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Beginner · Self-paced2026 Edition

Accounting Fundamentals

The universal scaffolding every finance career rests on — the accounting equation, double-entry bookkeeping, debits and credits, T-accounts, the accounting cycle, adjusting entries, cash vs accrual, IFRS vs US GAAP. Taught identically in Harare, Helsinki, and Houston. The prerequisite the rest of the Finance path implicitly assumes.

12

Modules

~8h 40m

Reading time

Beginner

Level

Self-paced

Format

§

Syllabus

  1. 01

    Why accounting exists

    The trust problem and the language of business. Stakeholders, the agency cost of separation between ownership and control, and the role of accounting in resolving it.

    ~35 minModule 01
    →
  2. 02

    The accounting equation

    Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Why every transaction touches both sides. The two views: financial position (balance sheet) and performance (income statement).

    ~40 minModule 02
    →
  3. 03

    Double-entry bookkeeping

    Every transaction is two equal entries on opposite sides. The 500-year-old idea (Luca Pacioli, 1494) that survived everything because it has integrity built in.

    ~45 minModule 03
    →
  4. 04

    Debits and credits — the rules that don't change

    DEAD CLIC. The five account types, which side increases each, and the test that every entry must pass before you record it.

    ~45 minModule 04
    →
  5. 05

    T-accounts and the chart of accounts

    The visual scaffolding accountants use to think. Designing a chart of accounts that survives a 10x increase in transaction volume.

    ~40 minModule 05
    →
  6. 06

    Journal entries — the daily work

    Recording the transactions of a business in chronological order. From simple cash receipts to complex compound entries spanning three accounts.

    ~50 minModule 06
    →
  7. 07

    The general ledger and posting

    How journal entries flow to the ledger and produce account balances. Subsidiary ledgers, control accounts, and the chart of accounts in operation.

    ~40 minModule 07
    →
  8. 08

    The trial balance

    The first check that double-entry held. What the trial balance proves, what it does not, and the errors it can't catch.

    ~35 minModule 08
    →
  9. 09

    Adjusting entries — accruals, deferrals, depreciation

    Matching revenues to expenses at period-end. The four kinds of adjusting entries and why the cycle would lie without them.

    ~55 minModule 09
    →
  10. 10

    The accounting cycle, end to end

    Identify → record → post → adjust → close → report. The full quarterly rhythm every accountant runs.

    ~45 minModule 10
    →
  11. 11

    Cash basis vs accrual basis

    When each is honest, when each is misleading. Why SMEs love cash and IFRS demands accrual.

    ~40 minModule 11
    →
  12. 12

    IFRS vs US GAAP and reading the auditor's report

    The global standards landscape. How to read an auditor's report (unqualified, qualified, adverse, disclaimer) and what each signals.

    ~50 minModule 12
    →

How to use this course

Start with module 01 if the material is new; skip ahead if you have prior exposure. Each module is self-contained but the arc is sequential — the projects in the final module assume the toolkit from modules 1-11. Every module ends with key takeaways and a curated further-reading list with primary sources.