This course is for aspiring accountants or non-CPA finance professionals who want to improve their understanding of how accounting works. This course packs the best of what you need to know to understand core accounting concepts and perform common accounting transactions in one hour.
Along the way, I show you tips and techniques to make sure you stay on track and your books balance. I teach you how to prepare financial statements using a simple conceptual model that can apply to any organization small or large.
Course Collections
This course is included in the following Course Collections:
7 CoursesFundamental Skills for Finance Professionals
- Accounting 101: How To Do Basic Accounting In One Hour
- Learn Finance Principles in 1 Hour
- The Evolution of a Great Spreadsheet Report - How to Effectively Present Numbers in the Business World
- Financial Modeling Using Excel
- Financial Statements Ratio Analysis
- Using Cost Volume Profit Analysis to Drive Innovation and Results
- Estimating the Cost of Capital
10 CoursesFinance for Entrepreneurs
- Start-up Equity and Cap Table Basics
- Understanding Performance-Based Equity Awards
- Accounting 101: How To Do Basic Accounting In One Hour
- Learn Finance Principles in 1 Hour
- Financial Modeling Using Excel
- The Evolution of a Great Spreadsheet Report - How to Effectively Present Numbers in the Business World
- Creating a Winning Pitch for Venture Capital Investors
- Venture Capital Valuation Analysis Method
- Enterprise Risk Management 101
- The IPO Preparation Process - Preparing a Company to Access the Public Markets
7 CoursesFinance for Non-Finance Professionals
- Accounting 101: How To Do Basic Accounting In One Hour
- Accounting Review: The Basics of Debits and Credits
- Accounting Review: Overview of Financial Statements; P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow
- Learn Finance Principles in 1 Hour
- Enterprise Risk Management 101
- Module Three in Financial Intelligence: The 4 Financial Ratio Classifications – Back to Basics Series
- Module Four in Financial Intelligence: Cash vs. Profit and Working Capital Strategies – Back to Basics Series
Learning Objectives
- Describe and recognize the accounting underlying financial statements.
- Analyze business transactions to determine which are reportable, and of those, which are on account of income and which are on account of capital.
- Prepare journal entries for common business transactions.
- Post entries to create a general ledger and a trial balance using a spreadsheet.
- Prepare the income statement, the statement of changes in equity, and the balance sheet.
168 Reviews (433 ratings)Reviews
Jasmin Herrera
(Accounts Receivable Analyst at Yelp Inc.)
Effective course that teaches the basics of accounting. I like the step by step explanation of how the different types of accounting statements tie together. It helps me understand the concepts better and apply them to the different scenarios.
One thing I disliked is how it doesn't show the questions we got wrong. It would be better if the website shows incorrect answers after the final exam is complete so I can review them.
Anonymous
(Senior Accounts Receivables Analyst)
If we've failed the final exam, I wish the the program would show us which questions we answered correctly, and which were incorrect so we can go about correcting the incorrect ones. Having to restart to a blank test leads me to second guess answers I might have gotten right initially. I don't learn from my mistakes if I never knew which had been answered incorrectly in the first place.
Anonymous
(Staff Acct/Analyst)
Overall it was a very good course. The instructor went over from the very basic journal entries to constructing the financial statements. I really liked the journal entry practices.
However I do think that was a lot of information to cover in just about an hour. Many of the contents can be a little confusing to understand for someone who is new to accounting.
Anonymous
(Senior Internal Auditor)
Like the way you put everything transaction represented in debit/(credit) this makes life so easy. Furthermore, I like the fact that you used working trial balance as a base to complete the income statement, statements of equity changes and balance sheets because it really draw out the real flow of how financial statements to be put up.
Anonymous
(Accounting Clerk)
Very basic. If you are truly new to accounting the details about when to debit or credit various types of accounts will need some supplementary knowledge not found in this course. Without the extra help you will not be prepared to consistently make correct journal entries.
Decent beginners course.
Anonymous
(Treasury Analyst)
The course was pretty straight forward and to the point,
Surprised that this course condenses chunks of books in a short period of time, making this effective in terms of time.
I think newbies in accounting as well as those who need to refresh their knowledge would gain from this.
Anonymous
(-)
Instructor crystalized organized basics of accounting in a very understandable format in only an hour. I have a BS in Acctg. and an MBA, but took this as a refresher course since I don't deal with accounting much anymore. Detangles confusing debits and credits so it all makes sense.
