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Finance for Non-Finance Professionals

Approx. 14 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Learn the fundamentals of finance, including financial statements, cash flow analysis, and financial planning, in this course designed for non-finance professionals.

Key Learning Points

Learn how to read and analyze financial statements
Understand cash flow analysis and forecasting
Create and manage a budget
Learn about financial planning for retirement
Understand the basics of investing

Learning Outcomes

Read and analyze financial statements
Create and manage a budget
Understand basic investing principles

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic understanding of math and accounting
Access to a computer and internet connection

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online, self-paced
Video lectures
Quizzes and assignments

Similar Courses

Financial Markets
Introduction to Corporate Finance
Financial Modeling and Valuation

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Notable People in This Field

Financial Expert
Personal Finance Expert

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Description

This short course surveys all the major topics covered in a full semester MBA level finance course, but with a more intuitive approach on a very high conceptual level. The goal here is give you a roadmap and framework for how financial professional make decisions.

We will cover the basics of financial valuation, the time value of money, compounding returns, and discounting the future. You will understand discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation and how it compares to other methods. We also step inside the mind of a corporate financial manager and develop the basic tools of capital budgeting. We will survey the how, when, and where to spend money, make tradeoffs about investment, growth, dividends, and how to ensure sound fiscal discipline. Our journey then turns to a Wall Street or capital markets perspective of investments as we discuss the fundamental tradeoff between risk and return. We then synthesize our discussion of risk with our valuation framework and incorporate it into series of direct applications to practice. This course requires no prior familiarity with finance. Rather, it is intended to be a first step for anyone who is curious about understanding stock markets, valuation, or corporate finance. We will walk through all of the tools and quantitative analysis together and develop a guide for understanding the seemingly complex decisions that finance professionals make. By the end of the course, you will develop an understanding of the major conceptual levers that push and pull on financial decision making and how they relate to other areas of business. The course should also serve as a roadmap for where to further your finance education and it would be an excellent introduction of any students contemplating an MBA or Finance concentration, but who has little background in the area.

Outline

Course Overview and Basic Principles of Financial Valuation Discounting
Course Trailer
Course Overview & Demonstration
Week 1 Overview
Human Nature and the Time Value of Money
Compounding and Earning Returns Over Time
Basic Principals of Valuation and Discounting
Discounting Future Cash Back to the Present
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) as the Basis for All Valuation
DCF Practical Example
Valuation by Comparables
Examples and Applications: Bonds
Examples and Applications: Mortgages
Examples and Applications: Annuities
Examples and Applications: Capstone Example
Conversations with a Practitioner
General Course Information
Discussion Forum Guidelines
Pre-Course Survey
Homework Assignment
Week 1 Quiz

How to Spend Money (Capital Budgeting tools)
Week 2 Overview
Overview of the Capital Budgeting Process
Net Present Value (NPV)
Payback Period
Accounting Ratios
Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
Wrinkles with IRR
Using All the Metrics Together
Sensitivity Analysis
Spreadsheet Modeling
Conversations with a Practitioner
Real World Application: A Refresher on Net Present Value
Homework Assignment
Week 2 Quiz

Measuring Cash Creation and Flow
Week 3 Overview
Brief Overview of the Financial Statements
Hunting for Cash Creation
Working Capital Adjustments
Depreciation and Capital Expenditures
Salvage and Terminal Values
Taxes
Calculating Free Cash Flow
Using Capital Budgeting Tools
Conversations with a Practitioner
Real World Application: Obama Administration Releases Report Outlining Benefits of Expensing Proposal in Encouraging Business Expansion, Hiring Now
Homework Assignment
Week 3 Quiz

How Much Does Money Cost? Evaluating the Cost of Capital
Week 4 Overview
Debt vs. Equity Financing
Risk Free Rate
Historical Risk and Return
The Equity Risk Premium
Beta and the Cost of Equity
Credit Ratings and Quality Spreads
Estimating the Cost of Debt
Putting it All Together as the WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital)
Conversations with a Practitioner
Real World Application: U.S. oil companies closer to balancing capital investment with operating cash flow
Real World Application: Why aren't companies spending?
Homework Assignment (Optional)
Week 4 Quiz

Capstone Case: Putting it All Back Together from Main Street to Wall Street
Overview of Capstone Case
Background: Sunrise Bakery Expansion
Instructions: Sunrise Bakery Expansion
End-of-Course Survey
Capstone Case Questions
Final Exam

Summary of User Reviews

Many users have found this course to be very useful in understanding finance as a non-finance professional. The instructors are engaging and the content is presented in a clear and concise manner.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

The course is well-structured and covers a wide range of financial topics that are relevant to non-finance professionals.

Pros from User Reviews

Instructors are knowledgeable and engaging
Course content is presented in a clear and concise manner
Course is well-structured and covers a wide range of financial topics
Quizzes and assignments are helpful in reinforcing learning

Cons from User Reviews

Some users found the course to be too basic
Some users felt that the course could have gone more in-depth on certain topics
Some users experienced technical issues with the platform
Some users found the course to be too time-consuming

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