Greetings!!

Join this emerging forum to build or enhance finance "number" skills ...practical finance, accounting, and business skills to become savvy at our jobs and ventures. Instead of taking charge of our career or venture dreams, look at what we have done to our economy by ignoring our continued growth in our financial & business acumen.

Irrespective of whether you are a total novice, curious, accountant, a new finance associate, a seasoned finance professional, banker, doctor, engineer, IT professional, attorney, or an investor you may find it interesting to know why I decided to start this forum.

Efficiency for firms translates to “dullness” for their employees in many situations! And, then we see outsourcing! Interestingly, even people from accounting, finance, and business major seem to struggle to clearly articulate fundamental principles. I had a long career in hedge fund accounting with a Wall Street firm and after a decade of focusing on specialized routine job, struggled to branch out to other areas of interest. Thanks to firms who make us use “templates” creating “robots” rather than “analysts”.

Ability to apply knowledge of finance and accounting is critical to driving success in this new economy. This economy presents solid opportunity for “creators” and “innovators” of new business opportunities regardless of whether you are an employee or a venture owner.

Finance and accounting skills haunts people for life and yet many don’t seem to do anything about it. Putting in the back burner makes it only worse. There are many of us in the same boat. I am a borderline candidate too!

Colleges and universities have contributed more to the fear through books and equations than to the fixing of the cause! So, I decided to create a practical forum to master skills and overcome fear. After all, how can anyone afford to ignore accounting and finance. Let's see if you can relate to some of these based on who you are!

An entrepreneur (business owner, doctor, attorney, artist, etc.)? Looking for funding and business plan? Trying to start your venture and wondering how to create a financial strategic plan with earnings projections including decision & sensitivity analysis? Counting on accountant too much? How can your accountant know more about your business than you!?

A new finance associate? Venturing into a finance career and afraid that you do not have enough “bases” covered? Books and universities did not provide you confidence? Lacking basic and advanced Excel modeling skills?

A non-finance manager? Are you a non-finance professional (marketing, operations, etc.) who is wondering how to learn critical financial management skills? Wondering how your day to day work impacts at a “finance” level? Get intimidated by your finance colleagues who try to bully you around!? Want to enhance your financial acumen and confidence for faster growth?

A mid-career finance professional? Are you finance savvy professional (CPA, MBA, etc.) who struggle to perform integrated financial modeling (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow)? Feel stuck in one type of role?   Are you wondering how to do various types of financial modeling (venture valuation, M&A, private equity, LBO, etc.)? Trying to create other non-finance career options?

A novice? Have you been using “off-the-shelf” packages such as QuickBooks and wondered how they do it “behind the scene”? Have been “outsourcing” to your accountant too much!?

Feeling left behind? Are you an “80’s” professional (finance or non-finance) wondering how to catch up with basic “Excel”?

This is a directional list of skills ranging from beginner level to advanced that this forum will cover! If you found some relevance to these quests, then you will find this forum invaluable to practice critical finance and accounting skills without having to go through tens of books and read hundreds of articles.

By the way, by now if your fear is not alleviated, then listen to this. In my survey over past 6 months running a similar group, I found over 80% of the finance professionals got even the basic debit and credit question wrong!

Solution: practice it, share it, or lose it! So, I created this forum with the intent to promote a “learning” environment to allow people to master practical finance and accounting skills (mentioned above in the list of questions) using computer tools such as Excel.

Thus, taking this opportunity to invite you all - entrepreneurs, finance professionals, and those who are curious to learn and practice financial accounting and management skills in a “no fear” environment.

Wish you all the best and a successful financial year 2011, 2012, and beyond!

Julie