Whether you are looking to begin your education as a financial analyst, brush up on your skills or simply understand finance better, seeking out financial analysis courses online may be helpful for your career.

Not all online financial analysis courses are created equal so it’s important to research and compare programs. You’ll want to make sure the course will fit into your schedule and provide the education you need for your goals.

A financial analysis course is a class in financial analysis, which describes the process of investigating budgets, businesses and other financial projects to conclude whether or not they will be financially successful. Courses may be online, on campus or a combination of both.

In this kind of course, you learn how to do technical financial analysis. If you’re considering financial analysis courses online, you may already have an interest in finance and business, as well as a curiosity in poring over data and numbers to make decisions. Courses typically emphasize using spreadsheets and Excel formulas.

If you already have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in finance, economics, math or a related major, you may have an easier time navigating a financial analysis course. However, beginners can find a variety of financial analysis courses online that are suitable to your learning style and skill level. Some online courses are free, while others come with a cost, and courses may be offered by universities or independent companies.

Before signing up for a financial analysis course, try reading the online reviews from other students, review the course timeline and curriculum.

In financial analysis courses online, you may learn things like:

Depending on what type of financial analysis course you take, you may learn about more niche skills like analyzing what types of stocks you should invest in, financial planning, visualization and data analysis, and how to use programming language.

After you learn these skills, you may list them on your resume when applying for a job. A financial analysis may help you work in a number of positions at places like startups, corporations, stock brokerages, banks and insurance agencies.

Financial analysis applies to jobs such as a ratings analyst, where you rate risk in all sorts of situations. For example, you may figure out how a government entity or a company will pay its debts or loans. You may also be able to work as a fund manager, where you buy and sell investments for funds.

Another career option is a risk analyst, where you determine how risky an investment is, or a portfolio manager, where you support and manage other analysts in selecting products, regions and industries that satisfy company portfolios. Before you apply, make surer to check the role’s experience requirements.

Financial analysts have to stay current with their skills to keep up with the changing industry and fluctuating economy. By taking a financial analysis course online, you may sharpen your skills and learn how to think critically about finance. If you have no background in financial analysis, taking financial analysis courses online may help you enter this field. If you do have a background in financial analysis, these courses may help you become a more valuable employee or job candidate. If you are not interested in working in the finance industry directly, a course may help you manage a business by learning how to balance your books, create and manage a budget and determine how risky it is to take out a business loan.

Last updated: August 2020