Accounting: Principles of Financial Accounting

Reading a company's financial statements, properly

Financial accounting is often taught as bookkeeping mechanics; IESE Business School's course instead frames it as a language — the one every serious business decision eventually gets translated into. That framing matters: the goal here is fluency in reading and interpreting statements, not just producing them.

• Income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
• Accrual accounting and how accruals shape reported earnings
• Financial statement analysis for evaluating a company's health
• Financial reporting standards and practical work in Microsoft Excel

Set at a beginner level, it assumes no prior accounting or finance background, which makes it broadly useful — for founders, managers, investors, and anyone whose job touches budgets or P&Ls without a finance degree behind them.

With 171,620 learners enrolled, it's clearly become a go-to for people who need working financial literacy, not a CPA credential — the kind of course that pays off the first time you sit in a meeting where a balance sheet gets put on screen.