Uthena

Course description

Statement of cash flows creation and analysis.

What you'll learn

  • Explain what a statement of cash flows is
  • List the component parts of a statement of cash flows
  • Describe how a statement of cash flows is used
  • List the steps to creating a statement of cash flows
  • Build a statement of cash flows
  • Create the cash flows from operating activities section using the indirect method
  • Create the cash flows from operating activities section using the direct method
  • Compare and contrast the direct method and indirect method
  • List and describe non cash inventing and financing activities


We will introduce the statement of cash flows and discuss its purpose and uses. Understanding how to create a statement of cash flows provides us with a much deeper understanding of accounting and how the financial statements are constructed.

To build a statement of cash flows, we will use concepts of accrual accounting needed to create the balance sheet and income statement. We will apply our understanding of accrual concepts to analyze cash flows, creating a cash flow statement from accrual financial reports.

The course will list and describe the components of the statement of cash flows including cash flows from operating activities, cash flows from investing activities, and cash flows from financing activities.

We will discuss and construct a thought process for determining which category specific cash flows belong to, allowing us to be better at allocating cash flows to either cash flows from operating activities, cash flows from investing activities, or cash flows from financing activities.

The course will list and describe what is required to build a statement of cash flows, as well a strategy for construction that will reduce errors and time spent.

We will compare and contrast the direct method and indirect method of constructing the cash flows from operations section of the statement of cash flows.

The course will discuss how to construct a worksheet to use as a tool to create the statement of cash flows.

We will construct a statement of cash flows using the indirect method in a step by step format.

The course will discuss how to construct a statement of cash flows using the direct method in a step by step format.

We will also discuss how to report non-cash investing and financing activities.

In addition to the instructional videos, this course will include downloadable  

  • Downloadable PDF Files  
  • Excel Practice Files  
  • Multiple Choice Practice Questions  
  • Short Calculation Practice Questions  
  • Discussion Questions  


The PDF files allow us to download reference information we can use offline and as a guide to help us work through the material.  

Excel practice files will be preformatted so that we can focus on the adjusting process and learning some of the basics of Excel, like addition, subtraction, and cell relationships.  

Multiple choice example question helps us improve our test-taking skills by reducing the information into the size and format of multiple choice questions and discussing how to approach these questions.  

Short calculation questions help us reduce problems that have some calculation down to a short format that could be used in multiple choice questions.  

Discussion Question will provide an opportunity to discuss these topics with the instructor and other students, a process many students find very helpful because it allows us to see the topic from different viewpoints.  

Course curriculum

Meet your instructor!

Robert (Bob) Steele
CPA, CGMA, M.S. Tax, CPI


Through working with students from many different schools, Mr. Steele has learned best practices for helping people understand accounting fast. Learning new skills and finding the best way to share knowledge with people who can benefit from it is a passion of his.  

Mr. Steele has experience working as a practicing Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an accounting and business instructor, and curriculum developer. He has enjoyed putting together quality tools to improve learning and has been teaching, making instructional resources, and building curriculum since 2009. He has been a practicing CPA since 2005. Mr. Steele is a practicing CPA, has a Certified Post-Secondary Instructor (CPI) credential, a Master of Science in taxation from Golden Gate University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in accounting from The University of California Santa Barbara, and a Global Management Accounting Designation (CGMA) from The American Institute of CPA (AICPA).  

Mr. Steele has also authored five books that can be found on Amazon or in audiobook format on Audible. He has developed bestselling courses in accounting topics including financial accounting and QuickBooks accounting software.  

In addition to working as an accountant, teaching, and developing courses Mr. Steele has helped create an accounting website at accountinginstruction, a YouTube channel called Accounting Instruction, Help, and How Too, and has developed supplemental resources including a Facebook Page, Twitter Page, and Podcasts that can be found on I-tunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud. Mr. Steele's teaching philosophy is to make content applicable, understandable, and accessible.  

Adult learners are looking for application when they learn new skills. In other words, learners want to be able to apply skills in the real world to help their lives. Mr. Steele’s formal accounting education, practical work experience, and substantial teaching experience allow him to create a curriculum that combines traditional accounting education with practical knowledge and application. He accomplishes the goals of making accounting useful and applicable by combining theory with real-world software like Excel and QuickBooks.  

Many courses teach QuickBooks data entry or Excel functions but are not providing the real value learners want. Real value is a result of learning technical skills like applications, in conjunction with specific goals, like accounting goals, including being able to interpret the performance of a business.  

Mr. Steele makes knowledge understandable by breaking down complex concepts into smaller units with specific objectives and using step by step learning processes to understand each unit. Many accounting textbooks cram way too much information into a course, making it impossible to understand any unit fully. By breaking the content down into digestible chunks, we can move forward much faster.  

Mr. Steele also makes use of color association in both presentations and Excel worksheets, a learning tool often overlooked in the accounting field, but one that can vastly improve the speed and comprehension of learning accounting concepts.  

The material is also made understandable through the application of concepts learned. Courses will typically demonstrate the accounting concepts and then provide an Excel worksheet or practice problems to work through the concepts covered. The practice problems will be accompanied by an instructional video to work through the problem in step by step format. Excel worksheets will be preformatted, usually including an answer tab that shows the completed problem, and a practice tab where learners can complete the problem along with a step by step presentation video.

Take this course today!

"Statement of Cash Flows"