Free Online Financial Management Courses

1. Basics of Corporate Finance

This comprehensive course is designed for beginners to unpack everything from financial planning and risk assessment to your investment objectives.

2. Managing Corporate Finance in a Downturn

Financial management is easy when the going is good, but what happens when the economy falters? This invaluable course teaches you how to change your approach in a recession.

3. Diploma in Financial Management for Managers

Once you know this is the field for you, opt for a longer diploma course that explains more in-depth concepts like risk assessment, dividend policies and cash flow streams.

This critical role oversees the income and expenditure of an organisation (household finance management falls under ‘personal finance’). A financial manager keeps track of how much money is coming in and allocates it to the various costs that the organisation has, such as salaries, rent, insurance, purchasing stock, tax payments and so forth.

It is a balancing act between making sure there is enough income to meet commitments and spending enough to earn the income in the first place (by upgrading your store, for example, or paying to upskill your employees).

A sought-after and successful FM needs a combination of hard and soft skills to excel. Some of the crucial hard skills include an understanding of:

• Financial accounting
• Tax
• Cash flow
• Budgeting

But while understanding numbers is critical, an effective financial manager also needs softer leadership skills to steer staff thinking and explain why budget cuts may need to be made or be empathetic if retrenchments are in order. It is always a good idea to equip yourself with other skills, such as:

• Communication
• Leadership