The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Finance for Non-Financial Managers

by Robert A. Cooke

A fully revised guidebook on the basics of accounting-- updated to cover an increasingly complex financial arena In the wake of recent accounting scandals, most managers now realize they need to know more about the inner workings of finance. Many, however, don't know where they will find the time. The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Finance for Non-Financial Managers is designed to give readers a working mastery of all finance essentials in just 36 hours and has now been updated to help readers understand the substantial regulatory and practical changes that have taken place in the new world of business accounting. This hands-on workbook delivers its information in accessible and reader-friendly style, including self-study questions and case studies for each chapter. Information new to this edition

Genres: Business, Finance, Nonfiction, Accounting, Money, Management, Read For School

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

About the author

ROBERT A. COOKE, CPA, has been the owner or co-owner of three successful small businesses. He is the author of six books, including Doing Business Tax-Free and How to Start Your Own 'S' Corporation, both from Wiley.

Reviews

[Binfei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starting book for who does not have any finance background. Example and flow of the book is easy for reader to understand. After reading it, I have better understanding the actions my plant manager and director took before. Problem to point our for this book:
1. Examples in the book may not be suitable for all type of reader.
2. Chapter review questions were not enough to cover the knowledge.
3. There are still typo in the book in 3rd edition.
4. The online exam question 69-79 has only question but no any financial statement to work with. I guess through the questions.

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned a couple things but mostly the points were obscured by inane, offensive examples and condescending language that obfuscated the financial content instead of illuminating it. Would not recommend.

[Laslo Keller]

"The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Finance for Non-Financial Managers" is an invaluable resource for anyone new to the world of finance. As someone without a financial background, I found it to be clear, concise, and packed with practical examples that made complex concepts much easier to understand. The book covers everything from basic accounting to financial statement analysis, budgeting, and investment principles. It’s ideal for professionals who want to feel more confident in finance meetings or make better financial decisions.

One downside I noticed is that some topics feel a bit outdated, given how quickly finance and technology evolve. This could be an issue for those dealing with more modern financial platforms or online investing services. If you're exploring newer options or have questions about online financial tools, it’s helpful to reach out to companies directly. For example, if you need guidance on using investment apps, checking out resources like the robinhood customer service number could provide support for any app-specific concerns.

Overall, this book is a fantastic starting point and worth the read for non-financial managers. Just keep in mind that supplemental resources may be needed for the latest in digital finance.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author really, really tried with the humour but it was a hard go.

[Sherri]

Recommended after taking the CLP course Financial Intelligence

[Cooljoe815 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been a number guy but recently I have been serious about learning more about finances . As the book says words are the language of love and numbers are the language of money. I've read, Trading Bases about sports and numbers, I read Moneyball and now, Finance for Nonfinancial managers.
My takeaway is that once you know the formulas and rules of financial reports is not too complicated. You learn about budgets, income statements, and cash flow statements. The reasons I gave it only 4 stars is because more examples of finances for non-business issues like buying a car, or doing a family budget, etc. and the other reason I didn't give it a 5 stars is I personally like summary chapters where you tie everything up and sometimes going further and break it down in a summary type of way.
I recommend it for anybody who sleep walks through budget,meetings. I took the online test and if you pass and will get a certificate.

[Krishna Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author does a good job of making a stale subject like Accounting interesting. The running example of the Spouse Houses is hilarious, while at the same time, introducing the user to different accounting details and rationales for handling the books a certain way. There are a lot of financial charts in the book, but the author keeps them simple and easy to understand. Unless you pay attention to the exercises at the end of each chapter, you wouldn't realize that it is a student textbook, not a general non-fiction book.

[Anna (lion_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to finance for non-numbers people. Although you would definitely need to go back and make notes on some of this material. Canadian readers would benefit from realistic Canadian version of the figures.

*By the way, not too boring as far as finance books go. The authors are even funny at times.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was boring (no shit), but taught me what all the basic accounting concepts like the matching principle, materiality, assets/liabilities/equity, etc means, and how to read balance sheets, and income statements.

Tedious shit, but worth knowing.

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read book, cute examples, has little quizzes at the end of each chapter. Only for people (like me) who don't know anything about accounting and want to learn the basics

[John]

Really good for people who know nothing about finance.

[Elaine]

Plain English version of accounting and finance, including discussions of revenues, expenses, financial statements, budgeting, and analysis.

This book is in the library.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the topic, the author did a good job of keeping the information interesting. However, there were quite a few typos that made the information confusing at times.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is easy to follow and is written in a good style. A very good primer.

[Robert Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Academic work, however does clarify some things for those not strong in the subject matter.