5.0
Reviewed Feb 22, 2021I highly recommend this course. I've always thought that I could never be a "numbers" person and the instructor did such a great job explaining things. So glad I took it!
Finance for Non-Finance Professionals
This short course surveys all the major topics covered in a full semester MBA level finance course, but with a more intuitive approach on a very high conceptual level. The goal here is give you a roadmap and framework for how financial professional make decisions. We will cover the basics of financial valuation, the time value of money, compounding returns, and discounting the future. You will understand discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation and how it compares to other methods. We also step inside the mind of a corporate financial manager and develop the basic tools of capital budgeting. We will survey the how, when, and where to spend money, make tradeoffs about investment, growth, dividends, and how to ensure sound fiscal discipline. Our journey then turns to a Wall Street or capital markets perspective of investments as we discuss the fundamental tradeoff between risk and return. We then synthesize our discussion of risk with our valuation framework and incorporate it into series of direct applications to practice. This course requires no prior familiarity with finance. Rather, it is intended to be a first step for anyone who is curious about understanding stock markets, valuation, or corporate finance. We will walk through all of the tools and quantitative analysis together and develop a guide for understanding the seemingly complex decisions that finance professionals make. By the end of the course, you will develop an understanding of the major conceptual levers that push and pull on financial decision making and how they relate to other areas of business. The course should also serve as a roadmap for where to further your finance education and it would be an excellent introduction of any students contemplating an MBA or Finance concentration, but who has little background in the area.
Status: Business Valuation
Status: Financial Management
BeginnerCourse14 hours
Featured reviews
5.0
Reviewed Oct 27, 2020The course - Finance for non-finance professionals met my expectations. Enjoyed attending online classes with an intuitive approach by an instructor to solve problems on the go...
5.0
Reviewed Oct 31, 2019Very insightful and refreshed the concepts I learned in a much better way! Professor was extremely good at conveying the course in the best way possible to comprehend complex topics!
4.0
Reviewed Jun 22, 2017Learned sooo much in this course. It taught me how to remain curious as the subject matter got more difficult. If you stick with it, you really learn to enjoy finance.
5.0
Reviewed Jun 20, 2020James is a very passionate and communicative lecturer. I really love the way he presents the materials because it makes all the materials are easily digested and understood. Two thumbs up!!
4.0
Reviewed May 3, 2020This class is an excellent introduction to capital budgeting and finance. It is an excellent primer for understanding how businesses can use these tools to analyze transactions.
4.0
Reviewed Jul 20, 2020I learned a lot of things during this course. The conversation with a practitioner really gives you insights about the real world applications, and where our knowledge is applicable in the market.
5.0
Reviewed Mar 25, 2018Very good learning experience.The course is ideal for people having an interest in Finance! No prior knowledge needed!The Prof. makes sure you are involved throughout the lecture!
5.0
Reviewed Apr 27, 2020Best Course on Finance I have seen so far !! Professor Mr.Weston explains very clearly and also has designed the course efficiently !!! Knowledge could be applied directly at workplace :)
5.0
Reviewed Jun 19, 2020If you are an absolute noob in finance as I am, this course is just for you..Just that sometimes you would have to google a bit for a few terms .... Brilliant work by Rice Uni....
5.0
Reviewed Mar 8, 2020Totally enjoyable! Big thank you to Prof. James Weston, his team and Coursera for making this course available to al of us,the curious learnes wherever we may be on the Globe!
5.0
Reviewed Oct 6, 2018This course as the title suggests is actually required for non finance professionals to get an understanding of concepts in Finance. A very good and well structured course.