Intro to Financial Analysis and Managerial Accounting! Course Syllabus

Overview: This beginner-friendly course provides a concise, practical introduction to financial and managerial accounting, designed for business-minded learners. Through real-world examples in Google Sheets, you'll learn to analyze financial statements, evaluate profitability, and support data-driven business decisions. With approximately 3.5 hours of focused content, the course is structured into five core modules covering financial analysis, cost accounting, budgeting, variance analysis, and cash flow fundamentals. Lifetime access allows you to learn at your own pace and revisit key concepts as needed.

Module 1: Financial Analysis Foundations

Estimated time: 0.5 hours

• Interpret balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements
• Assess company health using key financial metrics
• Identify performance indicators based on business context
• Analyze financial data to support decision-making

Module 2: Cost & Managerial Accounting Basics

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Distinguish between variable, fixed, and mixed costs
• Calculate unit and total contribution margin
• Apply break-even analysis for business decisions
• Use cost behavior to evaluate pricing and volume changes

Module 3: Budgeting & Forecasting

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Build a master budget using Google Sheets
• Project future financial scenarios
• Perform scenario planning (best, worst, expected cases)

Module 4: Variance Analysis

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Analyze revenue, cost, and margin variances
• Compare actual vs. budgeted performance
• Diagnose root causes of financial deviations

Module 5: Profit vs. Cash & Decision Frameworks

Estimated time: 0.75 hours

• Explain the difference between profit and cash flow
• Understand why cash is critical for business survival
• Evaluate pricing, volume, and cost decisions through case examples

Module 6: Final Project

Estimated time: 1.0 hours

• Perform a full financial analysis using sample data
• Create a budget and conduct scenario analysis
• Present findings and recommendations based on variance and break-even insights

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic spreadsheet functions
• No prior accounting knowledge required
• Access to Google Sheets (free account recommended)

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Interpret financial statements to assess business performance
• Calculate and apply contribution and break-even analysis
• Build budgets and forecast financial scenarios in Google Sheets
• Conduct variance analysis to identify performance gaps
• Explain the relationship between profit and cash flow and make informed operational decisions