Reading and Understanding Financials

Description

As a broker or adviser, do you find it difficult to read and understand the financial documents of your self-employed clients? If yes, you are not alone. Reading and understanding financials require knowledge and skill to navigate through that maze of documents.

Financial statements could prove to be difficult to unravel but they are important to understand the financial standing of your client. The business environment nowadays is corrupted with organisations resorting to fraudulent financial reporting. Though fairly straightforward, financial statements could be altered in some cases to paint a different picture. It then becomes essential that before getting into the nitty-gritty of organising any kind of loan for your clients, you deep dive into their business’s financial health.

There are quite a few financial documents that you should be aware of. The income statement takes the top position in importance followed by the balance sheet. Your goal should be to gain clarity on how much money is being made, the difference between incoming and outgoing, and how much is owed. It is important when assessing a client for affordability to repay a loan, that their representative fully understand the financial health of their business. Financial statements across 2-3 years of trading provide a good indication of consistency in cash flow, current debt, liability, and liquidity.

This course is designed to help learners gain a better understanding of reading financial statements for self-employed entities.

Estimated Time To Complete

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• List the essential financial documents to be obtained from self-employed clients.
• Understand the importance of each type of financial document.
• Interpret financial statements effectively.