Course Description

Financial statements are a crucial window into the daily operations and overall health of a company. They reveal the strengths and weaknesses that define the organization's financial standing. However, the interpretation of financial statements can vary widely depending on the user's perspective. This course is designed to help you refine your financial statement analysis skills and gain insights that will enable you to better understand and communicate your company's financial performance.

Learning Objectives

  • Indicate how different stakeholders utilize financial statements

  • Recognize how flexible budgeting may be used by CFOs and Controllers

  • Recall how time series analysis and common size financial statements are used in trend analysis

  • Calculate liquidity, leverage, and profitability ratios

  • Identify the uses and limitations of ratio analysis

Additional Required Materials

  • Level: Intermediate

  • Field of Study: Finance – Technical

  • Who Should Attend: Controllers or accountants who are involved in the financial reporting functions of their companies and looking to improve their review skills

  • Required Knowledge: Basic understanding of financial statements and financial statement preparation

  • Advanced Prep: None

Instructor

CPA, CPCU, MST, MBA David Peters

David Peters is the Founder and Owner of Peters Tax Preparation & Consulting in Richmond, VA. He has over fourteen years of experience in financial services, including 3 years in the hedge fund industry and six years in the insurance industry. David was the first-ever Chief Financial Officer at Compare.com - a position he held for over three years. He is a national CPE Instructor/Discussion Leader for the AICPA, Surgent, and Kaplan. He regularly teaches courses in accounting, finance, insurance, and ethics throughout the United States. He holds four Masters degrees and contributes regularly to various CPA publications, including NCACPA’s Interim Report, SCACPA’s CPA Report, and VSCPA’s Disclosures. He was also a co-author of the 2018 Virginia CPA Ethics course – a required course for all CPA’s licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.