How to Understand Financial Statements


Book Description

Covers numerous aspects of financial analysis, including an overview of the institutional environment, income statements, balance sheets, the statement of cash flows and the quality of reported earnings and assets.




Stories of Capitalism


Book Description

The financial crisis and the recession that followed caught many people off guard, including experts in the financial sector whose jobs involve predicting market fluctuations. Financial analysis offices in most international banks are supposed to forecast the rise or fall of stock prices, the success or failure of investment products, and even the growth or decline of entire national economies. And yet their predictions are heavily disputed. How do they make their forecasts—and do those forecasts have any actual value? Building on recent developments in the social studies of finance, Stories of Capitalism provides the first ethnography of financial analysis. Drawing on two years of fieldwork in a Swiss bank, Stefan Leins argues that financial analysts construct stories of possible economic futures, presenting them as coherent and grounded in expert research and analysis. In so doing, they establish a role for themselves—not necessarily by laying bare empirically verifiable trends but rather by presenting the market as something that makes sense and is worth investing in. Stories of Capitalism is a nuanced look at how banks continue to boost investment—even in unstable markets—and a rare insider’s look into the often opaque financial practices that shape the global economy.




7 FINANCIAL MODELS FOR ANALYSTS, INVESTORS AND FINANCE PROFESSIONALS


Book Description

Financial models in Excel allow investment analysts and other finance professionals to take the laborious number crunching out of financial analysis and forecasting. Models help them to gain meaningful insights into the way that a business is working and focus attention on areas to improve bottom-line results. They can also be used as powerful tools to test the potential impact of various risks on business performance. In this brand new guide, financial modelling expert Paul Lower presents step-by-step instructions for seven spreadsheet models that will help the user to gain a better understanding of the financial data coming out of a business. These seven models can be used to: 1. Assess how a business is performing on key financial indicators. 2. Produce sales and cost forecasts. 3. Create a cash flow forecast. 4. Understand the impact of product price changes on profitability. 5. Assess potential investment decisions. 6. Check the sensitivity of key financial measures to risk events. 7. Produce a business valuation. The book also includes downloadable spreadsheets of the author’s original Excel models and introductory chapters about best practice when modelling in Excel. With this suite of seven tools, a financial analyst will be equipped to use Excel to achieve a deep understanding of a business and its financial data.




The Essentials of Financial Analysis


Book Description

It’s easier than you think to understand the financial reports you face every day . . . If your job focus is on managing employees and overseeing corporate affairs, financial analysis may sound like a foreign language to you. But, in today’s competitive business environment, it is crucial that managers and business executives have a firm grasp of financial analysis. The Essentials of Financial Analysis simplifies an often difficult-to-understand topic so stakeholders ranging from employees to executives to investors can understand and discuss an organization’s financial workings. The Essentials of Financial Analysis delivers practical, in-depth coverage on the key components of financial reporting, budgeting, and analysis to help you better relate to the numbers behind the business issues you face every day. By the time you turn the final page of this book, you will be able to command confident discussions on performance, investment, and other financial situations with members of your finance team and senior management. This hands-on book helps you make better business decisions by showing you how to structure financial analysis, as well as: Contribute to an organization’s success and guide others companywide to make better financial decisions Reduce cost of capital and hurdle rates by selecting the financial markets, intermediaries, and instruments that work best for your company’s financing needs Increase shareholder value by pursuing growth through capital investment, new products, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategies Your career success and the prosperity of your company depends on your ability to understand and act upon basic financial principles. With The Essentials of Financial Analysis, you can go inside the numbers and get a clear picture of where your company has been, where it is going, and how you can help it get there.




2022 CFA Program Curriculum Level I Box Set


Book Description

Prepare for success on the 2022 CFA Level I exam with the latest official CFA® Program Curriculum. The 2022 CFA Program Curriculum Level I Box Set contains all the material you need to succeed on the Level I CFA exam in 2022. This set includes the full official curriculum for Level I and is part of the larger CFA Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK). Highly visual and intuitively organized, this box set allows you to: Learn from financial thought leaders. Access market-relevant instruction. Gain critical knowledge and skills. The set also includes practice questions to assist with your recall of key terms, concepts, and formulas. Perfect for anyone preparing for the 2022 Level I CFA exam, the 2022 CFA Program Curriculum Level I Box Set is a must-have resource for those seeking the foundational skills required to become a Chartered Financial Analyst®.




Best Practices for Equity Research (PB)


Book Description

The first real-world guide for training equity research analysts—from a Morgan Stanley veteran Addresses the dearth of practical training materials for research analysts in the U.S. and globally Valentine managed a department of 70 analysts and 100 associates at Morgan Stanley and developed new programs for over 500 employees around the globe He will promote the book through his company's extensive outreach capabilities




How to Be a Financial Analyst: A Comprehensive Guide


Book Description

"How to Be a Financial Analyst: A Comprehensive Guide" is your essential roadmap to mastering the intricate and dynamic field of financial analysis. This in-depth book and course guide provides a complete curriculum for aspiring financial analysts, covering everything from foundational concepts and advanced techniques to real-world applications and industry insights. With twenty detailed chapters, each featuring practical exercises, case studies, and expert advice, this guide equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in financial analysis. Whether you're a student preparing for a career in finance or a professional seeking to enhance your expertise, this comprehensive resource will help you navigate your journey with confidence and clarity.




