Equinet Academy > All Courses > Finance For Non-Finance Managers Course

Make Smarter Business Decisions with Practical Finance Skills

Finance For Non-Finance Managers Course

Gain practical budgeting, reporting, and KPI analysis skills to boost your financial understanding and improve how you make decisions, professionally or personally.

IBF-STS accredited courses are eligible for IBF funding support.

Transform Financial Data Into Strategic Insight

Course Description

What is This Course About?

Finance is the language of business; understanding it is essential for making smarter decisions and driving meaningful outcomes. Finance for Non-Finance Managers provides practical tools to interpret financial data, evaluate investments, and understand the fundamentals behind business performance.

Using real-world case studies from public-listed companies, you’ll learn to analyse financial statements, identify risks, and apply strategic techniques like benchmarking and SWOT analysis. The course also covers capital budgeting and the time value of money to support sound investment and resource decisions.

Whether you’re a manager, entrepreneur, or aspiring investor, this course builds the confidence and capability to apply financial insights across business and investment contexts.


Tools Covered

Inside your toolbox

Work with the same powerful tools the pros trust, practical, proven, and built to help you succeed from day one.

Target Audience

Made for the BOLD!

Professionals in non-finance roles, entrepreneurs, aspiring investors, project managers, and consultants who need to understand financial principles to make informed business decisions, manage budgets, evaluate investment opportunities, and contribute more effectively to strategic planning and project outcomes.

Prerequisites

What You’ll Need to Get Started

No prior finance or accounting background is required. This course is designed for beginners and non-finance professionals who want to build practical financial understanding. Participants should have basic computer literacy and be comfortable working with spreadsheets and documents. Learners are required to bring a laptop with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Adobe Reader installed to participate effectively in hands-on analysis, exercises, and case study discussions.

Course Highlights

What You’ll Learn

  • Master the 3 Key Financial Statements: Learn to interpret income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.
  • Apply Real-World Case Studies: Analyse financial reports from public-listed companies to understand business dynamics.
  • Identify Financial Risks: Recognise potential risks that could impact business decisions.
  • Learn Strategic Analysis Techniques: Gain skills in industry benchmarking and SWOT analysis for better decision-making.
  • Understand Capital Budgeting: Learn how to evaluate long-term investments and business projects, focusing on resource allocation and profitability.
  • Build Financial Confidence: Develop the skills to make data-driven decisions in your role, whether in management or investment.

Course Objectives

What You’ll Takeaway

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the principles of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), including revenue and expense recognition, and evaluate their impact on the accuracy and comparability of financial reporting.
  • Analyse the key components of the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement to assess an organisation’s financial performance, health, and cash flow management.
  • Analyse financial reports to identify and explain sources of risk, such as revenue manipulation, business model risks, regulatory risks, and evaluate their impact on decision-making.
  • Calculate and analyse key financial ratios, including Leverage, Efficiency, Profitability, Liquidity, and Investor ratios, to assess an organisation’s financial health and investment potential.
  • Analyse financial ratios of a company relative to its competitors and perform a SWOT analysis to evaluate its competitive advantage and assess investment potential.
  • Explain and apply the principles of capital budgeting to evaluate investment opportunities, optimise resource allocation, and make effective financial decisions.

Skills Gained:

Financial Reporting Literacy

Learn to interpret the key financial statements, the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement enabling you to understand your organisation’s financial performance.

Strategic Financial Analysis

Gain the ability to calculate and analyse financial ratios (liquidity, efficiency, profitability, leverage) and conduct SWOT and benchmarking analyses to evaluate business health and competitive position.

Risk Identification & Mitigation

Develop the skill to recognise financial risks such as revenue manipulation, regulatory threats or business-model vulnerabilities and assess their potential impact on decisions.

Smart Investment Decisions

Acquire the capability to evaluate investment opportunities, apply concepts like the time value of money and capital budgeting to inform resource allocation and long-term planning.

Practical Data Decision Skills

Become confident in using financial insights to support strategy, communicate with finance teams and make business-decisions even without a finance background.


Certification Track

Level up!

Get certified. Get noticed. Get ahead.

A Certification of Completion by Equinet Academy will be awarded to candidates who have demonstrated competency in the Finance For Non-Finance Manager course assessment and achieved at least 75% attendance.

