Master Budgets – Managerial Accounting/Cost Accounting
What you'll learn
- Define the key concepts and principles of budget construction, including the components of a master budget and their interrelationships.
- Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different budget timing methods to determine the most appropriate approach for a given scenario.
- Analyze the characteristics and functions of a budget committee, understanding its role in facilitating effective budgeting processes.
- Create a sales budget, incorporating forecasting techniques and industry trends to develop accurate sales projections.
- Develop a production budget, considering factors such as demand forecasts, inventory levels, and capacity constraints to optimize production planning.
- Formulate a materials budget, estimating material requirements, analyzing supplier costs, and implementing strategies to optimize inventory management.
- Construct a direct labor budget, considering labor rates, workforce capacity, and production requirements to accurately estimate labor costs.
- Create a factory overhead budget, identifying cost drivers, allocating overhead costs, and analyzing variances to control expenses effectively.
- Design a general and administrative budget, allocating resources to administrative functions, overhead costs, and support departments aligned with organizationa
- Develop a cash budget, forecasting cash inflows and outflows, managing liquidity, and optimizing cash resources for efficient financial management.
- Construct a budgeted cost of goods manufactured statement, analyzing the costs incurred in the production process to determine the budgeted cost of goods manufa
- Prepare a budgeted cost of goods sold statement, calculating the expected cost of goods sold based on budgeted production and inventory data.
- Compose a budgeted income statement, integrating revenue projections, cost data, and expense estimates to generate a comprehensive budgeted income statement.
- Formulate a budgeted balance sheet, considering the budgeted assets, liabilities, and equity based on the financial projections and budgeted activities.
- Integrate all components of the master budget into a cohesive analysis, applying Excel skills to consolidate and interpret the budgeted financial information.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the master budget in supporting strategic financial planning and decision-making processes.
- Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to address challenges and make informed decisions in the context of budget construction and analysis.
Requirements
- Basic Accounting Knowledge: Familiarity with fundamental accounting principles, including an understanding of financial statements and terminology.
- Managerial Accounting Foundations: A basic understanding of managerial accounting concepts, such as cost classification, cost behavior, and cost-volume-profit analysis.
- Excel Proficiency: Proficiency in using Microsoft Excel, including the ability to navigate worksheets, enter data, perform basic calculations, and create simple formulas.
- Numerical and Analytical Skills: Strong numerical aptitude and analytical thinking skills to analyze financial data, interpret budgeting concepts, and solve problems related to budget construction and analysis.
- Willingness to Learn: An eagerness to expand knowledge in budget construction and analysis, and a commitment to actively engage with course materials and exercises.
Description
Embark on a comprehensive journey of budget construction with our "Mastering Budget Construction" course. This course offers a deep dive into each component of the master budget to provide a detailed understanding and practical application.
We start by building a strong foundation in managerial accounting concepts, comparing and contrasting its role with financial accounting. You will gain insights into the essential managerial accounting tools necessary for effective budget construction.
Throughout the course, we explore each component of the master budget in detail, incorporating practical insights as we go.
In the sales budget module, we delve into the process of constructing a sales budget, emphasizing the importance of accurate sales projections and incorporating forecasting techniques. We also explore industry trends and external factors that impact sales forecasts.
Moving on to the production budget, we analyze the factors influencing production levels, such as demand forecasts, inventory management, and capacity constraints. You will learn how to develop a production budget that optimizes resources and meets customer demands.
Our materials budget module focuses on estimating material requirements, analyzing supplier costs, and optimizing inventory levels. We explore techniques for effectively managing material costs and ensuring a smooth supply chain process.
Next, we dive into the direct labor budget, where we examine labor rates, workforce capacity, and production requirements. You will learn how to estimate labor costs accurately and allocate labor resources efficiently.
The factory overhead budget module explores the intricacies of managing factory overhead costs. We discuss cost drivers, allocation methods, and variance analysis, equipping you with the skills to effectively control and manage factory overhead expenses.
In the general and administrative budget section, we delve into the budgeting process for administrative functions, overhead costs, and support departments. You will gain insights into allocating resources, setting departmental budgets, and aligning them with organizational goals.
Our cash budget module provides a comprehensive understanding of cash flow management. You will learn how to forecast cash inflows and outflows, optimize cash resources, and manage liquidity effectively to ensure smooth financial operations.
Throughout the course, you will have access to preformatted Excel worksheets and practical exercises that allow you to apply the concepts learned. You will also have the opportunity to engage in discussions, practice test questions, and work on a comprehensive problem-solving exercise in Excel to consolidate your knowledge.
By the end of this course, you will possess a comprehensive understanding of each component of the master budget, along with the practical skills to construct and analyze budgets effectively. Whether you are a business owner, aspiring accountant, finance professional, or student, this course will empower you to excel in budget planning and analysis. Join us now and embark on a journey to master budget construction.
Who this course is for:
- Accounting Professionals: Accountants seeking to enhance their skills in budgeting and financial planning, and those aiming to specialize in managerial accounting roles.
- Finance Professionals: Financial analysts, financial managers, and professionals in finance-related roles who want to develop a solid understanding of budgeting concepts and techniques.
- Business Owners and Entrepreneurs: Small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to gain expertise in budgeting and financial planning to optimize their business operations and decision-making.
- Aspiring Managers: Individuals aspiring to managerial positions who wish to develop proficiency in budgeting and financial analysis to drive strategic planning and operational decision-making.
- Business and Accounting Students: Students pursuing degrees in business, finance, accounting, or related fields who want to complement their academic knowledge with practical skills in budget construction and analysis.
- Anyone Seeking Financial Literacy: Individuals interested in enhancing their financial literacy and understanding the role of budgets in managing personal finances or supporting business decision-making.
Instructor
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.
Mr. Steele makes learning accounting accessible by making use of technology and partnering with teaching platforms that have a vision of spreading knowledge like Udemy.