Demystifying company accounts and valuations - Module One and Module Two
This two-day course provides the foundation knowledge needed to understand a set of accounts and be able to answer questions from analysts, investors and the financial press. Please note all dates shown are FIRST DATE OF TWO DAY COURSE.
Module One will clearly explain accounting jargon, together with the relevance and limitations of financial statements. You will learn how to identify which key numbers are important in communicating your company’s story and the issues that need explaining.
Module Two will help you to understand in more depth how financial analysts and investors look at companies. It is not necessary to have a financial background to take Module Two, but you should have completed Module One or have an equivalent understanding of basic accounting concepts.
We recommend both modules to be completed.
Who should attend?
- CIR candidates
- IRO's with no formal accountancy training, yet have a basic understanding
- Those wanting to understand in more dept how financial analysts and investors look at companies
What will I gain?
Module One
- Foundation knowledge in understanding a set of company accounts
- Gain fluency in financial jargon
- A clear understanding of the relevance and limitations of financial statements
Module Two
- An understanding of the key principles behind most commonly used valuation methods
- A grasp of the fundamentals of the discounted cash flow valuation model and key sensitivities
- An awareness of risk and return parameters and non-financial considerations impacting investment decision making
Course tutor: Deborah Morton-Dare

Deborah specialises in financial training for all levels from beginners to advanced. She presents a comprehensive range of courses to a diverse range of corporate clients and financial institutions and specialises in making complex technical subjects comprehensible.
Deborah qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Young and then worked in Corporate Finance gaining wide ranging experience in a variety of corporate and financial institutions. She then worked as a financial consultant to companies assisting them in raising finance and structuring.
Guest speaker: Simon Pilkington
Spanning a career of 30 years working in the UK equity market, Simon has experience on the buy-side, sell-side and as a corporate advisor.
A Partner at Tulchan, Simon advises Tulchan’s clients, including Legal & General, Metro Bank, Santander, Euroclear and United Utilities.
Simon joined after 18 years with J.P. Morgan Cazenove, where he was a Managing Director in the Financial Institutions team, acting as corporate broker/advisor to clients such as Standard Chartered, Standard Life, Provident Financial, Saga and Aldermore. Previously he was a sell-side analyst at Cazenove, following a ten-year career as a UK equity fund manager with Threadneedle and Blackrock (Mercury Asset Managers).
Programme
Module one
- Introduction
- The Accounting Foundations - What is Financial Information?
- The Components of a Balance Sheet
- The Components of a Profit and Loss Account
- Cash Flow Statements
Module two
- Introduction
- Fundamental concept of discounted cash flow
- Risk vs return
- Business strategy
- Introduction to valuation methods
- Conclusion: What really matters
Course level
Core courses
Location
Central London
CPD points
40 per day
Course dates
19 February 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
20 February 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
6 June 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
7 June 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
12 September 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
13 September 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
14 November 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
15 November 2019
9.00am
to 4.30pm
- IR Society members (£898 + VAT)
£1077.6 - IR Society Premium members (course allowance included in membership package)
£0 - Non-members (£1198 + VAT)
£1437.60