Course Outline

Inside the course

The Finance For Non-Finance Managers Course covers financial reporting principles, financial statement analysis, risk identification, strategic analysis, and capital budgeting. Learn to interpret income statements, balance sheets, cash flow, and financial ratios to support data-driven business and investment decisions.

Principles of Financial Reporting

Instructor-Led
Lecture and Illustration
Demonstration and Practical Application
Class Activity
  • Introduction to Financial Reporting Standard
  • Accounting Standards for Revenue Recognition
  • Matching Principle
  • Inventory Expense Recognition – FIFO/LIFO/Weighted Average
  • Depreciation & Amortisation Expense – Straight Line VS Double-Declining Balance
Instructor-Led
Lecture and Illustration
Demonstration and Practical Application
Class Activity
  • Introduction to Income Statement
  • Types of Profit
  • Vertical & Horizontal Analysis of Income Statement
  • Introduction to Balance Sheet – Assets, Liabilities, Shareholders’ Equity
  • Introduction to Cash Flow Statement – CFO/CFI/CFF
  • Distinguish between the direct and indirect methods of presenting CFO
  • Calculate FCFF & FCFE
Instructor-Led
Lecture and Illustration
Demonstration and Practical Application
Didactic Questioning
  • Accounting Manipulation Techniques
  • Business Model Risk
  • Regulatory risks
Instructor-Led
Lecture and Illustration
Demonstration and Practical Application
Class Activity
  • Calculate Leverage, Efficiency, Profitability, Liquidity, and Investor ratios
  • Industry benchmarking
  • Perform SWOT Analysis
Instructor-Led
Lecture and Illustration
Demonstration and Practical Application
Class Activity
  • Time Value of Money
  • 5 Key Principles for Capital Budgeting
  • Net Present Value (NPV)
  • Internal Rate of Return (IRR/MIRR/XIRR)
  • Payback Period

Trainers

Meet Your Educators

Trainer Bio

Calvin Wu

Defying expectations at a young age, Calvin has carved a remarkable path in the investment landscape. He now manages multimillion-dollar portfolios for ultra-high net-worth individuals, leveraging his potent combination of insightful analysis, meticulous due diligence, and a deep understanding of market dynamics. He employs a multifaceted approach, seamlessly blending comprehensive market data with both technical and fundamental analysis.

View Full Trainer Profile

Course Fee & Funding

Fund Your Brain Gain

Access funding opportunities and resources designed to fuel your learning goals.

This course is eligible for funding under the IBF Standards Training Scheme (IBF-STS), subject to individual eligibility. For full scheme details, please refer to the IBF Standards Training Scheme (IBF-STS).

Course Fee (without funding)

S$990.00

S$297.00

IBF-STS Funding Support (70% Tier)

  • Singapore Citizens aged 40 years and above
  • Self-sponsored or Employer-sponsored

Funding support of 70% of direct training costs, capped at S$3,000 per participant per course. Funding support for the same course will be granted only once per calendar year per participant. Funding support is computed based on direct training costs. GST is not funded.

Apply Now

S$495.00

IBF-STS Funding Support (50% Tier)

  • Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents
  • Self-sponsored or Employer-sponsored

Funding support of 50% of direct training costs, capped at S$3,000 per participant per course. Funding support for the same course will be granted only once per calendar year per participant. Funding support is computed based on direct training costs. GST is not funded.

Apply Now


Course Schedule

Mark Your Calendar!

Discover course schedules crafted with you in mind, structured for balance, driven by your goals, ready for action.

Learning Mode Course Dates Duration Trainer
In-Person 28, 29 Jul 2026 (Tue, Wed) 9.00am - 6.00pm
In-Person 05, 06 Nov 2026 (Thu, Fri) 9.00am - 6.00pm

Click on the course dates above to register online.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Need-to-Know Stuff, Fast

Everything you need to know about the course. Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please contact our friendly team.

This course is designed for professionals in non-finance roles, entrepreneurs, aspiring investors, project managers, and consultants who want to enhance their financial literacy. It provides a solid foundation in financial analysis, enabling participants to make informed financial decisions, evaluate investment opportunities, and apply analytical skills in various business and investment contexts.

Yes, the course is designed for individuals with varying levels of financial knowledge.

A laptop with Excel, Word and Adobe Reader.


Brochure Download

See What’s Inside: Get the Brochure

Explore the course outline, key topics, and learning outcomes you will gain from this training.

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