Managers in a sample of managers at companies with at least 150 employees took a simple financial literacy quiz and got an average of 38% of the questions right. How is that possible? There are varying reasons, but none of them are good. For those who have had limited exposure, or just a plain aversion to "the numbers", there is hope for becoming financially intelligent and increasing your credibility by speaking the language of business. This involves knowing the foundation of financials – getting back to basics.

This course offers basic yet essential information needed to improve your financial intelligence, complete with real stories about real companies. We'll cover the income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, financial ratio classifications, cash vs. profit, and working capital strategies.

Learning Objectives
  • Identify the assumptions and estimates in an income statement
  • Discover key measures used to determine profitability of a company
  • Explore the ratios to see if your company is growing or declining
  • Identify the different sections of the financial statements
  • Discover if your company has enough money to invest and continue to grow
  • Explore the ratios to see if your company is using their resources effectively
  • Identify the four classifications of ratios
  • Discover the stories the financial statements are telling us
  • Explore the ratios to see your company’s trends
  • Identify the three key areas of working capital, and recognize how you can affect them
  • Discover how you can improve the cash flow at your company
  • Explore the variety of differences between cash and profit
Last updated/reviewed: August 11, 2023
65 Reviews (252 ratings)

Reviews

4
Anonymous Author
The information and presentation one of the best I have taken of the Illumeo courses. I would have rated this a 5 vs 4 if the questions regarding Apple's ratios were not questions or if information was provided to calculate the correct ratio in answer to the question. Lots of material presented one could not remember all the Apple ratios from the presentation to answer test questions.

3
Member's Profile
The course was well done and material covered was good. The questions at the end however, assumed you had Apple's financials. I didn't have this information, so wasn't the best application of what I had learned.

2
Anonymous Author
Professionally done, I suppose, but the music is distracting, and the question content sources financial statements from a decade ago, and don't really track with the figures made available in those statements.

5
Anonymous Author
This course was extremely informative and the instructor gave great explanations and details on the topics covered in the course. This course is very beneficial in helping understand these topics better.

5
Member's Profile
Great production! I wish all classes in this venue were like this. Already recommended class/instructor to non-CPA friend to help educate other board members to understand financial statements better.

4
Anonymous Author
Entertaining narrative + exercises. Even those who are already using financial racios will find interesting explanations about deeper meaning of financial information/ratios for the business.

3
Member's Profile
Good on the basics. I had hoped it would go more into analyzing financial ratios, trends and financial analysis. than it did. Good use of real-life examples. Good use of hands-on exercises.

5
Anonymous Author
An entry level course, but well done. A good refresher, where concepts were explained well. Examples were relevant and easy to follow. I hope to see other courses from this instructor.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a very interesting course. Well delivered and challenging enough to keep you interested. Loved the quality of the lectures and all the examples given. Kept my attention.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a great refresher about accounting and finance, the last two modules were especially helpful. Excellent presentation, very engaging. I would prefer more courses like this.

4
Member's Profile
..................................................................................................................................................................................

5
Member's Profile
Wow, what a refreshing change! Clearly a professional speaker and filmed in an engaging interview format. FYI...you will need your notes from the exercises to pass the test.

5
Member's Profile
Very interesting and remarkable presentation given in a clear and organised way. Presenter made it easy to understand ordinarily difficult concepts. I enjoyed the training!

2
Anonymous Author
Did not think the Apple questions were relevant or fair. Did not think the Apple questions were relevant or fair. Did not think the Apple questions were relevant or fair.

5
Member's Profile
Very good course. It was easy to listen to and gave great examples of the importance of understanding financial statements. Also great examples of the use of ratios.

4
Member's Profile
I like the presentation, but in order to help certain people's learning processes, there needs to be more graphics and hold them longer while the speaker is taslking.

5
Member's Profile
The instructor has an excellent teaching style which will resonate with non-financial professionals. Good "boot camp" for early stage finance professionals as well.

5
Anonymous Author
The course covered the stated learning objectives. The examples used were helpful for understanding the concepts. Lots of storytelling to keep the listener engaged.

5
Member's Profile
Joe is engaging and is able to talk finance and accounting terminology to just about any audience. This webinar is great for the beginner and the intermediate.

5
Member's Profile
The best part about this course was the analytical side and looking at a real life example. Also, enjoyed the refresher course in these critical ratio's.

3
Anonymous Author
Too many questions on the exam pertaining Apple's financials (which weren't provided for the actual exam). I was not expecting to memorize the information.

5
Member's Profile
Excellent course that was taught in a manner that allows you to listen and absorb. The instructor is well-spoken and is able to easily illustrate concepts.

