Use finance to make better decisions

Learn to assess management decisions in a financial framework

In this course, you will start by recognizing basic accounting terms and describing their meaning. This will allow you to be able to categorize various accounting items and distinguish one from the other.

Next, you will begin to apply this accounting knowledge to analyze financial statements and theorize about the financial outcomes of management decisions. With this knowledge, you will start to see how to use financial measures to assess management's financial success (or failure).

Your new financial knowledge will earn you a place on the management team as a well-rounded manager who considers management decisions in a financial framework.

What some of our students have said:

“This course demystified finance in ways I never thought possible.”

Marianne

“This course was insightful and full of real-time situations.”

Binit Agarwa

“This course helped me build on my existing knowledge of finance. ”

Asma'u Atta

“This course gave me a vision of finance and significantly boosted what I had learned earlier. ”

Angelo Katalenas

What is this course all about?

Finance Made Ridiculously Simple is an online, video-based course that teaches people with a fear of finance to master financial statements and ratios to help them put their management ideas into a financial framework.

This course will help you understand the finances of any business. It is suitable for a young manager eager to acquire knowledge to help you make a more significant impact. Or for an ambitious marketing executive who hates finance and feels frustrated every time you try to learn it. Or for a senior manager who wants to build the financial skills needed to rise to become CEO.

How does this course work?

The Finance Made Ridiculously Simple course consists of seven modules and takes about 8 hours to complete. Each module contains video lessons that walk you through what you need to know about a business's finances.

You will learn in short blocks of content. Each lesson starts with a learning outcome statement and ends with a summary of what you have learned to help you retain the material better. The objective is to build your knowledge progressively as you progress through the modules.

When you sign up for the course, you will receive a course checklist to guide you to success. You will also receive other reference guides to help you bring the principles into your life. 

You get lifetime access to all the course materials, so you can always go back and review previous lessons. Also, your lifetime membership allows you to have access to any newly added material.

The course looks like this...

Is this course right for me?

If you want to learn simplified topics in finance, easy-to-understand business accounting concepts, and build a strong understanding of financial statements and ratios, the Finance Made Ridiculously Simple course is for you! Our typical students fall into one of these categories:

Sandra, New manager

Aspiring young professional wanting to make an impact

Sandra is a recent Liberal Arts grad who dreams of starting her own business. She felt useless working at a startup, often repeating depressingly mundane tasks. Looking for new skills to add to her toolbox, Sandra stumbled on the Finance Made Ridiculously Simple online course. She convinced her boss to pay for her attendance. In the course, she learned how to read balance sheets and analyze businesses while enjoying a fun and engaging teaching style. Though Sandra completed the online course, she wasn’t sure how to implement her new finance skills and asked in the Facebook group how she could use what she learned. Shortly after, Dr. Stotz encouraged her to spend more time discussing solutions with the accounting team. Soon after, they jointly solved a problem that helped the company increase its profitability. Her bosses really saw the impact of her new financial knowledge.

Thomas, Marketing executive

Ambitious non-financial manager

Although an experienced marketing executive, numbers and finance was always a daunting topic for Thomas. He often felt intimidated at business meetings when the CFO bombarded him with financial terms. Thomas attended a webinar that introduced him to the Finance Made Ridiculously Simple online course and was immediately intrigued by the approachable and easy-to-follow manner in which finance was presented. Upon enrollment, Thomas was eager to become literate in finance but hesitated to start due to his own fear of financial statements. Dr. Stotz encouraged Thomas to finish the course, assuring him that finance wasn’t as scary as he imagined. Though not without struggle, Thomas has built a strong accounting foundation and can confidently stride into any business meeting.

Brett, Chief operating officer

Aspiring to be CEO

Brett's lifetime dream is to become CEO. He minored in finance at university, but his understanding of finance was always shallow, rendering him a weak candidate. Brett knew, becoming a successful CEO would entail that he had to upgrade his financial knowledge. In a Facebook Live session with Dr. Stotz, Brett came to believe that taking Finance Made Ridiculously Simple would dramatically increase his chances of achieving his dream, and so, he enrolled. After mastering the course materials, Brett is now a strong candidate to be appointed Chief Executive Officer. His shortcomings in finance are no longer preventing his dream from coming true.

Start your journey today!

Course curriculum

Step-by-step through seven modules

  • 1

    Build a strong accounting foundation

    • Welcome to FMRS

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Build a strong accounting foundation

      FREE PREVIEW

    • How shareholders set up a business

    • Knowledge Check: How shareholders set up a business

    • Balance sheet basics

    • Knowledge Check: Balance sheet basics

    • Four main types of long-term assets

    • Knowledge Check: Four main types of long-term assets

    • The importance of inventory

    • Knowledge Check: The importance of inventory

    • Depreciation and accrued accounts

    • Knowledge Check: Depreciation and accrued accounts

    • Principles and four main accrual accounts

    • Knowledge Check: Principles and four main accrual accounts

    • Gross profit and retained earnings

    • Knowledge Check: Gross profit and retained earnings

    • Settling accounts receivables and payables

    • Wrap up

    • Question

  • 2

    Understand how companies create a competitive advantage

    • What you will learn

      FREE PREVIEW

    • The data we use in this course

    • Ways to create a competitive advantage

    • Competitive advantage starts with revenue

    • Ten sectors and their growth patterns

    • Ten sector-leading companies
  • 3

    Identify the two main costs in a business and the three margins that matter

  • 4

    Recognize and focus on the real source of value in every business

    • What you will learn

      FREE PREVIEW

    • The beautiful balance sheet

    • The trade-off between strategic and core assets

    • Details of strategic assets

    • Details of core assets

    • The source of value
  • 5

    Appreciate how companies acquire money to fund growth

  • 6

    Apply financial ratios to analyze management performance

    • What You Will Learn

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Measuring growth

    • Internal liquidity

    • Margins and profitability

    • Breakdown of return

    • Assessing risk

    • Special topic - ROIC

    • Testimonial

    • FMRS Testimonial

Our students say

  • The financial concepts in this course helped me gain the confidence I needed to pursue a career in finance.