Brittany Marcotte
(Receptionist/Administrative Assistant at Opus Capital)
I understand that this is supposed to be a fast course, but had trouble following along so quickly. This was especially true when trying to follow along on excel. I did like that the course was shown with an example, and that the example was consistent throughout the entire course.
Keith Perry
View Instructor Profile
Very good, very basic overview. Blair provides an excellent introduction to the topic that helps make the "accounting-speak" jargon more transparent, so that newbies can understand better what they are looking at, and can be more productive.
Karen Johnson
(Jr Account at American Foundation for Suicide Preventi..)
Course was informative.
Liked that the professor used layman terms for beginners to understand the accounting language.
The glossary, slides and excel schedule was very helpful in understanding how to create the financial statements.
Anonymous
(CFO)
I was looking for other courses by Blair and found this one. I watched thinking it might be helpful to our interns and new accounting staff...it is the best intro course I have seen and I plan to use some of this for our staff orientation.
Anonymous
(Senior Finance Manager)
Thought it was very helpful; he did speak a bit fast so it was difficult to take notes, but I could always pause the video or refer to the PDFs at the end, (so it wasn't much of an issue).
He explained things very well most of the time.
Vanessa McLaughlin
(Staff Accountant at American Cancer Society)
I thought this was a good course. You would need to know just a little bit about accounting to not be confused since it's such a quick overview, but is a great refresher for someone that may not have seen the information in a while.
Margaret Winn
(Accounting Professional at .)
Good thorough review of the basics of accounting. And I liked his graphic of Assets = Liabilities +Equity, that the boxes on either side of the = have to be exactly the same size. That is a good concept to share with non-accountants.
Ara Toroyan
(Director - Financial Planning & Procurem.. at NCCI Holdings, Inc.)
quick paced and a high overview that anyone with some basic financial background can appreciate as a first step into some of the formal aspects of financial reporting. Good/challenging content for the basic level.
Anonymous
()
This is my first ever accounting course. I own a few businesses and am preparing to be a CFO. I believe your app is helpful and the supplements to the video are very informative and important to the course.
Anonymous
(VP Finance)
One of the Review questions has a wrong answer...
The answer has been corrected. Thank you for letting us know about the problem! — Proformative Editor
Anonymous
(Junior Accounts Receivable Clerk)
I've never taken an accounting course. I wish it was way more visual than just text on a slide. When he was talking through the financial statements, we should have seen his process, not just heard it.
Roxanne Whittum
(unemployed at unemployed)
I have done accounting before, and it has been awhile. The course covered a lot of ground and was simple for anyone. The examples were great and assisted in understanding the material.
Anonymous
(Sr. Treasury Analyst)
This was a really good course. I took accounting courses a long time ago and felt this course was detailed and excellent for those that have had accounting and needed a refresher..
Roza Seyfulina
(Senior Accountant at Intuit)
The course is very understandable and useful. I've learned new things about accounting, and understood more clear some core concepts. Excellent explanation, thank you very much!
Norman West
(Financial Manager at Lockheed Martin)
This was a very good introduction to basic accounting without getting bogged down in the details that often confuse brand new students. I really like Mr. Cook's enthusiasm.
Anonymous
(Accounting Assistant)
I like the course, simple and easy to understand.
It's nice that I can go back and take it again.
I also like that graphics was incorporated in explaining the course.
Anonymous
(Vice President of Finance )
A little too basic for CPA's but a great tool for a CFO to use as a guide when training managers and owners basic accounting and financial stmt understanding.
John Grande
(Collections Specialist at Yelp)
Audio quality wasn't great. The complexity of instruction went from easy to hard very quickly — but I guess that's what happens when it's just one hour.
Anonymous
(-)
I liked the supporting materials for this course. I often had to pause and take my own notes. I would have liked a better understand of journal entries
Anonymous
(Manufacturing Product Manager)
The pace of this course was perfect and the energy level of the instructor kept me engaged. This course covered a lot of ground in a very short time.
unknown
()
Great overview of Accounting that clearly explains everything from creating a Chart of Accounts to completing Income Statements and a Balance Sheet.
