💶 Finance & Accounting Fundamentals

A free, vendor-neutral foundation course in finance and accounting. It covers double-entry bookkeeping and the accounting equation, the three core financial statements (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow), accrual vs cash accounting, revenue recognition and depreciation, working-capital and ratio analysis, budgeting, cost concepts, break-even, the time value of money, NPV/IRR capital budgeting, internal controls, taxes, and the differences between IFRS and US GAAP. Built with visual lessons, worked numeric examples and a 45-question final exam, it prepares any student, entrepreneur or non-financial manager to read the numbers with confidence. It is awareness/foundation training and carries no vendor or standard-setter endorsement. The course is organized into 22 modules, ending with a final exam (pass mark 80%). It is free awareness-level training designed for anyone who needs a practical, working understanding of the topic.

What you'll learn

• Why Finance & Accounting Matter
• The Accounting Equation & Double-Entry
• Accounts, Debits/Credits & the Chart of Accounts
• The Accounting Cycle: Journal → Ledger → Trial Balance
• The Income Statement (P&L)
• The Balance Sheet
• The Cash Flow Statement
• Accrual vs Cash Accounting & the Matching Principle
• Revenue Recognition Basics
• Depreciation & Amortization
• Working Capital Management
• Liquidity & Solvency Ratios
• Profitability & Efficiency Ratios
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Cost Concepts: Fixed/Variable, Direct/Indirect
• Cost-Volume-Profit & Break-Even Analysis
• Time Value of Money
• Capital Budgeting: NPV, IRR, Payback
• Internal Controls & Audit Basics
• Taxes & Compliance Basics
• IFRS vs US GAAP Overview
• Finance for Non-Financial Managers: Reading the Numbers & Ethics

Learning objectives

• Explain why finance and accounting matter and distinguish the two disciplines
• Apply the accounting equation (Assets = Liabilities + Equity) and the logic of double-entry bookkeeping
• Record transactions with debits and credits and follow the full accounting cycle
• Read and interpret the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement
• Distinguish accrual from cash accounting and apply the matching and revenue-recognition principles
• Calculate depreciation, working capital, and core liquidity, solvency, profitability and efficiency ratios
• Build a simple budget and forecast and understand fixed, variable, direct and indirect costs
• Perform break-even, time-value-of-money, NPV, IRR and payback calculations
• Describe internal controls, audit basics, taxes, and the main IFRS vs US GAAP differences
• Pass a 45-question exam (80% to earn your certificate)