The employees want a raise. You need to commit to a supplier. A customer wants assurance. You need to raise funds quickly. No matter what situation you are in as a manager, in or in business, the financial statements provide the information you need. Sure, you can ask an accountant to read the financial statements. But that accountant may not be an expert in your field. Here’s the reality, you don’t need an accountant to do your job. But you do need financial statement information to make many decisions. The good news is that you can understand financial statements on your own and apply that information in your field better than an accountant unfamiliar with the business.

I’m Dr. Eric Knight, I am a CPA with over 20 years’ experience in business and academics. I’ve designed this course to explain financials in a thorough but straightforward manner without the complexities. You’ll be introduced to the financial statement information. Then, you learn how to analyze financial statements. I’m not just going to provide formulas but I’ll explain why you need the ratios and how to apply them to a business. I’ll demonstrate using real-world company data to see the story of the business behind the financial information. We’ll see where managers could exploit flexibility so we don’t have any misunderstandings.

In addition to case studies and examples, you can test your knowledge with quizzes and discussion questions that offer an opportunity to apply the information to your field.

Whatever field you are in, make understanding financial statements your superpower.