Anonymous
(Controller)
More bookkeeping than into level folks are going to understand. Need more concepts like balance sheet as a snapshot, and i/s as cumulative amounts
unknown
()
Very simple and informative explanation and demonstration with a set of transactions for a new company - pretty good for an introductory class.
Anonymous
(Manager, Accounts Receivable)
I liked that it was pretty straight forward. Easy to follow and understand.
Do not like that I do not know which answer I got wrong.
Jean Hector
(Treasury Analyst at NCCI Holdings, Inc)
I was planning on reviewing my introductory book (which contains 23 chapters), but this lesson covered everything in less than an hour.
Kevin Moschella
(Sr. Director, FP&A at Evidera)
Course is what it says it is: for beginners but also a nice refresher for those of us who don't do actual accounting on a regular basis.
Gerry Gaffney
(Risk Management Consulting at GJ Gaffney LLC)
Great presentation. Very clear way to better explain debits and credits. This spreadsheet tool was the highlight of the course for me.
Kyle Degruttola
(Staff Accountant at Park Avenue Securities)
I worked as an accounting professor for a few years and had a similar style to teaching. It is extremely effective. Nice review sir.
Eric Robison
(Senior Credit and Collections Analyst at Intuit)
Great course - finally feel like I have a firm grasp on basic accounting principals and a "talking knowledge" of basic accounting.
Susy Fernandez
(Staff Business Analyst at Intuit)
This course helped solidify my understanding of debits and credits and the difference between an Income Statement and Balance Sheet!
Anonymous
(Financial Services Professional)
A good revision course with practice questions. Well presented and well explained. Improved my knowledge of accounting standard.
Julie Zidek-Carter
(Credit & Collections Senior Manager at Yelp)
I think this course should have been broken up into 2 course- needed a little more instruction and explanation for beginners.
unknown
()
Very succinct and provided great information for someone like me who has a good foundation of accounting basics.
Anonymous
(Tax Accountant)
Great intro course to accounting. Good starting point to get a high level understanding of accounting.
Josh Davis
(Risk Management Specialist at Gap Inc. )
I found the debits and credits section somewhat confusing( the t-table part) everything else was good.
Anonymous
(DIRECTOR)
The information is well presented but is very basic for CPAs. However, this is still a good refresher.
Kevin Murray
(Manager of Finance at NYSTRS)
A good introduction to the basics of accounting. This course will help anyone just getting started.
Samuel Naccarato
(Associate Manager at Yelp Inc)
Took accounting courses over 3 years ago. It was a great recap of the basics and helpful reminder.
Thomas Hayes
(- at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith)
Well organized. Good refresher for teaching intro. Good course for anyone teaching principles.
Anonymous
(Collector)
This course was not very informative. I wish there were more examples and more ways to engage.
Anonymous
(Jr Staff Accountant)
The way the teacher explains things makes it easier to comprehend and retain the information.
Anonymous
(Junior Collector)
I liked how details the videos were and that we had access to the slides for the final exam.
Anonymous
(Global Logistics Retail Order Management..)
since I'm don't have an accounting background I was challenged with some of the nomenclature
Anonymous
(Unclaimed Property Administrator)
Emphasized what was needed and most important. Gave suggestions for additional practice
Tahj Bomar
(Purchasing Manager at Harley Marine Services (HMS))
Great course for a detailed but high level introduction to basic accounting principles.
Anonymous
(Accounts Manager)
I liked the Excel Spreadsheet however it did seem to be too quick for that section.
Tracy Meehan
(- at Mercedes)
The instructor is amazing. The course was very informative and fun at the same time.
Darin Sobool
(Analyst at Husky Energy)
Sometimes, even the simplest things need a thorough review and this course does it!
Anonymous
()
The music is what I disliked. :) I thought it was detailed and well put together.
Anonymous
(Farm and Nursery Manager)
Well laid out. A good review if you haven't looked at the concepts in some time.
Charles Elwis
(None at none)
This course served as a clear and quick review of basic accounting principles.
unknown
()
I was surprised how much information could be taught in one hour. Impressive
Juha Bruun
(Senior Manager, Business Account and Sup.. at Intuit)
Great introduction to accounting. Works as first time or refresh exercise.
Anonymous
(AR Analyst)
I didn't thought I would learn and understand basic accounting in an hour.
Anonymous
(Chargeback Representative)
Easy to understand with lots of examples. Anyone with interest in finance.