  • This course helped me fast forward my career by giving me practical knowledge of how finance applies to my company.

  • Dr. Stotz made complex financial reports seem simple by providing me with real-world examples and applications.

Meet your guide

Dr. Andrew Stotz, CFA

In 1992, Dr. Stotz left a management career at Pepsi-Cola in California to teach finance in Thailand and has not stopped teaching since. In 1993, he found his life calling as a financial analyst, a job for which he was eventually voted #1 in Thailand. In the second half of his 20-year career in investment banking, Dr. Stotz was a Head of Research, leading teams of financial analysts. During that time, he served as a two-time president of CFA Society Thailand and now runs his own firm, A. Stotz Investment Research, which provides research and tools for institutions and high-net-worth investors; as well as, helps CEOs make their companies financially world class. He holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and an MBA from California State University and earned his Ph.D. in finance at the University of Science and Technology of China. Andrew lives in Bangkok with his 82-year-old mother, who will attest that he remains an analyst at heart!

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Don't take our word for it

“Dr. Stotz’s sector-to-sector comparison gives a broader view to understanding and appreciating the line by line items of a financial statement. Before now, I have always seen Financial Reporting and Analysis as a big deal, but learning from Andrew makes it much more straightforward. His teaching approach changed my orientation of Finance and this means a lot to me. He has a way of making you effortlessly understand finance. I have not been taught in such a fun way since primary school. The breakdown is fantastic. It gives the student a better and different approach to finance. Honestly, Andrew made finance ridiculously simple, and as a result, I am learning fast. ”

Nnenna Okanya

“I really enjoyed Finance Made Ridiculously Simple. It was well planned, discussed, and laid out, which made it easy for me to learn. I already have a background in accounting and finance from college, but Dr. Stotz’s videos gave me a whole new and in-depth understanding of each topic. I really liked the course because all lectures were straightforward, and I can really use what I learned in real life, for example, analyzing the profitability of a particular company. ”

Ma. Lourdes Ablay

“Finance Made Ridiculously Easy,” the title explains it all! I took the course with the bare minimum of financial knowledge, but the simplicity of the course made it easy for me to learn. ”

Walter Jeffrey Aye

“I never thought that the knowledge of finance would make such a huge impact on my understanding of how my company works.”

Sukhmani Singh

“Finance Made Ridiculously Simple says it all in the name! I enjoyed the stories that Dr. Stotz’ told and how he broke down complex finance topics into simple terms and made it easy to understand. The fact that I could download the PDFs made it easier to follow the videos, which helped me to understand the subjects quickly. I never expected to learn so much from an online course; I now see the finance profession in a whole new light. Thank you, Andrew and Team. I am humbled. ”

Onyinyechi Henry-Machame

“Valuation is critical and with Finance Made Ridiculously Simple you really get to understand deeply on company valuations. I have been able to learn a lot when it comes to assets liabilities and equity. I am able to value them correctly and also assessing the risks when it comes to valuation.”

Mary Shangai

“My limited knowledge of finance did not allow me to progress further in my marketing career. After taking this course, I felt confident that I can add value working in a larger role for my company.”

Nakarin Sombatthaveepoon

“I was shocked by how easy it was to progress through the course material. After taking this course, I no longer hate finance.”

Prajakta Mandelkar

“Finance Made Ridiculously Simple will help you more deeply understand financial statements. It teaches you what to look for when comparing the financial information of different companies, which will make you a better financial analyst. ”

Chineye Ochem

“Finance Made Ridiculously Simple is a very detailed course that will deepen your understanding. It has enlightened me about the financial statement and balance sheets component. ”

Helena Sarkodie

Frequently asked questions

Get all your questions answered!

  • What is the refund policy? Can I cancel at any time?

    Some people ask us why we make it so easy for our students to get a refund. The answer is that it motivates us to make our material cutting edge and to make sure that we deliver more than what you expected. We have a 30-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee. We don’t want your money if you’re not satisfied. Once in the course, you can request your refund at any time within 30 days. I know what you are thinking, “Could I sign up, download all the content, and then ask for a refund?” The answer is, “Yes.” But despite that, we get almost no refund requests because our students feel the value they get (plus, they don’t want to lose access to the Facebook group, where all the magic happens!).

  • Will I earn a certificate of completion?

    You will earn a certificate of completion at the end of the course. You will also get instructions on how you can add a certificate of completion on your LinkedIn page. And if you wish, you can also apply to get a personal recommendation on your LinkedIn directly from your teacher, Dr. Andrew Stotz.

  • Can I email the instructor if I have questions?

    Once you are in the class, you will have direct access to your teacher, Dr. Andrew Stotz and his team. You will be able to contact them through email, Facebook Messenger, and even video if needed. We created this course because we have a passion for helping our students succeed, so don’t worry, we will always be available for you.

  • I am a high school student, can I join?

    You are ABSOLUTELY welcome! We all wish we had started learning at an earlier age! Dr. Stotz has worked hard to make the material easy-to-understand, so you should have no problem. All you need to do is put your heart into it and we will make sure that you get all the value we have to offer!