Build Your Financial Analysis Skills Step by Step
Financial statements don't need to be intimidating. Our structured program walks you through liquidity and solvency analysis at your own pace, starting with basic ratios and building toward comprehensive assessments you'll use in real business scenarios.
Start Your Journey
Your Path from Fundamentals to Mastery
We've organized the curriculum into six progressive modules. Each one builds on what you learned before, so concepts connect naturally. Most students move through at their own speed—some finish in eight months, others take closer to a year.
Financial Statement Basics
Understanding what balance sheets and income statements actually tell you. We start here because everything else depends on reading these correctly.
- Reading balance sheets without confusion
- Connecting income statements to cash flow
- Spotting red flags in financial reports
Current Ratio Analysis
Your first real analytical tool. This ratio shows whether a company can pay its bills, but there's more nuance than the textbooks let on.
- Calculating and interpreting current ratios
- Understanding industry variations
- When high ratios become problems
Quick Ratio and Working Capital
Now we remove inventory from the equation and look at what's truly liquid. This is where students start seeing why context matters so much.
- Quick ratio versus current ratio differences
- Working capital management principles
- Cash conversion cycle analysis
Debt Structure and Leverage
Moving into solvency territory. Understanding how companies use debt and what happens when leverage gets excessive.
- Debt-to-equity calculations and benchmarks
- Interest coverage ratios
- Long-term solvency assessment
Cash Flow Analysis
This module changes how students think about profitability. Profit is an opinion, but cash is a fact—and the statement of cash flows tells the real story.
- Operating cash flow interpretation
- Free cash flow calculations
- Detecting earnings manipulation
Integrated Analysis Projects
Putting it all together with real company financials. You'll analyze three businesses from different sectors and present your findings.
- Complete liquidity and solvency assessments
- Industry comparison techniques
- Writing clear financial reports
Foundations
Months 1-2
Liquidity Focus
Months 3-4
Solvency Deep Dive
Months 5-6
Cash Flow Mastery
Months 7-8
Real Projects
Months 9-10
Common Obstacles and How We Address Them
Students hit similar roadblocks when learning financial analysis. Here's what usually trips people up and the approaches that actually help.
Ratio Overload
There are dozens of financial ratios, and new learners try memorizing all of them at once. Then they can't remember which ratio answers which question.
We teach six core ratios first—the ones you'll use 80% of the time. Each week adds just one new ratio, with exercises that show exactly when to use it. By month three, pattern recognition kicks in naturally.
Context Confusion
A current ratio of 1.5 might be excellent for one company and terrible for another. Students get frustrated when the "rules" don't apply consistently across industries.
Module 2 introduces industry benchmarking from day one. You'll compare retail companies to manufacturers to tech startups, seeing how business models shape what's considered healthy. Context becomes part of every calculation.
Theory vs. Reality Gap
Textbook examples use clean numbers and straightforward scenarios. Real financial statements have irregularities, one-time charges, and accounting choices that complicate analysis.
Starting in module 4, all exercises use actual published financial statements from Australian companies. You'll encounter restructuring charges, discontinued operations, and goodwill impairments—the messy reality of financial reporting.
Explaining Your Work
Running calculations is one thing. Explaining what the numbers mean to someone without a finance background is completely different—and that's what employers actually need.
Every module includes writing assignments where you translate your analysis into plain language. We provide feedback on clarity, not just technical accuracy. By module 6, you'll write reports that non-financial managers can understand and act on.
Rhiannon Voss
Teaches modules 1-3 and handles most liquidity questions. Previously worked in credit analysis for seven years.
Darius Ketch
Covers modules 4-6 with focus on solvency and cash flow. Background in corporate restructuring.
Weekly Q&A Sessions
Tuesday evenings at 7 PM AEST, plus recordings for those who can't make it live