Professional training – Finance, Controlling & Law
Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets
Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets in 6 focused hours: Structure of balance sheet and income statement, Assets, liabilities and equity and Ratios and creditworthiness – practical, with exercises and templates for your daily work.
- Duration
- 6 hours, one session
- Level
- Beginner
- Format
- Online or on-site
- Language
- German or English
- Certificate
- Certificate of attendance
Overview
“Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets” is a compact live course in the field of Finance, Controlling & Law. It centres on Structure of balance sheet and income statement, Assets, liabilities and equity and Ratios and creditworthiness – explained with realistic examples and deepened in exercises you can transfer straight to your daily work.
Anyone who manages budgets, negotiates contracts or prepares figures for decisions needs a solid grasp of finance, controlling and legal frameworks without being a specialist. The Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets training conveys the necessary knowledge in a practical and understandable way, with calculation examples, patterns from everyday business and clear rules of thumb. We explain relationships, show typical sources of error and practise on realistic cases. Each course lasts one day and runs online or on site. The content serves professional orientation and does not replace individual legal or tax advice.
The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.
Focus areas of the course
Who is this course for?
- Specialists and managers without commercial training
- Controllers, accountants and finance staff
- Buyers, project and department heads
- Founders, self-employed professionals and executive assistants
What you will be able to do
- You know the key topics of Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets – Structure of balance sheet and income statement, Assets, liabilities and equity, Ratios and creditworthiness, Analysing liquidity and leverage, Cash flow statement overview and Reading annual reports critically – and can apply them in practice.
- You understand the fundamentals of Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets and can classify technical terms with confidence.
- You apply the main methods independently to simple practical cases.
- You recognise typical risks and know when to involve specialists.
- You present figures and facts clearly as a basis for decisions.
Course outline
Module 1 Fundamentals and terms for Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets
- Placing Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets in the business context
- Key terms explained clearly
- Roles of business units, controlling and legal
- Typical decision situations
Module 2 Focus areas: Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets
- Structure of balance sheet and income statement
- Assets, liabilities and equity
- Ratios and creditworthiness
- Analysing liquidity and leverage
- Cash flow statement overview
- Reading annual reports critically
Module 3 Methodology and calculations
- Step-by-step derivation of the main methods
- Calculation examples from everyday business
- Key figures and what they tell you
- Limits and assumptions of models
Module 4 Application in case studies
- Case studies on Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets from different industries
- Independent exercises with model solutions
- Recognising typical errors and pitfalls
- Templates and checklists for practice
Module 5 Communication and implementation
- Preparing results for management and business units
- Working with tax advisers, legal counsel and auditors
- Documentation and traceability
- Personal action plan for daily work
Module 6 Transfer to your daily work
- Exercise based on a realistic case
- Typical mistakes and how to avoid them
- Checklist and templates to take away
- Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge is needed for introductory courses. For advanced courses, a grasp of accounting basics or the matching foundation course is helpful. No prior knowledge is required.
Technical requirements
Your own laptop with spreadsheet software; exercise files and case studies are provided digitally.
Dates & locations
For every location we suggest a date roughly four weeks ahead. Your preferred date is always possible.
- Munich Wed, 16 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Salzburg Wed, 16 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Berlin Wed, 16 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Augsburg Mon, 14 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Hanover Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Bremen Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Stuttgart Wed, 16 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Kaiserslautern Wed, 16 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Online Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
Frequently asked questions
Does Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets replace legal or tax advice?
No. The training provides understanding and orientation for working life. For binding advice on your specific case, for example on taxes or contracts, please consult a tax adviser or a lawyer.
Do I need commercial background for Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets?
Not for introductory courses. We explain terms from scratch and work through examples together. For advanced courses the course description states the required prior knowledge, and we are happy to help you choose the right starting point.
How much does “Reading & Understanding Balance Sheets” cost?
The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 6 hours of live training with a trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.
Can I suggest my own date?
Yes. For every location we suggest a date roughly four weeks ahead. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and get back to you within one working day.
Is the course online or on-site?
Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.
Can the course be tailored to our team?
Yes. Tailor-made courses cost approx. €4,500 more, depending on the topic and by arrangement. We agree content, examples and exercises with you in advance.