Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Financial Intelligence, Revised Edition: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean

Top positive review

great book

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023

This book is great for managers to read. It spells out everything will need to know about financial literacy. It provides exciting examples they keep the reader engaged throughout the book.

3 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Sire

Underwhelming and Shallow

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2019

I have little finance background but I still found the coverage of topics in this book to be superficial and excessively watered/dumbed down. It feels like it is written for an audience of 10th graders. It will introduce you some core tenets of understanding the finances behind your company, but there is absolutely no depth here. The book touches ever so slightly on each topic, almost in tantalizing fashion, sometimes dropping remarks such as "much more on this in chapter 17", but without ever delivering any satisfying or enlightening substance.

And don't let the chapters labeled as Toolboxes fool you - you will not be able to take what you learn from this book and dissect your company's 10K report. In fact I think I have no better idea as to where or how to start analyzing my company's finances after reading this book. I would say I am disappointed in this book, and the only thing keeping me going is that the chapters are brief and I know it will be over soon enough.

40 people found this helpful

2,096 total ratings, 314 with reviews

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From the United States

Rusty S.

great book

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is great for managers to read. It spells out everything will need to know about financial literacy. It provides exciting examples they keep the reader engaged throughout the book.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Connor Smith

This book was great

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book did a fantastic job at breaking down the most important aspects of accounting to a level that anyone can understand. It helped me to understand the way business work and also taught me how to apply this knowledge.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tomada

Excellent for non-MBA

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

I didn’t major in business. This book has helped me manage business better. The introduction of terms is key. I bought for other managers. Also got the audio book- listen to it more than once to get concepts.

Helpful

Mehdi

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

It gives you a better understanding of finances and you will be able to dig in the beneath of the financial statement.

Helpful

Kindle Customert

Understand the numbers - Make better decisions...

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

I do have a few years (decades) of experience in the field - and many moons ago I completed most of the coursework for Ph.d. in accounting before deciding academia was not where I wanted to be. I taught the subject at the University level for more than 5 years and now train on this subject internationally. My background also includes working as an auditor and many years wearing the corporate controllers hat. I say this because I want to make clear that this book is not just for beginners, or people without a background in the field.

I recommend this book to everyone. Accounting and finance are not easy subjects especially if you jump in and start with the technical aspects of it. Put simply the better you understand the numbers - the better your business decisions will be. I view this book as providing an excellent foundation - the more you build your core knowledge of the subject the better. Remember the key in business is making better business decisions - don't be overly impressed by people who can spout GAAP at you with in terms you don't understand. The real experts can, and should, be able to translate the rules in a fashion that aids in understanding (1) why the rule is there in the first place, and (2) how it impacts you business and the decisions it makes.

This book is written in a fashion that will not put even non-accountants to sleep and it paints enough pictures with examples of accounting misdeeds to keep it interesting - and to really drive home how seemingly innocuous (in some cases) changes to how transactions are recorded and paint a very different picture of the health of an organization.

If you are in business / work - do yourself, your future and your business a favor by increasing your understanding of the numbers. This book is a great place to start....

68 people found this helpful

Helpful

Cliff Climber

Exactly what I was looking for!

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2021

Verified Purchase

This was exactly what I was looking for! The best financial book I've ever read for non-financial managers. It really helped my understanding of corporate finance. I think very helpful for a small business owner as well to understand their business and starting thinking like a big business when making important financial decisions. It's important to note that this is not an accounting book (as the authors stated) and details of charts of accounts are left out. That said, it was clearly stated what the purpose was and it nailed it. I've purchased the book for my son who is in college studying business and was confused by his professors - I think it will help him clear things up. I plan on buying more for my colleagues. As crazy as it sounds, it was hard to put down - I just kept wanting to read more as it explained all the voodoo finance so well. Every business owner, sales rep, manager or anyone wishing to understand how finance is used for decision making should buy this book.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Vladimirror

Finance 0-100 in Under 300 Pages!

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book was absolutely amazing!

I took about a year of accounting courses in college, but never quite learned the intricacies of financial statement analysis. I wanted to learn not only about corporate finance, but also how to analyze financial statements. Thus, my search was on.

After researching book stores and reading forums online, I learned about this book, which I looked up on Amazon.com. I love books that get straight to the point, so when I saw that this book covered corporate financial management and financial statement analysis in under 300 pages, I was in!

I purchased the book from Amazon and I read it in about two weeks. I literally could not put it down. The authors speak like human beings and actually make math and finance fun and interesting. In those two weeks alone, I not only gained a better understanding of accounting, but I learned how to evaluate investments and make management decisions based on company finances.

The book covers income statement analysis, balance sheet analysis, cash flow statement analysis, performance ratios, a bit of inventory management (like a financial intro to lean), and advanced capital expenditure analysis through concepts like discounted cash flow analysis.

This book took me from feeling like I'd never understand certain things, to being able to discuss finance like an executive manager.

I'm not kidding either, the book dives straight in and explains everything in a no nonsense approach.

Financial Intelligence acted like a learning springboard for me by providing a foundation for me to read deeper into finance.

I 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a place to begin their finance studies.

139 people found this helpful

Helpful

For the manager or executive looking to understand how financial decisions are made

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

I'll start with what this book is NOT. It's not for anyone who intends to assume an accounting or finance function. And it's not for anyone looking to become an expert one myriad of rules that govern decisions made by accountants and finance team leads.

This book is for the manager or executive who needs just enough financial decision making chops to know where to look for the bodies, and which questions to ask. Magically the book manages not to be dry; a herculean feat for a book on this topic. Ultimately, It teaches how an individual skilled in the art of finance approaches problem solving. Which is exactly what you should be seeking to understand as a cross-functional leader in a modern organization.

I'm recommending it to everyone on my team as a must-read.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

derrick perry

Everything you need to know

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

A lot of these reviews are saying that it's very basic. It is not. It is basic but ends up telling you a lot of very good information for investing, and creating and analyzing income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Anyone who has a job should read this book. Managers and executives should definitely get this book to be financially intelligent. This book will help any college of business student taking a finance class out as well. Small business entrepreneurs would benefit from this book. I'm taking a finance class in my undergraduate class now. This is a $20 book worth $3000 of a class that you could read in less than a week.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bernard E.

OK But Beware Of Bias.

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

This three hundred plus page hardbound book with its featureless hardcovers all in red is essentially an extended pamphlet promoting mark to value accounting. As such it OK, well written, and often interesting, and probably worth considering.

The paper is thick and pulpy by current standards and the lines are spaced far apart which is good for my 84 year old eyes. Perhaps however the expanded physical appearance of the book is intended to confer on it more gravitas than it might otherwise deserve.

This book can be profitably scanned in about an hour; I scanned it in five minutes. It is worth five minutes of your time but I am not sure that it worth even its low price in money. On the issue of mark to value accounting I am as yet undecided and this book did little to move me.

6 people found this helpful

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