Everything You Need to Know on How to Become a Financial Analyst

Finances are one of the fundamental parts determining the success of a company or business. Financial analysts have a significant role in helping companies to make smart and calculated decisions, leading them to success. Therefore, it is not a surprise that many people are interested in this career and are searching for ways how to become a financial analyst.  

The most stereotypical view is that if a person is good at math, they can work in the financial field. Although working in this field requires a great knowledge of mathematics, it's definitely not enough. Financial analysts have to have great strategic thinking, planning, multitasking, and many other skills, which we'll discuss in a minute.

If you are still confused, don’t worry. The fundamental importance of financial analyst and their role in business will be discussed in great detail throughout this whole article. Moreover, we will look into different possibilities on how to become a financial analyst and what are necessary skills and ways to gain that knowledge.

Therefore, if you want to know what does a financial analyst do or how to become a financial analyst using Udemy and Coursera, read on!

What Do Financial Analysts Do

With the current growth of newly invented companies and businesses, there is a growing demand for financial analysts. Everyone knows what is the role of an accountant. However, if you don’t know anything about business, or how to run the financial side of things, you may wonder - what does a financial analyst do and why is this role so important?

Let me help you with that!

Financial analysts are people who collect financial information from the past and present to make plausible assumptions about the future. The main tasks of a financial analyst are to predict returns of different investments, make detailed reports and analyze the industry to provide information for decision-making.

Depending on the need, a financial analyst job description includes analyzing macroeconomic occurrences. The analysis of these trends usually includes looking into income, savings, debt, and expenditures of the company.

The financial analyst career path usually begins in a junior position. After working in this field for quite a few years, a person can pursue to become a senior financial analyst. Usually, representatives of this profession are found in banks, funds, insurance companies, government agencies, and investment firms.

How to Become a Financial Analyst

As with most careers, becoming a financial analyst is not a walk in the park, as one would suggest. It requires attentiveness, great baggage of knowledge, and practical application of acquired knowledge. But how to become a financial analyst without experience?

One of the most effective ways to learn, especially in recent years, has become the ability to learn online. Due to this possibility, many people found new careers and initiated professional development. Therefore, many new e-learning platforms have been created to provide you with the best experience while learning.

Why should you try and learn how to become a financial analyst through online courses? Let me present you with a few perks that learning online gives you.

The first and relatively most obvious perk is the ability to learn whenever and wherever. When learning online, the only thing you need to care about is an internet connection and a computer or other smart devices with the necessary software. You can easily set your schedule and learn, even in the middle of the night, somewhere deep in the woods!

Another great trait of e-learning is its cost. When learning online, you can save money that you would otherwise use to pay for commuting to and from university or college. Moreover, you wouldn’t need to buy any textbooks, as everything you need would be in digital format. Lastly, if you can’t afford to buy courses, you can always apply for financial aid. Amazing, right?

One of the greatest features of learning online is that you can choose from a variety of courses related to the same subject. You are not appointed to one class as you would in university. In this way, you can make your own decision about which class is valuable to you!

The list of benefits that online learning provides would not be complete without mentioning accessibility. When you learn in class, your notes are your best friends, as you cannot re-listen to what the lecturer said. However, if you are learning online, you can rewind and relisten to your classes as many times as you wish!

Something that tops the perks I've mentioned above is the fact that many online courses provide you with certificates for acquired knowledge. It's a valuable addition to your CV for your future employers. On the other hand, by attending a selection of online courses on Coursera, you can even acquire a bachelor's or master's degree!

There are definitely other ways to join the financial analyst career path. You can enter a college or university and specialize in finance, economics, accounting, or business administration. This is quite a costly option, though.

With the help of online courses, you can start your financial analyst career path from the comfort of your own home.

The Most Liked Findings

Looking for more in-depth information on related topics? We have gathered similar articles for you to spare your time. Take a look!

Skill Development

Best Google Analytics 4 Courses in 2025

Skill Development

Best Programming Courses for Beginners (2025 Guide)

Skill Development

Best Generative AI Courses

The Courses for Becoming a Financial Analyst

Now that you've got familiar with the most prominent ways how to become a financial analyst, it’s time to look at a handful of options for the development of your career. As mentioned before, there are many e-learning platforms, offering various courses for you to learn.

I've analyzed multiple different MOOC providers, and I have to say - Udemy and Coursera have stood out as the best options to answer the question on how to become a financial analyst.

