A financial analyst evaluates current and historical economic and business data to identify trends that influence business decisions. Gain the skills that make a successful financial analyst, including understanding financial statements, working with economic data, and analytical analysis skills.
Note: This learning path was updated on June 1, 2026. If you had already completed the path, your certificate of completion is not affected. If you were in progress, additional courses may now be required.
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Make business recommendations on investments.
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Read and interpret financial statements.
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Perform basic analysis of financial data.
Courses
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1
Starting Your Career as a Financial Analyst44mStarting Your Career as a Financial Analyst
By: Ben Sullins
Learn about career opportunities as a financial analyst in this audio-only course adapted from the Free the Data Podcast.
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2
Financial Modeling and Forecasting Financial Statements3h 31mFinancial Modeling and Forecasting Financial Statements
By: Jim Stice
Learn essential financial modeling skills to confidently forecast and analyze the financial trajectory of a business.
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3
Financial Modeling Foundations3h 32mFinancial Modeling Foundations
By: Michael McDonald
Learn the essentials of financial modeling.
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4
Corporate Financial Statement Analysis3h 47mCorporate Financial Statement Analysis
By: Jim Stice
Learn how to analyze, compare, and interpret financial statements to generate more impactful business insights.
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5
Excel Modeling Tips and Tricks1h 52mExcel Modeling Tips and Tricks
By: Michael McDonald
Learn to build effective and versatile financial models to forecast sales, profits, operations, costs, assets and liabilities, and more in Microsoft Excel.
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6
Data, Economic Modeling, and Forecasting with Stata49mData, Economic Modeling, and Forecasting with Stata
By: Jason Schenker
Data analysis, modeling, and forecasting are increasingly important for many jobs. This course shows how to use Stata to easily learn data, modeling, and forecasting basics.
Instructors
Ben Sullins
Content Creator Focused on EVs, Batteries, and Renewables
Free the Data Podcast
Jim Stice
Accounting Professor at Brigham Young University + LinkedIn Learning Instructor at LinkedIn
Kay Stice
Emeritus Professor of Accounting at Brigham Young University + LinkedIn Learning Instructor
Michael McDonald
Professor, Fairfield University
Jason Schenker
Economist | Futurist | Geopolitics | AI and Tech Advisor | 1,350x Speaker | 38x Author | 17x Bestselling Author | 36x Bloomberg Ranked #1 Forecaster | 1.6 Million Online Learners