Financial Skills Bootcamp – NIRI Virtual

Six-part program delivered over three weeks (two sessions per week), Introductory Skills

If you are just getting started in IR or corporate communications, or if you need to understand capital markets and the key audiences in order to be effective in your role, then this course is a must. We will help understand the current environment; see how the capital markets big picture fits together and appreciate the perspectives of investors, analyst and the financial media. You’ll understand how and why companies issue shares and bonds, how they are traded and how listed companies are expected to communicate.

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Outcomes

• How capital markets work and how investors evaluate companies
• Interpreting financial statements, key metrics, and performance indicators
• Valuation basics and guidance on translating financial results into a compelling investment story.

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What's Included

• Access to a virtual classroom with a series of online courses to help you consolidate your learning
• Colour-coded course materials
• A copy of The FinanceTalking Financial Glossary (pdf)
• Email or phone your tutor if you have questions

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What you will learn

1. The Economic Backdrop, Companies & Funding

Objectives:

• See the big picture – the context for your role
• Understand how companies are funded

Program:

• Overview of economic backdrop
• Growth, inflation and interest rates
• Cyclical and defensive sectors
• Implications of the current environment
• Raising capital – from start-up through private equity 
• Characteristics of debt and equity
• Bonds and shares

2. Capital Markets & IR

Objectives:

• Understand financial markets jargon
• Appreciate how the key capital markets players think and how they operate
• Understand the regulatory framework and the financial calendar

Program:

• Raising capital 
• Share issues including IPOs
• The role of investment banks
• Types of investor and their characteristics
• Overview of regulatory regime and dealing with material info
• Portfolio managers, how they think
• Sell-side analysts, rating agencies, credit and other analysts
• The importance of managing expectations
• Financial communications objectives & typical program
• Current trends in the capital markets

3. Financial Information Essentials

Objectives:

• Become familiar with financial jargon of earnings
• Understand the financial statements & what they’re telling you
• Learn about headline numbers and key metrics

Program:

• Introduction to financial statements
• How income statements, balance sheets and cash flows fit together

• Key jargon and concepts (including capex, opex, goodwill, depreciation, amortization & impairment)

• Different levels of profits – gross profit, EBITDA, operating income, etc and who uses what
• One-off items and adjusted/non-GAAP numbers
• How analysts, investors and journalists use financial information
• Headlines for earnings

4. Working with Earnings

Objectives:

• Develop your understanding of financial statements & what they’re telling you
• Appreciate how to take a critical view of earnings
• Be able to add value to the earnings process

Program:

• Balance sheets – key issues for investors, analysts and the media
• Measuring leverage and deciding what’s appropriate
• Income statements – evaluating performance and asking questions
• Profitability and cash flow metrics
• How profits convert to cash
• Adding value to earnings releases
• Examples from real companies

5. Shareholder Value & Telling a Great Investment Story

Objectives:

• Understand the concept of shareholder value and how value is created
• Appreciate the cost of capital and its impact on decision-making
• See how to tell a great investment story

Program:

• Shareholder value – what it really means
• The link to return on capital
• Characteristics of debt and equity funding
• Cost of capital and the capital mix
• Changing the capital structure
• The importance of ESG policies
• Opportunities for activists
• Telling the story

6. Understanding & Communicating Company Value

Objectives:

• Appreciate how companies are valued
• Be able to identify key valuation drivers
• Learn how to communicate for value

Program:

• Key valuation concepts and principles
• Evaluating market and sector prospects
• Valuation using DCF
• Key inputs to analysts’ models
• Forecasting issues and the importance of guidance
• Equity and enterprise multiples and which to use
• Understanding price targets and recommendations
• Which sector, which methodology?
• Using communications to influence valuation

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How you will learn

We use Zoom to deliver our virtual events

• Very simple to use
• Access the event on your laptop or tablet (or even your phone)
• Discussions and case studies via breakout groups
• Quizzes and polls

 

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