Stuart Warner Bsc (Hons) FCA is the author of four books. His goal is to help businesses increase productivity and profits through innovative and engaging finance training. He delivers finance-based training programmes around the world across multiple sectors. Over his career, Stuart has trained over ten thousand people. He has taught accounting trainees for professional qualifications and has delivered CPD courses for qualified accountants and interactive courses for non-finance professionals from graduate to board level. Stuart studied management sciences at UMIST and became a Chartered Accountant whilst working at PwC.

Saieem (Si) Hussain BSc (Hons) FCA is a Chartered Accountant. He trained at KPMG and qualified in 1990. Si has spent 30+ years delivering financial and business training to thousands of professionals. He has held senior positions in several listed companies, including Chief Executive of BPP Professional Education. Si runs an independent consultancy delivering financial and business training, including coaching to senior executives. He provides strategic and business advice to organisations across the training and education sectors.

About the authors

Acknowledgements

Introduction

part 1 Finance fundamentals

1 Finance personnel and systems

2 Cash versus accruals accounting

part 2 Primary financial statements

3 Profit and loss (P&L)

4 The balance sheet

5 Cash flow statement

part 3 Key elements of financial statements

6 Revenue recognition

7 Opex and capex

8 Business tax

9 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

10 Goodwill and other intangibles

11 Stock

12 Debtors and creditors

13 Prepayments and accruals

14 Provisions and contingencies

15 Capital and reserves

16 Group accounting

17 Revaluation

18 Impairment

part 4 Financial and regulatory environment

19 Accounting and financial reporting standards

20 External financial audit

21 Information in the public domain

22 Corporate governance and whistleblowing

part 5 Assessing financial health

23 Profitability performance measures

24 Working capital and liquidity management

25 Insolvency and going concern risk

26 Long-term solvency performance measures

27 Investor ratios

28 Business valuation

part 6 Sources of business finance

29 Equity finance

30 Debt finance

part 7 Financial management

31 Management accounts

32 Profitable pricing

33 Profit planning

34 Budgeting and forecasting

35 Investment appraisal

part 8 Practical application

36 Consolidate and apply

37 The reliability, relevance & trustworthiness of financial statements

Appendix: Greggs plc 2020 Financial Statements

Glossary

Further resources

Index

The knowledge and tools every professional needs to make better financial and business decisions.

Why this book is di