A firm's financial statements present a picture of the past reporting period's activities. While they present useful information about a firm, one must analyze the information to make meaningful decisions regarding the firm's position, the effectiveness of management, and where the firm might be heading. In order to make good decisions, one must understand the environment in which the firm is operating, where the firm is now, and where the firm is going.

This course provides an overview of how to analyze the information presented in a firm's financial statements and how to utilize those statements to make informed decisions. Specifically, this course will discuss how to determine the environment in which a firm operates, how to determine where a firm is now, and how to predict where a firm is going and what the firm is worth.

After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

• differentiate key aspects of the environment in which a firm operates
  
• identify common frameworks for analyzing a firm's financial statements
  
• calculate and understand appropriate numerical values and ratios to articulate a firm's financial position and performance
  
• identify financial statement elements used in making financial projections and in estimating a firm's value