows, understand operating, investing, and financing activities, explain why profit and cash are different, and use cash-flow information to evaluate the financial health and sustainability of a business.

    5m
  4. 04

    Lesson 4: Profitability Ratios and Measuring Business Performance

    Learn how to calculate and interpret key profitability ratios, including gross margin, operating margin, net profit margin, return on assets, and return on equity, and use these measures to evaluate business performance over time.

    5m
  5. 05

    Lesson 5: Liquidity, Working Capital, and Cash Management Ratios

    Learn how to evaluate short-term financial strength using liquidity ratios, working capital, current ratio, quick ratio, cash ratio, receivable and payable measures, and cash management indicators that help determine whether a business can meet its near-term obligations.

    5m
  6. 06

    Lesson 6: Debt, Leverage, and Financial Risk Ratios

    Learn how to evaluate business debt, financial leverage, and repayment risk using ratios such as debt-to-equity, debt-to-assets, interest coverage, and debt service measures, and understand how borrowing can affect profitability, cash flow, and long-term financial stability.

    5m
  7. 07

    Lesson 7: Horizontal, Vertical, and Trend Analysis

    Learn how to analyze financial statements over time using horizontal analysis, vertical analysis, and trend analysis so that changes in revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, profitability, and financial structure can be identified, compared, and interpreted for better business decision-making.

    5m
  8. 08

    Lesson 8: Break-Even Analysis and Contribution Margin

    Learn how to calculate and interpret contribution margin, contribution margin ratio, break-even point, margin of safety, and target-profit sales, and use these tools to evaluate pricing, cost structure, and the financial impact of business decisions.

    5m
  9. 09

    Lesson 9: Using Financial Data for Pricing and Business Decisions

    Learn how to use financial data to support pricing, product and service decisions, hiring, outsourcing, expansion, cost control, and other business choices by focusing on relevant costs, contribution margin, profitability, capacity, cash flow, and risk.

    5m
  10. 10

    Lesson 10: Budgeting and Comparing Actual Results to Plan

    Learn how to build and analyze business budgets, compare actual financial results with planned amounts, calculate and interpret budget variances, identify the reasons performance differs from expectations, and use budget-to-actual analysis to improve financial decision-making.

    5m
  11. 11

    Lesson 11: Cash-Flow Forecasting and Financial Projections

    Learn how to build and interpret cash-flow forecasts and financial projections, estimate future receipts and payments, identify potential cash shortages, test different business scenarios, and use projected financial information to support planning, financing, and growth decisions.

    5m
  12. 12

    Lesson 12: Comprehensive Business Financial Analysis and Decision-Making

    Apply the financial analysis concepts from the course to a complete business case involving profitability, liquidity, cash flow, leverage, budgeting, forecasting, break-even analysis, and management decision-making.

    5m