PROGRAM GUIDE

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Overview:

Every employee plays a role in financial management. Finance involves understanding and making good financial decisions at all organizational levels. This course presents information about the fundamentals of corporate finance. It shows how various work activities can and do affect the financial health of an organization. The course introduces concepts, examples and knowledge that non-financially oriented employees need to know to understand the role finance plays in an organization's decision-making process. This course is designed for managers and non-managers who want and need to understand the basics of corporate finance, regardless of organizational position.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Identify the sources and types of funding available to today's organizations along with the advantages and disadvantages of each
Recognize the contents and uses of three important financial reports: balance sheets, income statements (a.k.a. profit and loss statements) and cash flow statements
Explore how key ratios are used to track financial resources and guide decisions that maximize profits and company success, including profitability, liquidity and long-term solvency (capital stock) ratios
Recognize how "what-if" forecasting is used to make financial decisions, including cost-benefit analysis
Understand the language of finance by learning definitions of commonly used finance terms

Duration:

This course takes approximately 40 to 50 minutes to complete.

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Course Description

Creating Shareholder Value

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Overview:

Creating shareholder value has become a dominant corporate goal. Today global capital markets, corporate takeovers, mergers and acquisitions are the norm. Corporations find that every decision is intensely scrutinized by pension and mutual funds. These financial institutions all demand that firms focus on increasing shareholder value. This analytical approach has become increasingly important to employees, managers and investors alike as markets have become globally competitive. Participants in this course will learn why increasing shareholder value is the ultimate purpose of firms and why such stock represents a good investment. They will also learn why economic value added and net cash flow are two of the most important measures of a firm's success, how they are measured and why it is used to guide investment decisions. Additionally, participants will learn what characteristics increase the value of firms to investors, how firms create competitive advantage and what strategies firms use to create shareholder value. This course is intended for managerial level employees of medium to large organizations.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Understand why increasing shareholder value is the ultimate purpose of a corporation and why you want to invest in these firms
Recognize why net cash flow (or economic value added) is an important measure of the future success of a firm
Understand how economic value added and net cash flow are measured
Realize why forecasting future cash flows is important
Determine how the firm's cost of capital is estimated
Identify the factors (value drivers) that increase stock prices
Determine the strategies that firms can use to increase shareholder values
Realize how you can use these concepts to evaluate stocks for your portfolio

Duration:

This course takes approximately 50 to 60 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Personal Finance: Getting Started

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Overview:

This course provides an overview of all the courses in the Personal Finance curriculum and helps you take the first step towards taking charge of your financial future. Fill in the profile questionnaire to receive a personalized curriculum for the courses offered in Personal Finance. You will receive a recommended sequence for the courses that you should take.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Understand the objectives of the Personal Finance curriculum
Identify the four core courses which are highly recommended for all users
Assess which optional courses are most relevant to you
Apply the feedback from the questionnaire to develop your personalized curriculum
Define an appropriate sequence in which to complete the courses

Duration:

This course takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Customer Support and Personalization

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Overview:

The first step in developing any financial plan is to gain a clear understanding of your current financial situation. This course helps you build a net worth statement based on your assets and liabilities, examines your cash flow, savings rate and emergency fund. It also explains what these numbers can tell you about your current financial situation and explores strategies to improve your future financial health. This is one of the four core courses in the Personal Finance curriculum.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Determine your financial net worth
Assess your annual cash flow by reviewing your income and expenses
Understand what these numbers reveal about your finances
Analyze your expenses in more detail and set up a budget if necessary
Apply appropriate strategies to improve your long term financial health

Duration:

This course takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Personal Finance: Time Value of Money

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Overview:

Time can be your best ally and your worst enemy when planning for your financial future. Time can help your investments grow, but can make your debts balloon through interest. Time can also affect the purchasing power of your money through inflation. In this course you will take a closer look at how time can affect the value of your money. You will explore compound interest and learn about the Rule of 72. You will learn how inflation impacts investing and how to account for inflation when developing your personal plan.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Recognize that time can be your best ally and your worst enemy in financial planning
Appreciate the power of compounding as a wealth building tool
Apply the Rule of 72 to estimate the effect of compounding
Understand how making regular contributions affects the value of an investment
Understand how receiving regular payments affects the value of an investment
Evaluate the impact of inflation on your financial future

Duration:

This course takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Personal Finance: Setting Goals

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Overview:

Your personal goals drive the direction of your financial plan, yet many people do not know what their goals are. In this course you will learn how to translate your personal dreams into specific, realistic financial goals, and learn how to prioritize and balance short-term and long-term goals. This is one of the four core courses in the Personal Finance curriculum.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Understand how goals set the direction for your financial plan
Apply the five principles of setting financial goals
Identify your own financial goals
Refine each of your goals and set priorities
Juggle your goals to develop a concrete five-year plan for debt reduction and savings
Develop an action plan to reach your goals

Duration:

This course takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Personal Finance: Understanding Credit

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Overview:

Getting too far into debt is the biggest and most common financial mistake that consumers make. This course looks at the different types of credit available for you, what you need to know about your credit rating, and how to differentiate between dumb and smart credit. It also shows you how to turn things around if your debt load has become critical, providing a brief overview of the bankruptcy process.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Know how different types of credit work
Recognize the factors that influence your credit rating
Review your credit report
Choose the type of credit that is appropriate for you
Determine whether debt consolidation makes sense for you
Protect yourself from unscrupulous lenders and marketing schemes
Assess your options if your debt load has become critical

Duration:

This course takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Investing: Balancing Risk and Return

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Overview:

Many people dream of high investment returns with little or no risk involved, but real world investing requires a tradeoff between the return you expect and the level of risk you are willing to accept. This course will teach you about the risks and returns of different types of investments, including equities, fixed income and cash equivalents. You will create a personal investor profile and develop an investment strategy to reach your objectives. This is one of the four core courses in the Personal Finance curriculum. You should complete the Time, Value of Money course before doing this module.

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Recognize the different types of risk that affect investments
Identify the three major asset classes
Understand the relationship between risk and return for investments in each asset class
Appreciate the importance of your investment time horizon
Explore your investor profile and suggested asset mix
Apply various diversification strategies to reduce risk in your investments

Duration:

This course takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Course Description

Retirement Planning I: Essential Concepts

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Overview:

With earlier retirement and longer life expectancies, you may find yourself spending nearly as many years in retirement as you did working. The best way to ensure a financially comfortable retirement is to think about what you want, then make a plan to help you get there. The earlier you start, the easier it will be to reach your goal-even if your savings are modest. This course helps you determine how much income you will need in retirement, and what you can expect from Social Security and employer pensions. It will also identify any shortfall you need to make up through personal savings. We recommend that you complete the following modules before doing this course; Setting Goals and Time Value of Money

Objectives:

Upon completion this course you will be able to:

Explain the importance of planning early for retirement
Define the three pillars of retirement income
Recognize the importance and future of Social Security for retirees
Identify the factors that determine the level of retirement benefits you will receive
Improve your understanding of your employer pension plan
Prepare your own retirement plan by researching the required information

Duration:

This course takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Course Description

System Requirements

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¥ Pentium class computer

¥ 200 MHz processor (266 MHz recommended)

¥ 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended)

¥ Any one of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 or Windows XP (both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 require at least 64 MB RAM)

¥ SVGA monitor capable of 16-bit color and 800 x 600 screen resolution

¥ Sound card with speakers or headphones (optional)

¥ Canaux Focus Browser

¥ Macromedia Shockwave Player 8

¥ Minimum 56.6 Kbps internet connection

¥ (High speed cable, DSL-class or broadband access recommended)

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