Financial statements are the language of business. They show owners, managers and stakeholders how healthy a company is, yet many non-financial professionals find them confusing. This 60-minute webinar on understanding and analyzing financial statements replaces common accounting myths with simple tools you can apply.

Designed for non-financial professionals, it puts special emphasis on the terms used. You'll learn the framework behind the three required statements: the balance sheet, which shows what the company owns minus what it owes; the income statement, which compares revenue with the cost of earning it; and the cash flow statement, which shows sources and uses of funds.

The session then moves to analysis, covering signs of financial health, red flags, key ratio categories, working capital, cash management and free cash flow.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Non-financial professionals are expected to manage limited resources to improve profit and productivity, and that starts with understanding financial statements. Without a simple framework, the terms, tools and techniques behind the numbers are hard to follow.

This session gives you a sound working knowledge for better business decisions. It suits business owners, entrepreneurs, managers, sales and operations staff, finance associates, CFOs and VPs of finance and operations.

AREA COVERED

• The basic framework for preparing financial statements
• The components of each statement and their use in decisions and resource management
• A simple introduction to finance and accounting
• Cash vs. accrual basis accounting
• Accounting concepts and building blocks
• Core components of financial statements
• Analyzing financial statements as the language of business
• Financial statement terminology
• Signs of business financial health
• Red flags, cautions and concerns
• Ratios to improve profit and productivity, with attendee exercises
• The role of ratios, trends, comparisons and cash in business analysis
• Five ratio categories: profitability, efficiency, liquidity, solvency and cash
• Working capital, cash management and free cash flow

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Explain the framework used to prepare financial statements
• Describe the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement and how each supports decisions
• Distinguish cash from accrual basis accounting
• Use basic financial statement terminology with confidence
• Recognize signs of financial health and red flags
• Apply profitability, efficiency, liquidity, solvency and cash ratios
• Use working capital, cash management and free cash flow in decisions

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

• Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
• Business Managers
• Resource Manages
• Sales Personnel
• Operations Managers
• Finance Associates & Managers
• All Non-Financial Professionals responsible for managing resources
• CFOs
• VPs of Finance & Operations