Before You Begin Your Financial Journey
Smart financial analysis starts with understanding where you are and where you want to go. Let's make sure you're ready to make the most of your learning experience.
Are You Ready to Dive Deep?
Financial analysis isn't just about crunching numbers. It's about developing a mindset that sees patterns, asks the right questions, and makes connections others miss. Before starting our programme in late 2025, consider these essential readiness factors:
- Mathematical Comfort Level You don't need to be a math genius, but basic comfort with percentages, ratios, and simple algebra will help tremendously. If you can calculate tips and compare prices confidently, you're probably fine.
- Curiosity About Business Stories Every financial statement tells a story. Do you find yourself wondering why some companies thrive while others struggle? That curiosity is more valuable than any technical skill.
- Time Commitment Reality Check Our courses require 8-12 hours weekly. That's not just study time – it includes reading financial news, practicing with real company data, and connecting concepts to current events.
- Patience with Complexity Financial markets can seem contradictory. Sometimes good news drives stock prices down, and bad news pushes them up. If you can sit with uncertainty while you learn the underlying logic, you'll do well.
Which Path Fits Your Goals?
Different people need different approaches to financial analysis. Your background, goals, and timeline all matter. Here's how to think about your options for our 2025 programmes:
Complete Beginner
Never looked at a balance sheet? Perfect. You'll avoid picking up bad habits and can learn everything properly from the ground up. Our foundation course starts in September 2025.
Get StartedSome Business Experience
You've seen financial reports at work but want to understand them better. You can probably jump into our intermediate programme starting October 2025.
Learn MoreCareer Changer
Coming from another field entirely? Your outside perspective is actually valuable. Financial analysis benefits from diverse thinking patterns and problem-solving approaches.
Explore OptionsYour Pre-Course Preparation Timeline
Starting in August 2025? Here's how to spend the months before to set yourself up for success. These steps aren't mandatory, but students who follow them tend to feel more confident from day one.
3-4 Months Before
Start reading financial news daily. Pick one publication and stick with it – consistency matters more than variety. Focus on understanding the basic language rather than the complex analysis.
2-3 Months Before
Choose three companies you find interesting and start following their quarterly announcements. You don't need to understand everything, just get familiar with how they communicate their results.
1 Month Before
Set up your workspace and establish study routines. Financial analysis requires focus, so having a consistent environment where you can spread out papers and work without interruption helps enormously.
1 Week Before
Review our recommended reading list and get familiar with basic Excel functions. You'll be working with spreadsheets regularly, so comfort with formulas and data manipulation will save you time.
What Our Instructors Want You to Know
Before you begin, here's honest advice from the people who've been teaching financial analysis for years and have seen what works.
Marcus Chen
The biggest mistake new students make is trying to memorize ratios and formulas. Financial analysis is about patterns and context. A debt-to-equity ratio of 0.8 might be terrible for a tech company but perfectly normal for a utility. Focus on understanding the business first, then the numbers make sense.
Sarah Martinez
Don't worry if you're not naturally good with numbers. Some of my best students were English majors or teachers who brought strong analytical thinking from other fields. Critical thinking matters more than mathematical ability. You can learn the technical skills, but curiosity and persistence are harder to teach.