Business finances are a whole new ballgame. Even the savviest in other areas of finance can be easily confused or uncertain when it comes to the financial knowledge that it takes to run a business. Fortunately, the world of online courses and education is creating accessibility like never before, giving people free and paid access to a variety of courses and online programs to help them improve their knowledge.
The type of business courses you’re considering will depend on the type of business you intend to start, or are already working in. If you’re running a business that someone else owns, corporate finance information could be helpful. For startups and entrepreneurs, there are even finance courses dedicated to solo business owners.
In the list below, you’ll see 10 of the best online courses to help you manage business finances, including some that are free, some that require payment, and something from just about every part of the finance industry.
Harvard’s Leading with Finance course is among the best of the best when it comes to financial leadership and managerial finance training. Although it does cost money to take this course, it’s an investment well-made because it’s taught over six weeks and covers everything from financial analysis to capital allocation, and it comes with a Harvard Business School Online certificate to show your success.
This course covers core finance and accounting subjects that business owners need to understand. It’s free to take, but does require a bit of a time investment. The course comes with assignments, lecture notes, exams and answers, and other necessary materials. It’s a more general business course, but that makes it great for those first-timers who are just getting into the world of business finance.
This is a course that is offered through the Wharton School and it is a self-directed program that will teach all kinds of finance and accounting topics, including things like the time value of money, return on investments, interest rates, and more. This course comes with a seven-day free trial and those who are dedicated could easily complete the course within the trial to get it for free.
This course has a small fee but comes with a seven-day free trial so you can at least get started at no cost. it’s also a self-paced course that teaches everything from financial risk to investments and includes exams to check competence upon completion. It comes with a certificate of completion and is designed to help people have a better understanding when they read financial information and news.
This unique corporate finance program is offered by Columbia Business School and is geared toward those who are looking to advance their career in finance and business leadership. Typically, the people that take this hands-on course are those in investment banking, general management, CFO-track roles, etc. It doesn’t come free, but it’s a program that will give you recognition from a leading business school. And at just 3-4 hours a week, you won’t mind that it takes three months to complete.
This is the best-selling accounting course on the online learning platform. It covers everything that you need to know in about 4.5 hours of video. It’s not free, but it does provide a lot of valuable insight that may be worth the investment for many. Business pro and MBA professor Chris Haroun teaches the course and it covers things like discounted cashflow, valuation methodologies, and so forth.
The formal name of this course from UofM, College Park is Financing and Profiting from Innovation for Corporate Entrepreneurs. It’s part of the school’s Corporate Entrepreneurship specialization and it’s a totally free course for anyone who wants to check it out. It’s hosted through Coursera and offers valuable insight about entrepreneurial finance. It also only takes about 10 hours to complete and is spread over about four weeks.
This free online course is found on the Coursera platform. It teaches business owners and leaders all about financial policy related to technology and changes in laws over time. Despite how it sounds, it’s a beginner-level course and it is completed over 5 weeks with about 11 hours of coursework. It even covers modern payment systems, legal issues surrounding aggregation of accounts, and other relevant current topics.
This course is hosted on the edX platform and is a free online course offered through a partnership with IU’s Kelly School of Business. It offers a strong foundation for those who need to learn financial reporting and analytics. It’s part of a MicroMasters program, too, and will take about three months to complete. This is an advanced class for those who want to learn all about the ins and outs of finance. Plus, Indiana University’s MBA program is ranked 3 out of a total of 295, so you can trust you’re getting solid information.
This is a free introductory course available from UC Irvine through the Coursera platform. It also happens to be a part of a 10-part series on finance that takes about seven hours to complete in total. It is self-paced, so you can learn at your own speed and take up to eight weeks to complete the course if you need it. The course covers things like planning, forecasting, budgeting, financial interpretation, and related topics.
Furthering your training is great. In fact, it’s essential for success as a business owner or leader. However, while you’re getting educated on topics like finance, do you have systems in place to make sure that you don’t miss any leads? With the 24/7 answering service available from Smith.ai, we’ve got you covered. Plus, our virtual receptionists can assist with lead intake and appointment scheduling, as well as outreach campaigns, allowing us to provide a full-service solution for communication, admin, and more.
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