Understanding finance

The purpose of this series of webinars on Understanding Finance is not to make you into an accountant, nor to make you an expert in finance, but to help you understand the numbers better, and to understand what they are – and what they are not – telling you.

Webinar highlights

Webinar 1

You will gain an understanding of the different disciplines within finance to know which tools to use in which circumstances.

In addition, you will be introduced to the Financial Accounting model.

Webinar 2

You will gain an understanding of the challenges of the accounting process and the accounting concepts that drive the decisions about how to record transactions, for example, Capex vs Opex.

We will also discuss variance analysis, where the budget is compared with actual spending.

Webinar 3

Why is working capital a critical success factor in so many businesses? 

You will learn the tools to read a balance sheet and the pitfalls to watch out for.

We will analyse the performance of an organisation through the P&L.  What do all those acronyms mean?  EBITDAF, EBITDA, EBIT, NPAT, WACC.  When are they applicable and why?

Webinar 4

We will discuss top down analysis and what to consider when preparing your budget.

We will look at how, why and when we use ratios to analyse and interpret financial statements.

Finally, we will cover the limitations of the budget process and how to avoid dysfunctional behaviours.

Intended Audience

Anyone in business who does not have a formal education in finance.

Presenter information

Susan Hansen
Susan is a chartered accountant with an MBA in finance.  She worked for a Big Four Accounting firm and an investment bank before establishing a financial training firm. She is a non-executive director of listed companies in Australia and the UK.