	COURSERA	UDEMY
Overall Score	9.1	9.0
Best For	Best for Career Paths	Best for Different Topic Choices
Headquarters	4.6 of 5.0	4.5 of 5.0
Latest Coupons	50% OFF All Coursera Coupons	ONLY $14.99 All Udemy Coupons
Verdict	University-level online learning provider that offers high-quality education worldwide.	A diverse online learning platform for a broad user base.
	Visit site Read review	Visit site Read review

Table: A Coursera VS Udemy comparison

Udemy is one of the largest learning platforms that offers a huge library of courses for a variety of topics. From gardening to programming, on Udemy everything is learnable with a single click. The students must pay for the majority of courses on Udemy; however, the platform often allows users to save money by providing discounts or filling their free course library.

Coursera is another learning platform that exclusively collaborates with various universities to provide a selection of courses. You can participate in programs created by IBM, Stanford University, Duke University, and other popular universities. On Coursera, you can find around 10,000 courses, which include more than 2,500 free courses.

There are many learning resources available on both platforms that relate to the question of how to become a financial analyst. To make things easier, I have selected a handful of modules for you to start your journey in the financial analyst career path.

It is worth mentioning that courses are arranged according to a particular scheme. At the top of the list are options that give you the fundamental knowledge of financial analysis. The list is followed by the programs that reinforce the knowledge gained previously.

Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

The Complete Financial Analyst Course (Enroll HERE)

• Platform: Udemy
• Duration: Around 21 hours
• Price: €84,99
• Certificate: Yes
• Level: All levels
• Where to enroll? HERE
• Discount? Available

Learning is a gradual experience, which is accomplished step by step, lesson by lesson. When learning about a new subject, especially the one concerning difficult terms, it is important to start acquiring knowledge from the roots of the topic. In the long term, it will save you from confusion, misunderstandings, or other inconveniences.

Therefore, one of the leading e-learning platforms, Udemy, is ready to help you to start your journey on figuring out how to become a financial analyst. The bestseller course called ‘The Complete Financial Analyst Course’ has been designed to be suitable for both, experts and beginners in this field.

The course has nearly 500,000 students enrolled, making it one of the most successful financial courses found on Udemy's online learning platform.

The course is divided into 6 bigger chapters, which are then subdivided into 49 smaller, more in-depth classes. The sections cover everything from tutorials on how to use Microsoft Excel to capital budgeting.

Let’s look at the chapters that can be found in this course:

• Introduction to Microsoft Excel discusses useful tools, such as pivot tables, as well as more complex model creations;
• The chapter called Accounting discusses everything you need to know about accounting and its fundamental terms;
• The Advanced Accounting chapter considers everything from fixed assets to financial leverage;
• The chapter on Financial Statement Analysis provides minimal theoretical information, but greater practical implications and tasks;
• The chapter called Finance 101 focuses on explaining the most valuable and fundamental terms required when working in finance;
• The chapter on PowerPoint describes its benefits in providing effective messages to the audience.

It provides you with around 500 valuable resources that you can use to follow the material of the classes, gain additional knowledge or apply your knowledge practically. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Throughout this course, you will learn from a highly experienced instructor, who has worked with Coca-Cola and PwC. Moreover, you will view high-quality content and will be able to reach out to the instructor, with your insights or questions about the course.

If you wish to start your journey to becoming a successful financial analyst now, you can enroll in this course for €84,99. However, with the variety of discounts that Udemy provides for its users, you can save up to 80% of the value, and pay €16,99.

Start learning NOW!

The Complete Financial Analyst Training & Investing Course (Enroll HERE)

• Platform: Udemy
• Duration: Around 23 hours
• Price: €84,99
• Certificate: Yes
• Level: All levels
• Where to enroll? HERE
• Discount? Available

When it comes to knowledge about such difficult and complex topics as finances, the more in-depth the information is, the better. The continuing repetition of certain words or terms will eventually find a way into your memory and become meaningful. So, where do you start?

On Udemy, you can find a thorough training course on how to become a financial analyst without experience. This bestseller course makes you feel as if you are in a training camp, offering you the practical knowledge needed in real-life situations.

In almost 23 hours of on-demand video, you will learn about financial models, portfolios, risk management, and ways how to effectively use Excel. Therefore, all you need to do is to open your smart device, which has Excel installed and dive right into the financial analysis.

Let’s look at some of the classes this course will offer:

• Global economics and Excel;
• Investment Banking;
• Stock Markets+Portfolio Management;
• 'Buy-side';
• 'Sell-side' Equity Research;
• Venture Capital.