Financial Statement Analysis


Book Description

Praise for Financial Statement Analysis A Practitioner's Guide Third Edition "This is an illuminating and insightful tour of financial statements, how they can be used to inform, how they can be used to mislead, and how they can be used to analyze the financial health of a company." -Professor Jay O. Light Harvard Business School "Financial Statement Analysis should be required reading for anyone who puts a dime to work in the securities markets or recommends that others do the same." -Jack L. Rivkin Executive Vice President (retired) Citigroup Investments "Fridson and Alvarez provide a valuable practical guide for understanding, interpreting, and critically assessing financial reports put out by firms. Their discussion of profits-'quality of earnings'-is particularly insightful given the recent spate of reporting problems encountered by firms. I highly recommend their book to anyone interested in getting behind the numbers as a means of predicting future profits and stock prices." -Paul Brown Chair-Department of Accounting Leonard N. Stern School of Business, NYU "Let this book assist in financial awareness and transparency and higher standards of reporting, and accountability to all stakeholders." -Patricia A. Small Treasurer Emeritus, University of California Partner, KCM Investment Advisors "This book is a polished gem covering the analysis of financial statements. It is thorough, skeptical and extremely practical in its review." -Daniel J. Fuss Vice Chairman Loomis, Sayles & Company, LP




Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management


Book Description

Critical insights for savvy financial analysts Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is the essential desk reference for CFOs, FP&A professionals, investment banking professionals, and equity research analysts. With thought-provoking discussion and refreshing perspective, this book provides insightful reference for critical areas that directly impact an organization’s effectiveness. From budgeting and forecasting, analysis, and performance management, to financial communication, metrics, and benchmarking, these insights delve into the cornerstones of business and value drivers. Dashboards, graphs, and other visual aids illustrate complex concepts and provide reference at a glance, while the author’s experience as a CFO, educator, and general manager leads to comprehensive and practical analytical techniques for real world application. Financial analysts are under constant pressure to perform at higher and higher levels within the realm of this consistently challenging function. Though areas ripe for improvement abound, true resources are scarce—until now. This book provides real-world guidance for analysts ready to: Assess performance of FP&A function and develop improvement program Improve planning and forecasting with new and provocative thinking Step up your game with leading edge analytical tools and practical solutions Plan, analyze and improve critical business and value drivers Build analytical capability and effective presentation of financial information Effectively evaluate capital investments in uncertain times The most effective analysts are those who are constantly striving for improvement, always seeking new solutions, and forever in pursuit of enlightening resources with real, useful information. Packed with examples, practical solutions, models, and novel approaches, Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is an invaluable addition to the analyst’s professional library. Access to a website with many of the tools introduced are included with the purchase of the book.




Financial Modeling and Valuation


Book Description

Written by the Founder and CEO of the prestigious New York School of Finance, this book schools you in the fundamental tools for accurately assessing the soundness of a stock investment. Built around a full-length case study of Wal-Mart, it shows you how to perform an in-depth analysis of that company's financial standing, walking you through all the steps of developing a sophisticated financial model as done by professional Wall Street analysts. You will construct a full scale financial model and valuation step-by-step as you page through the book. When we ran this analysis in January of 2012, we estimated the stock was undervalued. Since the first run of the analysis, the stock has increased 35 percent. Re-evaluating Wal-Mart 9months later, we will step through the techniques utilized by Wall Street analysts to build models on and properly value business entities. Step-by-step financial modeling - taught using downloadable Wall Street models, you will construct the model step by step as you page through the book. Hot keys and explicit Excel instructions aid even the novice excel modeler. Model built complete with Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Balance Sheet, Balance Sheet Balancing Techniques, Depreciation Schedule (complete with accelerating depreciation and deferring taxes), working capital schedule, debt schedule, handling circular references, and automatic debt pay downs. Illustrative concepts including detailing model flows help aid in conceptual understanding. Concepts are reiterated and honed, perfect for a novice yet detailed enough for a professional. Model built direct from Wal-Mart public filings, searching through notes, performing research, and illustrating techniques to formulate projections. Includes in-depth coverage of valuation techniques commonly used by Wall Street professionals. Illustrative comparable company analyses - built the right way, direct from historical financials, calculating LTM (Last Twelve Month) data, calendarization, and properly smoothing EBITDA and Net Income. Precedent transactions analysis - detailing how to extract proper metrics from relevant proxy statements Discounted cash flow analysis - simplifying and illustrating how a DCF is utilized, how unlevered free cash flow is derived, and the meaning of weighted average cost of capital (WACC) Step-by-step we will come up with a valuation on Wal-Mart Chapter end questions, practice models, additional case studies and common interview questions (found in the companion website) help solidify the techniques honed in the book; ideal for universities or business students looking to break into the investment banking field.