5
Member's Profile
Fantastic and comprehensive review of the financial statements, key financial ratios, and the differences between cash flow, profit, and working capital.

4
Member's Profile
This is a helpful course. The ratios were quick and not as helpful, but the first half, and the interesting examples, made up for the ratio section.

5
Anonymous Author
Great refresher on terminology and real life examples that can be applicable at this moment. Well presented and slides were very helpful.

3
Member's Profile
The course was good overall. Exam questions specific to the Apple financial statements which were not provided should be removed/changed.

4
Anonymous Author
There was a lot of good information in this course. The supporting documentation was great and a definite keeper for future reference.

3
Member's Profile
He was very long winded. The switching from classroom to him speaking directly into the camera made it hard to follow and keep up.

3
Member's Profile
My work computer doesnt allow zip files to be opened, made the test extremely difficult with all the Apple financials questions

5
Member's Profile
Most engaging course I've taken on this site. Instructor does very well holding your attention and keeping it interesting.

4
Anonymous Author
helpful and very insightful for new to finance and accounting. The video is non-traditional, and feels like an interview.

5
Anonymous Author
Professional speaker. Insights into conclusions that can be drawn from financial statements and ratios are very useful.

5
Member's Profile
I really liked the content of the course and all the examples provided from well known companies and personal stories.

5
Anonymous Author
Very good course - Joe is very engaging and makes the 3 hour course fly by. It is engaging for all experience levels

5
Member's Profile
Really enjoyed this course, a great refresher and thought the way the course was presented was fantastic.

5
Member's Profile
Pretty basic but useful for non accountants. Covers all three key statements and some analysis points.

5
Member's Profile
This course provided basics and provided great insights into video and slides. One of best courses yet.

5
Anonymous Author
Great course! One of my favorites taken. The speaker is very engaging, and a very skilled instructor.

5
Member's Profile
Enjoyed the speaker and content of the course. Great information to take with me and use on the job.

5
Anonymous Author
There should not be a character limit required for a review for a product I Have already paid for.

5
Anonymous Author
Great financial introduction for non accountants. For accountants, the examples were interesting.

5
Anonymous Author
Great overview of ratio's. Easy to follow materials with good explanations of why these matter.

4
Anonymous Author
Really good overall overview and a great refresher on a lot of item I haven't seen in a while.

5
Anonymous Author
For me it was the best Finance course - it is really good structured with real life examples.

5
Member's Profile
I really enjoyed this class and remembering why the numbers matter in the big picture.

5
Member's Profile
This has been my favorite course. The instructor was engaging and very informative.

5
Member's Profile
the course was an enjoyable review of methods used to analyze financial statement.

5
Member's Profile
Good overview of basic accounting concepts and the speaker is easy to listen to.

5
Anonymous Author
Great review of the financial statements and helpful ratios for management use.

4
Member's Profile
Basic course, did not like the supporting materials as they were very general

5
Anonymous Author
Great class for beginners. He's easy to listen to and explains things well.

5
Anonymous Author
Great course that really helps review important areas of finance. Thank you!

4
Anonymous Author
I enjoyed the "conversational" approach to the course and the story telling.

4
Member's Profile
Might be too much information in once course, but it is great stuff.

4
Member's Profile
Good course overall. I enjoyed it. Good refresher of basic material.

4
Member's Profile
I liked this course. Candid instructor, good supporting materials.

4
Member's Profile
Good course. I recommend all users to go through this course.

4
Anonymous Author
Great course with good ratios summary; good tools to use

4
Member's Profile
Good overall financial review for managers in business.

5
Member's Profile
Attention ratio nerds, this is your course! Loved it!

5
Member's Profile
I would recommend this course to anyone that is a cpa

5
Member's Profile
This is a really good, thorough review of Financials.

5
Anonymous Author
Good overview of how all the statements work together

5
Anonymous Author
Thank you very much for the excellent presentation!

5
Member's Profile
Awesome course, love the personal stories in there.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Foundational

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 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
  Module One in Financial Intelligence: The Income Statement - Back to Basics Series Full Video45:04
  Module Two in Financial Intelligence: The Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statements - Back to Basics Series Full Video35:11
  Module Three in Financial Intelligence: The 4 Financial Ratio Classifications - Back to Basics Series Full Video32:39
  Module Four in Financial Intelligence: Cash vs. Profit and Working Capital Strategies - Back to Basics Series Full Video38:52
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
  Financial Intelligence Combined Supporting Materials ZIP
REVIEW AND TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam