How to Prepare, Read and Analyse a Company Balance Sheet

The Duomo Initiative presents: "How to Prepare, Read and Analyse a Company Balance Sheet".

A practical, step-by-step course that will accelerate your understanding of how to perform this critical aspect of company analysis.

The course is presented in the distinctive Duomo style; engaging and interactive, as seen on the popular YouTube Channel.

If you're an investor looking to improve the depth of your equity analysis...

Or an entrepreneur wanting to calculate your company's solvency...

Or simply someone that wants to expand their horizons by learning more about the financial world around them...

Then this is the course for you!

Featured in this package are nearly 2 hours of practical and theoretical lessons, detailed text modules and a quiz at the end of every section to test your understanding.

You will also receive a supporting spreadsheet, to aid you in completing all the practical activities.

The content of the course has been put together following proven principles for accelerated learning. This means it will challenge you to stay focused and work hard, but is still suitable for complete beginners with no previous accounting or financial experience.

This course will be presented by Nicholas Puri and has been written by Dr. Alexander Cassar, a director at PuriCassar AG and a qualified accountant since 1990.

Based on recent student reviews and a global rating of 4.35, here is a comprehensive review of the "Understanding the Balance Sheet and Financial Ratios" online course: ### Pros: - **Clear Content Delivery**: The majority of reviews praise the course for its clear and systematic approach to explaining complex financial concepts. The instructor's voice is described as clear, making the learning process easier for students. - **Engaging Material**: Many students find the text modules very well made, indicating that the written content complements the verbal explanations effectively. - **Practical Application**: The course receives positive feedback for its practical examples and real-world applications of financial concepts, which are seen as beneficial for both beginners and professionals. - **Quizzes and Exercises**: The inclusion of quizzes and exercises is generally appreciated, as they help in reinforcing the learned material and ensuring understanding. - **Useful for Professionals**: The course is particularly highlighted as a valuable refresher for accountants and managers who need to understand fiscal responsibilities and budget preparation. - **Accessibility**: The course's availability is seen as an asset, especially for those looking to improve their professional skills or gain a foundational understanding of financial reporting. - **Multimedia Elements**: Some students appreciate the use of multimedia elements, such as videos and text modules, which enhance the learning experience. - **Free Course Value**: The course is noted for being rare and useful, especially since it's free and covers topics that are otherwise expensive to learn. ### Cons: - **Reliance on Supplementary Materials**: A significant concern is that while answers are provided, the process of arriving at those answers is not always shown on-screen. Students suggest that a more interactive approach would be beneficial. - **Excessive Quizzes**: Some students feel that there are too many quizzes, with one reviewer pointing out that the last quiz had an unusually high number of questions (35). - **Pacing and Presentation**: A few reviews suggest that the instructor could improve the course by slowing down or using a split-screen to demonstrate financial document analysis and ratio calculations during lectures. - **Target Audience Confusion**: The course is criticized for not being beginner-friendly, as it assumes some prior knowledge of accountancy and skips foundational steps in its tutorials. - **Language Considerations**: Some Indian students find the spoken English to be challenging to understand, suggesting that the language could be adjusted to better suit non-native speakers. - **Ratio Analysis Examples**: A reviewer points out that examples of ratios are not always clear, with uncertain guidance on whether results are indicative of financial health or other factors. - **Course Structure and Coherence**: There is a suggestion that the course structure needs to be revisited for coherence, as some content may go above certain students' heads without additional context or clarification. - **Cultural Relevance**: One student notes that the case study's data is too similar to a single company, which may limit its practical application for diverse business scenarios. ### Overall Impression: The "Understanding the Balance Sheet and Financial Ratios" course receives generally positive reviews, with students appreciating the clarity of instruction and the course's practical approach to learning financial concepts. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in the interaction within the course and ensuring content is accessible to learners at all levels of expertise. The course is recommended for accountants, managers, and those looking to improve their accounting skills, with a note that some adjustments would make it even more effective. **Note**: The reviews suggest that while the course offers valuable knowledge, it could be enhanced by incorporating interactive elements, providing clearer examples of financial analysis, and potentially revising parts of the course content to cater to a broader range of learners.