Anonymous
(CPA/Investment Advisor)
Very basic, but good overview for people with little accounting knowledge
S Marie Vernon
(- at --)
Very easy to follow and excellent examples of what accounting looks like.
Jeffrey Hales
(Supervisor of Accounting at Ob Hospitalist Group)
Terrific introduction to accounting. Blair is an excellent instructor.
Niketa Patel
(Oracle Financial Analyst at N/A)
good review of debits/credits and simple journal entries and examples.
Anonymous
(Incentives Analyst)
Great, love the teaching, lot of marterial is covered in short time.
Murch Ewings
(- at -)
Super basic, but maybe what we're looking for if taking this course.
Forrest Savage
( at Fairfield University)
Good amount of material covered within the course and many examples.
Michael Maffucci
( at Fairfield University)
Due to my accounting background, this course was easy to follow.
Anonymous
(-)
a good presentation of the core concepts for the uninitiated
Craig Dowdney
(Senior Project Manager at Intuit)
Very upbeat instructor. Kept the topic somewhat interesting
Brittany Beem
(Staff Accountant at Ever Fresh Fruit)
Easy to follow along. Good information -- all was relevant
Simon Adell
(Chief Financial Officer at Undisclosed)
Nice basic overview, good for beginners or as a refresher.
Hicham Jawhar
(Financial controller at Basement Systems Quebec)
It is a 101 accounting course deliverd in a very nice way
Saehee Kim
(consultant at dlc)
Great and simple way to understand fundamental accounting
Mohammed Jalloh
(- at RefundMax LLC)
Great refresher course without too much unnecessary info.
Monica Burgos
(- at Monica Burgos)
Great way of describing the necessary steps and forms.
Anonymous
(Accountant)
Great basic course for someone new to the accounting.
Anonymous
()
I love the workbook approach over "t" tables. Yes!
Anonymous
(Accounts Payable Lead)
Great job explaining the various chart of accounts.
Alexandra Coleman
(Administrative Assistant at EYC Companies)
Very good overview of basic accounting principles.
Anonymous
(Manufacturing Product Manager)
It sounds an effective way to manage accounting.
Anonymous
(Account Executive)
Overall a thorough overview of basic accounting.
Anonymous
(Associate with Two Degrees)
Thorough and clear presentation of the concepts!
Fred Neftin
( at Fairfield University)
Very good refresher of basic accounting concepts
Carrie Mangas
(AP at NetSuite)
It was very well explained and easy to follow.
Anonymous
(-)
Good refresher for internal training programs.
Jeanne Jaques
(Director, Financial Planning and Strateg.. at Emcee Squared)
Good overview of basic accounting principles
Keron Heath
(Staff Accountant at Artsy)
This was a great course I'd love to take more
unknown
()
Found this useful to refresh core principals
Ingo de Pina
(Sr. AR Analyst at Yelp, Inc.)
I appreciate the supporting documentation.
Anonymous
(Not Provided)
very nicely put together, very informative
Anonymous
(Cash Management Supervisor)
Very good refresher for basic accounting.
Anonymous
(Assistant Accounting Manager)
It is a good starter for new accountants.
Jonathan Tran
(Revenue Analyst at Yelp)
Gets to the point and easy to understand.
Aaron Reinero
(Group Manager, Billing Systems & Financi.. at Intuit)
Clear, concise presentation of materials
Alle Phillips
(Staff Accountant at Bonten Media Group - KTXS)
basic but informative, very to the point
Benjamen Adams
(Not Provided at Adams Group)
Very helpful and goes into great depth.
Anonymous
(Financial Analyst)
Great introduction to basic accounting!
Anonymous
(Order Process Rep)
Good information about accounting 101.
Anonymous
(Accountant II)
Basic and to the point, great starter.
Anonymous
(Accounting Clerk)
Made accounting simple to understand!
Anonymous
(n/a)
Very detailed and easy to understand.
Rebecca Hellman
(Sr. Accountant at Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties)
Very good; however spoke too quickly
Anonymous
()
Great quick summation of Accounting.
Parker Asche
(Collections Analyst at Yelp)
It was okay, a little long though.
Anonymous
(-)
A good crash course in accounting.
Patrick Fenoughty
(Senior Business Analyst at Intuit)
covered all the topics in an hour
Aaron Matvya
(Accounts Receivable Representative at Yelp)
Introductory accounting students.