These are only a few topics that are taught in this course. In total, the course is divided into 54 sections. Don’t be intimidated by this number, as the average length to complete these sections are around 24 minutes. Moreover, as this is an online course, you can pause and return to learning whenever you want.

If you didn’t understand one or more terms in this list, don’t worry. This course is designed to make your knowledge about finances reach new heights!

Throughout the course, you will be learning from an award-winning professor, TED Talks speaker, author, hedge fund founder, and venture capitalist, Chirs Haroun. The lecturer will share his own experience gained while working on Wall Street, starting financial companies, hedge funds, and venture capital firms.

Suppose you don’t know which field of financial analysis you would like to work in. Don’t worry! The course is designed to provide you with an overview of 14 financial roles, where financial analysis is exceptionally important.

Therefore, if you want to gain detailed knowledge about how to become a financial analyst join this course on Udemy for €84,99. It’s too expensive? Don’t worry Udemy often provides discounts of more than 80% off, making the price of the course drop to €16,99.

Start learning NOW!

Learn to be a Financial Analyst (Enroll HERE)

• Platform: Udemy
• Duration: 2 hours
• Price: €24,99
• Certification: Yes
• Level: Beginner
• Where to enroll? HERE
• Discount? Available

Now that you've ventured through the most crucial information needed to understand what does a financial analyst do, it is time to look at it from a different perspective. If you don’t want to be completely clueless during the first days, weeks, or months in your financial analyst position, check it out:

Udemy suggests another great module for beginners in financial analysis. The ‘Learn to be a Financial Analyst’ course is structured to provide you with all of the necessary information about the duties and responsibilities of a financial analyst.

Therefore, throughout 2 hours of on-demand video material, you would learn about the job duties of the financial analyst and how to complete them. The course has been divided into 5 sections. Excluding the introduction and conclusions, you will learn about annual, quarterly, and monthly duties.

Together with the video material, you will receive a training manual, glossary, template for your resume, Excel spreadsheet, and Excel training resources. All of these things are designed to help you learn quickly and efficiently.

The course is taught by Adriane Hernandez. The finance guru and self-published author, who has gained her experience by working in best-rated companies included in the Fortune 500 list.

Enroll in this course and get an exclusive glimpse into what does a financial analyst do throughout the year. You can enter the course for €24,99 on a regular basis. However, Udemy often provides discounts, which can lower the price of the course to €16,99.

Financial Markets – Yale University (Enroll HERE)

• Platform: Coursera
• Duration: 33 hours
• Price: $49/month (after 7-day free trial)
• Certificate: YES
• Level: Beginner
• Where to enroll? HERE
• Discount: Available

Another course I recommend checking out if you want to build a solid foundation for becoming a professional financial analyst is Financial Markets by Yale University. It’s taught by Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller and dives into how financial markets work in the real world. The material goes deep without losing sight of beginners, which is what makes it a good option if you're just starting.

I found the structure to be straightforward and easy to follow. The course is broken into seven core modules, starting with basics like how financial systems operate, insurance, and the capital asset pricing model. From there, it moves into more niche (but interesting) areas like behavioral finance, market bubbles, and what causes financial crises.

Here’s how the modules are laid out:

Table: Modules in the Financial Markets course

The course runs for about 33 hours in total. It’s completely self-paced, so you can go through it as fast or slow as you like. If you're just browsing, you can audit the course for free, but to unlock the certificate, you'll need a Coursera subscription at around $49 per month.

Of course, one of the biggest draws here is Robert Shiller himself. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics back in 2013 for his work on asset pricing and long-term market behavior. He brings decades of real-world experience into the classroom and explains things in a way that’s smart and easy to follow.

The reviews are pretty solid. A lot of people praise how it manages to explain finance in a simple, engaging way that still feels relevant. One review put it nicely:

A great introduction to finance. Recommended for anyone interested in the subject, even without a financial background.

That said, do keep your expectations in check. This is a beginner-friendly course, so don’t expect extensive technical trading breakdowns or hands-on investing practice. It focuses more on helping you understand the big picture and the financial tools that matter most.

So if you're just getting into finance and want a useful introduction with some real-world context behind it, I’d say this one’s worth a go.

Enroll in this course NOW!

Did you know?

Want to earn Rewards & gain real Web3 skills?

Ace exciting Missions, collect Bits & win huge Airdrop Prizes!

