Professor of Finance, Ross School of Business
14 Learning Experiences
Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making
What You'll Learn
- Understand the sources of value of companies
- Evaluate the cash flows of a project
- Evaluate the risk of a project
- Value a project and a strategy
4-Course Series
50 hours
13 hours per course (approx.)
Shareable Certificate
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About Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making
In this specialization, you’ll focus on the mechanics and intuition of the main building block of finance — the time value of money. You’ll learn the structure and basics through assignments and tests that are introductory in nature but with real-world applications.
We developed this specialization with the express purpose of enabling you to understand and apply these foundational principles of finance to your everyday life. Understanding how to use finance for personal decisions will also help you understand and excel at making professional decisions. After the successful completion of this series, you will be equipped to make thoughtful decisions based on a framework that uses multiple advances in modern financial theory over the past several decades. The most important features of this specialization are: (a) it is an integrated set of courses with a focus on understanding both the theory and applicability of finance; and (b) it is applied in execution — everything is covered using examples.
The four courses in this specialization all build on each other, use real-world examples, and include richly designed assessments/quizzes to test your knowledge and enhance your learning experience. Assessments will progressively build in complexity as you better understand the applicability of finance to complex issues.
Skills You'll Gain
- Modern Portfolio Theory
- Dividend Yield
- Quantitative Analysis
- Securities Research
- Financial Analysis
- Decision Making
- Time Value Of Money
- Mathematics
- Stock Valuation
- Bond Markets
- Market Value
- Fixed Income
- Finance
- Equity & Debt
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
Some exposure, or an interest in, real world problems typically gained through a couple of years of work experience. An aptitude for numbers.
Series Video
4 Courses in this series
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Free U-M Access CourseIntroduction to Time Value of Money (TVM)
Apply advanced TVM concepts to saving, borrowing, and investing decisions using real-life financial planning scenarios.
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Free U-M Access CourseAdvanced Concepts in Time Value of Money (TVM)
Apply advanced Time Value of Money concepts to financial planning, loans, and savings while building skills for smarter personal and professional decisions.
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Free U-M Access CourseStocks and Bonds
Explore the fundamentals of bonds and stocks, their pricing, and how investors make decisions using time value of money.
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Free U-M Access CourseAdvanced Understanding of Stocks and Bonds
Deepen your knowledge of stock and bond valuation, growth dynamics, and financial risk through real-world applications.
