I. Demystifying the Terminology and Speaking Intelligently About Financial Issues

• Learn the most common accounting and finance terms and what they mean
• Find out what causes the most confusion between accountants and managers — and how to avoid it
• Learn the top 10 financial terms you must know and what they mean
• See how to turn confusing language and numbers into meaningful data you can and want to use
• 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. The Basics of Finance for Managers and Supervisors

• 5 components of working capital and why it’s critical to your day-to-day operation
• Calculating expenses and revenue on a cash vs. accrual basis
• Fixed vs. variable cost: understanding the difference
• Learn the true meanings of profit and loss
• Top financial concepts that you’ll always need to know
• What you must know about payables and receivables
• Key financial indicators that will tell you if your organization is on the right track
• Which specific numbers to rely on when developing a budget

III. Sharpen Your Decision Making With Powerful Financial Tools

• Making better decisions using break-even analysis, forecasting, and other powerful analysis tools
• 5 ratios that can be early indicators of danger ahead
• Learn an easy formula for calculating break-evens
• Your role in controlling cash flow — even if you aren’t a profit center
• Techniques for measuring the financial performance (and risk) of any project
• How to evaluate the relative degree of risk for a project
• 5 valuable questions to ask when dealing with a financial problem
• Calculating ROI for the true “bottom line”

IV. Keys to Interpreting Financial Statements Quickly and Accurately

• 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 see 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 find the information most valuable to YOU

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: how to sort through these transactions

VI. 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

“This was a wonderful training experience. I would highly recommend this program to others.”
L. Vlastos
Supervisor

“This training more than met my expectations. I have new confidence in my ability to understand financial concepts at work.”
G. Hobert
Applications Specialist

“I loved how interactive this training was — everyone got answers to their questions.”
J. Levegaore
Health Care Manager

“Instructor was very knowledgeable, very motivational. Lots of excellent cost-saving points and suggestions.”
E. Lowry
Dept. of Mental Health

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

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