Program hours: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Essential concepts underlying the financial analysis process
What financial statements are and what they're really supposed to tell us
The sources of reliable, well-prepared financial data
How understanding the rules of GAAP will save you time, frustration and embarrassment
Essential financial terms you absolutely need to know
The components of a healthy bottom line
The most serious limitation of financial statements
A step-by-step guide to analyzing a financial statement
The guiding principles underlying good financial reporting
7 characteristics of a well-prepared financial statement
Key measurement tools, ratios and indicators
4 useful ratios and what they tell you
How to recognize warning signals early on-before a crisis occurs
The hows and whys of trend analysis
How the easily calculated return on assets and return on equity give you a good idea
Your debt-to-equity ratio-what lenders want to see
Using the price-earnings ratio to compare stock values
The relationship between earnings and stock returns
What interest coverage and payment coverage ratios say
Avoid confusion surrounding quick and current ratios for liquidity analysis
The Balance Sheet-a snapshot of your financial health
What goes into working capital and how it can increase and decrease during the normal course of business
How valuing assets can be tricky
How days in accounts payable can upset the delicate balance of your operating cycle
Important things the Balance Sheet-all by itself-can tell you
The relationship between days sales outstanding and operating efficiency
Inventory turns-when to know you're headed for trouble
Sorting through the Balance Sheet: Assets, liabilities and equity
The role of the Z score in predicting bankruptcy
What goes into the valuation of a business
Extended payment terms-could they be artificially inflating your revenue and profits?
Critical information sometimes hidden in footnotes-read them!
Ways the Balance Sheet can misrepresent-and mislead
Examine the cash operating system underlying your Balance Sheet
The Income Statement-your measure of financial performance over time
Deciphering the components of the Income Statement
Activity-based accounting-a different way to look at results
The rules for smart break-even analysis
Overcoming the limited insight the Income Statement provides into operating leverage
Using common-size statements for variance analysis
What the Income Statement tells you about your business-and what it leaves out
When using EBITDA as an earnings measure is most relevant
The DuPont Formula-the questions it answers and the new ones it raises
The danger in accepting reported revenues at face value
Issues in recognizing revenue that could trip you up
The Statement of Cash Flows-the lifeblood of your business
An overview of the GAAP Statement of Cash Flows
What the purpose of the cash flows statement really is
Types of cash flows
The cash flows forecast-don't make a purchasing or personnel decision without one
The key test of cash flows health
The difference between direct and indirect cash flows statements
When to factor in the Time Value of Money
Cash management tools your lender can supply to keep you on track