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This is a course of short webcasts (about 12-20 minutes apiece), designed to introduce you to the basics of accounting, but more from the perspective of a user of financial statements than from someone who cares about accounting rules and standards. So, be forewarned! I have no qualms about saying terrible things about accounting standards and rule writers, rewriting accounting rules to fit my perspectives on valuation and corporate finance, and ignoring vast segments of accounting statements as useless in financial analysis.

Class Webcasts

	Session Webcast	Short Description	Supplementary Material
Preview	Introduction to sessions	Provides an introduction to (my) version of an accounting class. Perhaps, more a warning, than a sales pitch!
1	Financial Statements: An Overview	Provides an overview of the three financial statements and what they aim to do (and sometimes fail to do).	Slides
2	Income Statements: Measuring Profits	Go through an income statement, drawing distinctions between operating & financing expenses and measures of profitability.	Slides Post-class test & solution
2A	Income Statements: Illustrations	Look at the income statements of a diverse set of companies, at different stages of life cycle and in different sectors.	Slides Post-class test & solution
3	Balance Sheets: Asset Base and Debt Due	Go through a balance sheet, looking at how assets get recorded on it, and how that measurement affects accounting measures of equity.	Slides Post-class test & solution
3A	Balance Sheets: Illustrations	Look at the balance sheets of a diverse set of companies, at different stages of life cycle and in different sectors.	Slides Post-class test & solution
4	Cashflow Statements: Cash In and Out	Go through a cash flow statement, drawing out information that it provides on cash earnings and cash flows.	Slides Post-class test & solution
4A	Cash Flow Statements: Illustrations	Look at the cashflow statements of a diverse set of companies, at different stages of life cycle and in different sectors.	Slides Post-class test & solution
5	Accounting Inconsistencies & Consequences	Look at the items (stock based compensation, R&D, leases) where there are accounting inconsistencies, and how they play out in the statements.	Slides Post-class test & solution
5A	Accounting Inconsistencies: Illustrations	Look at the how to resolve inconsistencies in accounting in real-world examples.	Slides Post-class test & solution
6	Financial Ratios: Of comps and peer groups	Ratios are scaling mechanisms, allowing for comparisons across companies and across time. In this session, I look at a range of ratios that can help in analysis.	Slides Post-class test & solution
6A	Financial Ratios: Illustrations	Look at using financial ratios to make judgments about profitability, leverage and liquidity with real-world examples.	Slides Post-class test & solution