CSPP Alumna Karen Berman Authors "Financial Intelligence"

SAN DIEGO, MARCH, 27, 2006 - Karen Berman, an alumna of the California School of Business and Organizational Studies (CSBOS) at Alliant International University, has writtenFinancial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean (Harvard Business School Press) with Joe Knight and help of former Inc. magazine writer John Case. Written in plain English, the book is a crash course in finance.

Lisa Yoon, writing in CFO.com, comments," It starts out explaining what a CFO is. It then goes on to everything from leverage and liquidity ratios to working capital management. Throughout the book, it explains why it's useful to understand these financial topics using examples from day-to-day business and the high-profile fraud scandals of Enron and its like...CFOs who want to promote financial literacy among the non-financial managers they work with might consider recommending this book. It reads easily without dumbing down, and it's comprehensive."

“This book makes it easy for anybody to understand how financial statements work," says Stefan C. Linn, Senior Vice President, Marketing, McKesson Pharmaceutical. "It’s a must-read for nonfinancial managers who want to ask intelligent questions about how to improve their company’s financial performance.”

Filled with clear examples, engaging case studies, and useful toolkits at the end of each chapter, "Financial Intelligence" provides managers with the four basic skill sets needed to hone their financial intelligence:

1.  Understanding the foundation: how to decipher income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.  
2. Understanding the art: how to identify when the artful aspects of finance have been applied to the numbers and what that means to drawing accurate conclusions.
3. Understanding the analysis: how to make informed decisions based on the information underneath ratios and return on investment.
4. Understanding the big picture: how to value the context created by changes in the economy and the competitive environment and what that means for interpreting a companies financial numbers.

Beyond the basics, this book will also teach managers the more complex and creative side of the numbers including how to speak the language of the finance department, ask the right questions to get information they need, and most importantly how to use this information to improve cash flow, analyze the next big project, and create better value for their company. 

Harvard Business School Press
Publication date: January 12, 2006
Price: $24.95; Page count: 288; ISBN: 1-59139-764-2

About the Authors

Karen Berman Ph.D. is founder, president, and co-owner of the Business Literacy Institute, a consulting firm offering customized training programs, Money Maps, keynotes and other products and services designed to ensure that everyone in organizations understands how financial success is measured and how they make an impact. Karen has worked with dozens of companies, helping them to create financial literacy programs that transform employees, managers, and leaders into business partners.

Joe Knight is co-owner of the Business Literacy Institute and co-owner of Setpoint Systems.  He works as CFO of Setpoint and as a facilitator and keynote speaker for the Business Literacy Institute, traveling to clients all over the world to teach them about finance. Joe is a true believer in financial transparency, and lives it every day at Setpoint.

For More Information

Website: http://www.harvardbusinessonline.com
Contact:  Julie Devoll/ Senior Publicist
Tel: 617-783-7471/ Fax: 617-783-7489
Email: jdevoll@hbsp.harvard.edu