Start gaining 🚀

Pros

• Easy to use with a learn-by-doing approach
• Offers quality content
• Gamified in-browser coding experience

Main Features

• Free certificates of completion
• Focused on data science skills
• Flexible learning timetable

GET 25% OFF

Pros

• High-quality courses
• Nanodegree programs
• Student Career services

Main Features

• Nanodegree programs
• Suitable for enterprises
• Paid certificates of completion

100% FREE

Pros

• A wide range of learning programs
• University-level courses
• Easy to navigate

Main Features

• University-level courses
• Suitable for enterprises
• Verified certificates of completion

30% OFF COURSES

The Language and Tools of Financial Analysis (Enroll HERE)

• Platform: Coursera
• Duration: Around 11 hours
• Price: Free (to enroll)
• Certification: Yes
• Level: All levels
• Where to enroll? HERE
• Discount? Available

The last course that is worth considering if you want to know what does a financial analyst do is ‘The Language and Tools of Financial Analysis'. An extensive course, it aims to provide fundamental knowledge about accounting principles and financial analysis.

The course is divided into 4 weeks, making it easily comprehensible and suggesting particular deadlines. During each week, you will have several readings, videos, and quizzes to complete. If you want to plan your time, in the sidebars you can see how long certain parts of the sub-chapter last.

• In the first week of the course, you will get familiar with the main concepts used by capital markets and will study the particular example of Kellogg's;
• In week two, you will be introduced to ratio analysis used to measure relative profitability, leverage, efficiency, and the company's liquidity;
• Week three will greet you with the topic, which discusses the links between accounting principles and financial decision-making. During this week, you will focus greatly on things to keep in mind when entering the market;
• Lastly, you will be introduced to discounted cash flow analysis.

This course is only the first set of lectures from the 'Specialization on the Essentials of Corporate Financial Analysis and Decision-Making' group of courses. If you would be interested in further lectures, you can always find the link to the full package in the description of this course.

So, how do you attend the course? Well, as in every e-learning website, you first need to log in or register on the platform. Afterward, the course on 'The Language and the Tools of Financial Analysis' will be completely free for 7 days with a trial option.

However, if you want to complete the course in your own time, you will need to pay a monthly fee of $49. Do you want to complete this course, but cannot afford it? You can always try to apply for financial aid. In that case, you would need to be patient as it may take up to 15 days until your application is evaluated.

Don't hesitate and start learning NOW!

The Skill Set of Financial Analysts

Regardless of your choice on how to become a financial analyst, you will always need a particular set of skills. These skills are integral, and will help you to be the best in your field.

Research and analytical skills are an inseparable part of working as a financial analyst. To make a correct decision about possible future events, one must know how to research the answers they are looking for. Compiling the smallest details and interpreting them in a specific manner will help to find solutions to the arisen issues.

Financial analysts should have great communication skills. The skill includes not only presenting your findings in a written or spoken manner. Financial analysts should be able to communicate their arguments and insights convincingly to persuade the leaders of the company.

Technical skills are another important skill that financial analysts must have. The companies are no longer searching for financial specialists who can only research and interpret data. They are looking for someone who can manage databases and incorporate various software applications to increase productivity.

Despite the skills mentioned above being the most fundamental, there are other abilities the person in this field must possess. These skills include great mathematical knowledge, expertise in a particular field or sector, and awareness of occurring social or economical factors around the globe.

Did you know?

Have you ever wondered which online learning platforms are the best for your career?

See & compare TOP online learning platforms side by side

The Most Trending Findings

Browse our collection of the most thorough Crypto Exchange related articles, guides & tutorials. Always be in the know & make informed decisions!

Skill Development

Online Teaching Courses: How to Become the Best Teacher

Career

Graphic Designer Salary: A Comprehensive Guide

Platform Courses

Udacity Python: the Best Choice

Conclusions

Throughout the whole article, we have looked into the occupation of the financial analyst in great detail. It became clear that financial analysts require great knowledge in a variety of skills, including mats and communication.

If you are searching for answers on how to become a financial analyst without experience, your best shot is through online courses. Compared to traditional learning, online learning is cheaper, faster, and more efficient way to become a financial analyst. The majority of e-learning platforms, such as Udemy and Coursera, suggest many courses for you to gain knowledge in becoming a financial analyst.

You can access these courses with considerable discounts or completely free! Therefore, don’t hesitate and start acquiring knowledge for your dream career!