Making Investment Decisions

Making investment decisions is something we do every single day, sometimes without even realizing it. When we think about investing, we think about "big money" and long-term commitments. But at the core of it, investing is nothing more than spending money and expecting a good return on it.
This course teaches the net present value (NPV) methodology, an investment evaluation formula used by countless publicly traded companies and financial analysts, in a way that makes it accessible and applicable to you—no finance background required. Rudolph Rosenberg explains what investments are, how they are measured, and what makes a good investment. Then he explores the NPV formula in depth, showing you how to evaluate your cash flows, choose a rate of return, and assess the risk of a particular investment. This all culminates in a look at how the principles of investment apply to three real-life scenarios that any individual or company might encounter. Topics include:

What is an investment?
Understanding ROI
What makes a good investment?
Using the NPV formula
Assessing risk
Applying NPV to real-life situations

eBay for Sellers Essential Training

In eBay for Sellers Essential Training, Christopher Spencer shows how to understand the selling process on eBay, including community rules and best practices, resources and support, and creating compelling listings. The course explores how to review active and completed listings, establish the value of merchandise, and list products. The course also covers using advanced search techniques, managing payments, and setting up an eBay Store.

Topics include:
Creating eBay and PayPal accounts
Building an About Me page
Performing advanced searches
Reviewing the competition
Understanding listing fees
Writing effective titles and descriptions
Exploring best practices for product photography
Understanding warranties and guarantees
Creating listings
Connecting eBay with social media
Handling offers
Packing and shipping merchandise
Leaving feedback
Tracking sales

Financial Literacy: Reading Financial Reports

A wealth of information is available to you if you know how to read financial documents. Being able to glean information from an income statement, a cash flow statement, or a balance sheet can give you an edge in understanding not only your own business but also your competition. In this course, Rudolph Rosenberg, a finance expert, takes you through the steps of making sense of what is contained in financial reports and how to read them. You'll also learn how they fit together to give you a view of a company's situation.

Topics include:
What is a financial statement?
Reading the balance sheet
Understanding depreciation, liabilities, and equity
Reading the income statement
Understanding revenue, costs, profitability, and net income
How cash flow works
Analyzing financial documents with context

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Finance Fundamentals

At its core, finance is about deciding what to buy, getting the money you need to buy it, and efficiently managing your resources after making the purchase. In this course, Brigham Young University business professors Jim and Kay Stice provide a comprehensive overview of finance, and touch on everything from reading a balance sheet to understanding derivatives and securities. They tackle questions such as "What is the difference between short-term financial management and long-term financing?" and "What is the difference between a traditional bank, an investment bank, and an investment fund?" Along the way, you'll get a look at financial reports from companies such as Walmart and Toys "R" Us, and even analyze the data that go into personal financial decisions, such as deciding whether to buy a car and ensuring long-term financial success.


Topics include:
Understanding financial statements
Managing finances in the short term
Analyzing risk and return
Obtaining short-term and long-term financing
Understanding the stock and bond markets
Comparing the Facebook and Microsoft IPOs
Working with financial institutions
Using capital budgeting
Creating simple personal saving and investment plans

Accounting Fundamentals Training

Learn about external financial statements, internal managerial accounting reports, income tax systems and how they interact in business decision-making. Brothers and professors of accounting at Brigham Young University Jim and Kay Stice review the accounting equation, the three primary financial statements, how to use accounting to aid decision making, and how income taxes figure into business and personal decisions. They use real-world example data from Walmart and other business so you can see how numbers drive everything from wages and product costs to home budgets. Topics include: What is accounting? Working with balance sheets and income statements Determining the costs of products Performing break-even analysis Determining average and marginal tax rates Understanding tax deductions and credits