StretchLearn Course

Decide Where the Money Goes, and Prove the Number.

Read the three statements, build a WACC, and score real investments with NPV and IRR, all with worked examples and no finance degree required.

Preview Curriculum Back to Catalog

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Corporate finance answers two questions every business eventually faces: where does the money come from, and where should it go? This course gives you the professional toolkit to answer both. You will read the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement and see exactly how they connect, then estimate the cost of debt and equity, blend them into a weighted average cost of capital, and use that rate to score real projects with net present value and internal rate of return. By the end you can build a discounted-cash-flow case, defend a hurdle rate, and explain to a manager or lender why one investment beats another, all without a finance degree.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Read and link the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement

Calculate free cash flow and the time value of money using discount factors

Estimate the cost of equity with CAPM and the after-tax cost of debt

Blend financing costs into a weighted average cost of capital (WACC)

Evaluate investments using NPV, IRR, payback, and profitability index

Analyze capital structure and the tradeoffs of debt versus equity financing

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Reading the Financial Statements

Every finance decision starts with the numbers a company already reports. This module teaches you to read the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, and to see exactly how the three link into one connected picture.

3 lessons

The Income Statement: From Revenue to Net IncomeContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

The Balance Sheet: Assets, Liabilities, and EquityContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The Cash Flow Statement and How the Three ConnectContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Time Value of Money and Cash Flow

A dollar today is worth more than a dollar next year. This module builds the engine of all corporate finance: discounting, present value, and the free cash flow that the company actually has to invest.

3 lessons

Present Value, Future Value, and DiscountingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Annuities, Perpetuities, and Growing Cash FlowsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Free Cash Flow: The Money a Company Can Actually DeployContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Cost of Capital and WACC

Every dollar a company uses has a cost. This module shows how to price debt and equity, blend them into a weighted average cost of capital, and understand what that single number really represents.

3 lessons

The Cost of Debt and the Cost of EquityContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Blending It Together: The WACC FormulaContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Why the Discount Rate Drives EverythingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Investment Decisions and Capital Structure

With cash flows and a discount rate in hand, you can finally decide. This module covers NPV, IRR, and the other capital-budgeting tools, then steps up to how a company should finance itself in the first place.

3 lessons

Net Present Value: The Decision Rule That MattersContent · 45 min

LMS Access

IRR, Payback, and the Profitability IndexContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Capital Structure: Debt Versus EquityContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

corporate financeWACCNPVIRRcost of capitalcapital structurefinancial statement analysisdiscounted cash flow