Lynne Bromley Holloman
(Accounting Manager at Woodside Equine Clinic)
Efficient accounting principles.
Anonymous
(Accountant)
Great review of basic accounting
Anonymous
(Fraud Agent)
a great way to learn the basics
Eric Cox
(Senior Accountant at Mondo)
Great intro to basic accounting
Anonymous
()
Like the graphic explanations.
Catherine \"Kit\" Cosgrove
(Executive Director at Hospice of McDowell County)
Very effective teaching style.
Anonymous
(Consultant )
very basic, but comphrehensive
Nader Mikhael
( at .)
Simple and easy to understand
valerie mclaughlin
(Not Provided at n/a)
excel visual aids are helpful
Anonymous
(Sales Audit Supervisor)
Overall, very informative.
Anonymous
()
Does what it claims to do.
Maeflor Defensor
(AR Specialist at NetSuite)
It was easy to understand
Anonymous
(Cash Audit Supervisor)
Anyone working in finance
Anonymous
(Vice President Finance EMEA & ASIA PACIF..)
Good simple explanations
Anonymous
(Accountant)
Good intro to accounting.
unknown
()
Thank you. Most helpful
Siva Vinay
(Interim Controller at Navona)
Excellent, great summary
Vincent Rella
( at Fairfield University)
Very informative course!
Mistie (Mendoza) Aker
(Budget & Accounting Manager at DES/Division of Child Support Services)
discussion of dividends
Patrenia McAbee
(Owner at McAbee Consulting)
A few trick questions.
Anonymous
(Controller)
This was very helpful
Hale Summers
( at Fairfield)
Very straight forward
Anonymous
(Finance)
nice basic refresher.
Anonymous
(Financial Analyst)
Very well layed out.
Stephen Hall
( at Systems Alliance)
Enthusiast presenter
Anonymous
(Research Intern)
Very helpful review
Angelia Ingram
(Business Architect at Govplace)
Easy to understand
Kenneth Hopkins
(Senior Financial Analyst at The University of Texas Health Science C..)
Easily understood.
Anonymous
(Treasury and Fixed Asset Accountant/Reco..)
Very interactive!
Dee Madhavpeddi
(Certified Public Accountant at Dee & Associates)
Very informative
Anonymous
(Vice President of Finance)
Excellent review
ALICIA BROOKS
(- at ALICIA B BROOKS)
Very informative
Julie Berkhouse
(Accounting Operations Sr. Manager at PepsiCo)
Very informative
Anonymous
(None)
Well presented.
Lisa Lavery
(Close & Consolidations Senior Manager at Cisco Systems)
easy learning
Scott Berlinguet
( at Fairfield U)
Very Helpful!
Brandon Borsanyi
( at Fairfield University)
Great course!
Henry Guo
( at Fairfield University)
Great Lesson!
Gianni Sbarro
( at Fairfield University)
Great review.
William Woods
( at Fairfield University)
Great course!
Melvin Balberan
(Senior GL Accountant at Netsuite Philippines Inc.)
Very helpful
Anonymous
(Associate Financial Analyst)
great course
Anonymous
()
Great course
Anonymous
()
Great Course
Anonymous
()
Informative.
Anonymous
(Accounting Manager)
Good review
Anonymous
()
Nice review
Richard Dandan
(Senior Accounting Specialist at National Food Authority)
Excellent!
Baris Arslan
(Internal Audit Manager at Genpa Turkey)
Thank you!
Anonymous
(Manager- Accounting & Finance)
Excellent
Anonymous
(President & CEO)
Beginners
Anonymous
(Certified Management Accountant; CMA)
good one
Vahé Hovakimian
(Financial Analyst at Great Place to Work Institute)
Great!
Anonymous
(Not Provided)
good.
Anonymous
(Staff Accountant II)
Good
Sweta Patel
(Transactional Payment Representative, Ac.. at Yelp)
Nice
Max Davis
(Project Manager at Barclays)
Good
Njei Kingsly Achiri
(Accountant at Pro-Active Mega Services)
ok
Prerequisites
No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.
Education Provider Information
Company:
Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact:
For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 ext. 106, or send an e-mail to .
Excellent course developed and the way presented by Mr. Blair Cook. I have never leant accounting in such a nice way.