What is financial reporting?

Financial reporting is the process in which companies disclose financial results and related financial information to external audiences like investors, customers, and regulators, as well as to their internal managers and employees. Financial reports provide these audiences a snapshot of the financial status of the company and how it has performed during a specific set of time. Financial reporting in publicly-traded companies is an ongoing process, with the official public announcement of the financial results usually done in quarterly intervals during the year. However, industry analysts and other insiders are usually briefed more often during the year.

Why is it important that I learn about financial reporting?

It's important to learn about financial reporting to better comprehend how revenues in a business are balanced out against the costs of running the company. When you learn about financial reporting, you will get a strong understanding of a company’s assets and liabilities, what an income statement is, how to understand a profit and loss report, and how important a cash flow statement is on a company’s financial activities. Learning about financial reporting is an integral asset for anyone with an aptitude for numbers, mathematics, and financial accountability.

What are careers that use financial reporting?

Some of the careers associated with financial reporting include accountant, financial manager, financial analyst, senior tax accountant, and controller. Many of these positions exist in large organizations, especially publicly-traded companies, as there are financial positions in order to handle the work of strict financial reporting measures. To move into a career in financial reporting, it helps to have a background of knowledge in such areas as accounting, financial analysis, and financial management and reporting, along with more general knowledge of sales, project management, and data analytics.

How can taking online courses help me learn financial reporting?

When you take online courses to learn financial reporting, you will gain specific knowledge on topics like accounting analysis, financial statements, cash flow reporting, and profit and loss statements. You can become proficient in using the top financial statements common in organizations: balance sheet, income statement, and the statement of cash flows. As you learn more about financial reporting in online courses, your interests may widen to include other areas of financial accounting and financial reporting. Understanding these subjects is integral to your accounting experience in working on an accounting team at a professional organization.

What are the benefits of taking an online Financial Reporting course?

Online Financial Reporting courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Financial Reporting skills. Choose from a wide range of Financial Reporting courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Financial Reporting courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Financial Reporting, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Financial Reporting Courses - Learn Financial Reporting Online

Explore the Financial Reporting Course Catalog

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP)
Tracking and Reporting
Skills you'll gain: Performance Analysis, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Change Management, Performance Measurement, Recruitment, Process Improvement, Business Metrics, Talent Acquisition, Benchmarking, Recruitment Strategies, Continuous Improvement Process
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Indian School of Business
Certificate in Investment Management
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Portfolio Management, Financial Statements, Financial Analysis, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Investments, Financial Market, Financial Trading, Equities, Business Valuation, Return On Investment, Performance Analysis, Financial Modeling, Finance, Risk Management, Cash Flows, Working Capital, Capital Markets, Market Dynamics
University Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
O.P. Jindal Global University
MBA Business Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Operations Management, Design Thinking, Data Visualization, Active Listening, Business Ethics, Sampling (Statistics), Working Capital, Database Management, Environmental Social And Corporate Governance (ESG), Project Estimation, Financial Statements, Business Analytics, Financial Accounting, Predictive Analytics, Marketing Planning, Big Data, Marketing Management, Emerging Technologies, People Management
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Certificado en Gestión de Inversiones
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Statements, Capital Markets, Portfolio Management, Accrual Accounting, Financial Analysis, Investments, Income Statement, Risk Management, Financial Reporting, Balance Sheet, Financial Data, Financial Accounting, Financial Market, Accounting, Business Ethics, Business Risk Management, Finance, Financial Modeling, Financial Trading
Credit offered
Mastertrack · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Accounting Foundations Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Certificado en Finanzas Corporativas
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Statements, Capital Markets, Accrual Accounting, Financial Analysis, Income Statement, Derivatives, Digital Transformation, Risk Management, Business Valuation, Financial Reporting, Balance Sheet, Financial Data, Financial Accounting, Corporate Strategy, Value Propositions, Securities (Finance), Capital Budgeting, Corporate Finance, Technology Strategies
Credit offered
Mastertrack · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science in Management
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science in Accounting
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Magíster en Inversiones y Finanzas Aplicadas
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Descriptive Analytics, FinTech, Financial Statements, Business Analytics, Business Valuation, Derivatives, Strategic Decision-Making, Portfolio Management, Customer Analysis, Risk Analysis, Credit Risk, Digital Transformation, Cloud Security, Assertiveness, Governance, Financial Analysis, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Investments, Financial Data
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
West Virginia University
Master of Science in Software Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Unified Modeling Language, Verification And Validation, Threat Modeling, Enterprise Architecture, Security Management, Secure Coding, Scope Management, Application Security, Financial Statements, Proposal Development, Cash Flows, Object Oriented Design, Requirements Analysis, Software Design, Security Requirements Analysis, Database Design, Software Visualization, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Business Process Management, Mobile Development
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Value Chain Management Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Generative AI, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Colorado Boulder
Master of Science in Computer Science
Skills you'll gain: Object Oriented Design, User Story, SQL, New Product Development, Systems Engineering, Real-Time Operating Systems, Unsupervised Learning, Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Delegation Skills, Failure Analysis, Sampling (Statistics), Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Supplier Management, Sustainability Reporting, Accountability, Data Ethics, Data Mining, Supervised Learning, Generative AI, Process Capability
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years