• Understand key financial ratios and measurements that give you a clear picture of your organization’s financial position
• Learn how to read, interpret, and analyze key financial statements and accounting reports
• Recognize where you can make the biggest impact to improve your organization’s financial performance
• Decode the terminology so you can confidently talk numbers with anyone
• Learn how to gain support for your ideas and projects using solid numbers to back yourself up
• Use your new accounting and finance skills to accurately evaluate financial strengths and weaknesses in any report
• Discover how to recognize problems before it’s too late
• Plan for revenues and growth with greater precision using solid business numbers as your guide
• And much, much more!

• Strategic decision makers
• Nonfinancial managers
• Business owners
• Senior executives
• Key business unit managers
• Other professionals who need to understand how to interpret the numbers that drive business

This intensive workshop was designed specifically for non-financial professionals who want to learn to use the financial analysis tools and techniques that ensure on-target business decisions.

I. Demystifying the Terminology and Speaking Intelligently About Financial Issues

• Common accounting and finance terms and what they mean — including fixed and variable costs, gross margin, profit and loss, and dozens of others!
• How to present proposals and recommendations in terms of hard dollars ... and get faster approval
• Learn the basic accounting equation and how to use it
• Deciphering the language of business so you can speak it fluently with anyone

II. Critical Financial Concepts You Must Know

• The difference between current liabilities, current assets, and equities
• 5 components of working capital and how critical it is to the day-to-day operation of your organization
• A simple approach to calculating return on investment (ROI) and determining the true bottom line
• What goodwill is ... and why some companies don’t like it on their balance sheets
• Key financial indicators that will tell you if your organization is on the right track
• Tangible and other assets — what the numbers on the balance sheet may be hiding

III. Sharpening Your Decision Making With Powerful Financial Tools

• Using break-even analysis, forecasting, and other powerful analysis tools to make more informed decisions
• 5 ratios that can be early indicators of danger ahead
• How to use ratios to evaluate an organization’s profitability, liquidity, and leverage
• How to evaluate the relative degree of risk for a project
• 5 valuable questions to ask when dealing with a financial problem
• Critical financial areas that may be out of your control, but that you absolutely must understand
• Which specific numbers to rely on when developing a budget
• Calculating ROI for the true “bottom line”

IV. Interpreting Financial Statements Accurately and Insightfully

• How to read and interpret 3 types of financial statements: balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement
• How to examine the P&L statement and tell the cost of goods sold, how revenue is generated, profitability and more
• Basic steps in preparing a financial statement
• Types of long-term assets and the role depreciation plays in determining their worth
• How to scan a financial statement and zero in on the most valuable information

V. Must-Know Accounting Basics

• How the accounting cycle works
• Accounting for assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses
• The difference between cash and accrual accounting
• What every manager must understand about Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Debits and credits explained

VI. Planning for Revenues and Growth

• How to forecast cash flow and use this insight when increasing staff, purchasing, and cutting costs
• Financial-management strategies for companies going through tough times
• How to recognize cash flow problems before it’s too late

VII. Computer Tools That Make Your Job Easier

• Valuable tips for setting up your own spreadsheets
• 3 important ways a PC can sharpen your projects and analyses
• An overview of software packages that will make your job much easier

““Very informative. Highly effective.”
– G. Berg,
Senior Manager

“Very insightful and well integrated. Provided many interesting tips and valuable information.”
– J. Steineger,
Vice President

“Excellent speaker. Very up-to-date.”
J. Copas,
Director