Prove Your Corporate Finance Chops

Read and Analyze Financial Statements

Required foundation. Read and analyse financial statements for ≥5 real public companies across different sectors. A finance professional confirms your written analysis demonstrates genuine understanding — not surface-level ratio memorisation. Prerequisite for all financial modelling in this path.

3 milestones

1. 1Analyse the Three Core Statements of a Real Listed Company
2. 2Compute and Interpret Five Key Financial Ratios with Competitor Comparison
3. 3Produce a Financial Health Summary and Defend to a Finance Professional

Build a Three-Statement Financial Model for Industry Analysis

Required — builds directly on seq 10. Link income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement for a real public company using actual filings (10-K or equivalent). A finance professional confirms the model links correctly and your assumptions are documented and defensible.

3 milestones

1. 1Source and Structure Public Financial Data
2. 2Build Forward-Looking Projections with Documented Assumptions
3. 3Sensitivity Analysis and Expert Model Review

Value a Real Company Using DCF or Comparable Analysis

Elective. Value a real public company using DCF or comparable company analysis. Document every assumption. Run sensitivity analysis. A finance professional or faculty supervisor reviews your model and challenges your assumptions before you present a conclusion.

3 milestones

1. 1Select a Company and Build the DCF Model Foundation
2. 2Calculate WACC and Derive the Intrinsic Value with Sensitivity Analysis
3. 3Present Valuation to a Finance Professional and Defend Assumptions

Analyse a Real Corporate Finance Decision

Elective. Analyse a real, documented corporate finance decision — an acquisition, a restructuring, a capital raise, or a major capital allocation call. Apply relevant frameworks. A finance professional reviews and challenges your analysis.

3 milestones

1. 1Apply Capital Structure Analysis to a Real Company
2. 2Analyse a Capital Allocation Decision (Dividend, Buyback, or M&A)
3. 3Present Case Analysis to a Corporate Finance Professional

Benchmark a Company's Financial Ratios Against Industry Peers

Elective. Benchmark a real company's financial ratios against 3–5 direct peers. Write a structured interpretation of what the comparison reveals about competitive position and capital allocation. A finance or accounting professional reviews your interpretation.

3 milestones

1. 1Select a Peer Group and Collect Financial Ratio Data
2. 2Produce the Benchmarking Analysis with Trend and Peer Comparison
3. 3Present Benchmarking Findings to a Finance or Equity Research Professional

Pass CFA Level 1 Exam

Advanced elective. The CFA Level 1 is a rigorous professional exam covering financial analysis across 10 topic areas. Proof is the exam result. Appropriate for students pursuing careers in investment management or corporate finance.

3 milestones

1. 1Build Your Study Plan and Assess Ethics Mastery
2. 2Complete Topic-by-Topic Review with Mock Exam Validation
3. 3Pass the CFA Level 1 Examination