Financial Management Fundamentals eSchool 2026
Financial Management Fundamentals eSchool 2026
Overview
Understanding your credit union’s financial health shouldn’t be limited to the finance department. This eSchool is designed to help professionals across the credit union build confidence in reading and interpreting financial information that drives growth and strategy. Through practical, credit union–specific instruction, you’ll learn how balance sheets, income statements, ratios, and cash flow connect to everyday decisions. With new sessions added on cash flow analysis and income statements, this program equips attendees with the foundational knowledge needed to participate more effectively in budgeting, forecasting, and long-term planning.
What you’ll learn
- How to read and analyze balance sheets and income statements
- Key financial ratios and what they reveal about credit union performance
- Cash flow fundamentals and how to optimize financial stability
- Yield on assets and basic asset/liability management concepts
- Investment basics and loan and deposit pricing strategies
- Forecasting and budgeting approaches used in credit unions
- How financial data informs strategic and operational decisions
Who should attend
- Branch managers and operations leaders
- Lending, marketing, and frontline managers seeking financial fluency
- Executive leaders and new CFOs looking for a strong financial refresher
- Credit union professionals outside of finance who want to better understand their organization’s financial performance
- Teams that want a shared understanding of credit union finances to support growth and alignment
Attendees of this event can earn CPE credits. Visit the Attendee Info tab for details.
This learning opportunity is part of the complete Center for Professional Development (CPD) eSchools & Webinars series. Subscribe to get access to this webinar or eSchool, along with over 80+ webinars & eSchools covering critical topics for you and all your staff.
Sessions
March 18, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Unlock the secrets of the balance sheet, one of the three primary financial statements. This course provides a clear, practical, and comprehensive understanding of the foundational accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Net Worth.
You will move beyond simply reading the numbers to understanding how they are derived and what they mean for a credit union's financial health.
- What are the different categories of assets
- What are the different categories of liabilities and net worth
- Learn how debits and credits make the numbers change
March 25, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Gain a deep, practical understanding of the income statement, the critical financial statement that reveals a credit union's performance and profitability over a period of time.
This specialized course is designed to highlight the unique drivers of a credit union's financial health, with a specific focus on its primary revenue and expense streams.
- What drives interest income
- What are the drivers to interest expense
- Learn how to identify and manage the largest expenses of your credit union
April 1, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Move beyond mere calculations and master the strategic application of financial ratios. This specialized course empowers credit union professionals to use key metrics as powerful tools for evaluating overall financial health, identifying critical risk areas, and forecasting the impact of strategic decisions.
You will learn to translate numbers into actionable insights that drive sound management and sustained profitability.
- Use ratios to evaluate the total financial performance of the credit union
- Examine each risk area to look at trends over time, interrelationships among ratios, and increasing and decreasing strengths and weaknesses
- Examine the impacts of financial decisions and changes on ratios
April 8, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Move beyond mere calculations and master the strategic application of financial ratios. This specialized course empowers credit union professionals to use key metrics as powerful tools for evaluating overall financial health, identifying critical risk areas, and forecasting the impact of strategic decisions.
You will learn to translate numbers into actionable insights that drive sound management and sustained profitability.
- Use ratios to evaluate the total financial performance of the credit union
- Examine each risk area to look at trends over time, interrelationships among ratios, and increasing and decreasing strengths and weaknesses
- Examine the impacts of financial decisions and changes on ratios
April 15, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
This course description outlines essential strategies and analytical tools for maximizing a credit union's yield on assets (YOA), ensuring the effective and profitable deployment of the balance sheet.
- Different instruments to evaluate increasing the asset yield
- Evaluate your credit union's trend of asset return
- Different strategies to evaluate asset allocation
April 22, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
This class description outlines a critical session focused on asset/liability management (ALM), teaching credit union professionals how to quantify balance sheet risks and align strategic financial objectives.
- Identify and quantify the risks on the balance sheet
- Learn how to assess priorities among conflicting financial objectives such as capital, earnings, and growth
- Use tools to measure the volatility of income and expenses flowing from the balance sheet
- Link tools, policies, and changes
April 29, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
This course description outlines an essential class for credit union professionals seeking a foundational understanding of the investment portfolio's role in balance sheet management, focusing on policy, risk measurement, and financial principles.
- Learn the basic terms and concepts for investments
- Explore the key components of a sound investment policy
- Discover how financial management foundations need to be applied when using investments
- Establish investment objectives and identify investment options to be considered
- Establish how to identify and measure investment risk, return, and yield curves
- Applying financial management tools to investment analysis
May 6, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
This class description outlines a practical, analytical approach to optimizing loan and deposit pricing for credit unions by focusing on a detailed understanding of underlying risks and costs.
- Learn how to break down the individual risk and cost components inherent in loans and deposits
- Apply best practices in analyzing pricing and products
- Identify risks inherent in loan and deposit products
- Use analysis of the components to effectively price products
May 13, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
The session provides practical instruction in creating appropriate budget forecasts and using analytical tools to monitor actual performance and identify budget variances. Participants will learn techniques for scenario planning, rolling forecasts, and variance analysis to proactively manage financial performance and make timely operational adjustments.
- Explain the importance of applying financial management foundations to the budget process
- Learn why a top-down approach to budgeting can be a best practice
- Identify and understand the characteristics of an effective budget
- Learn how to create an appropriate budget forecast and analysis tools to monitor actual performance and identify budget variances
May 20, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
This course description highlights an advanced training session focused on the critical relationship between accurate loan-loss determination and strategic balance-sheet management for credit unions, with particular emphasis on the impact of CECL.
- Determining Loan Losses
- Develop loan loss provision calculations and their role in balance sheet management
- Discuss the relationship between economic conditions and the optimal level of the allowance for loan loss
- Understand how the implementation of CECL will change balance sheet strategies
- Strategic Decisions
- Establish the importance of the application of the financial management foundations
- Learn how to apply pricing practices and strategies to optimize the balance sheet
- Learn to apply financial management tools to general balance sheet management
- Establish what balance sheet management strategies a credit union should practice based on current and projected economic and interest rate environments
Pricing & Registration
Virtual price includes access to On Demand.
Members in multiple categories receive the lowest price.
Member discounts
All credit unions are invited to register for this event. Members receive a significant discount.
Additional discounts available to member credit unions:
- Less than $50 million in assets save 20%
- Council members save 25%
- League staff save 20%
- Multi-Attendee discount - Register four attendees and get the 5th free
Please include all registrations in the same order for the discount to apply
Only one discount can be applied per registration. If a registration qualifies for more than one discount, the highest-value discount will be applied.
Other non-credit union attendees should contact us to confirm eligibility.
Need help accessing member pricing? Contact 800-356-9655 or hello@americascreditunions.org.
Attendee Info
Code of Conduct
We want everyone's event experience to be welcoming, respectful, and safe.
How to access
America’s Credit Unions hosts events on the following platforms:
Zoom: All live and hybrid virtual events, eSchools, and webinars are hosted on Zoom, a web conferencing platform that supports live, interactive sessions. Some on-demand events are also hosted on Zoom.
Vimeo: Some on-demand hybrid and virtual events, eSchools, and webinars are hosted on Vimeo, a video streaming platform.
Whether this is your first time attending a webinar or eSchool, or you simply need a refresher, review these helpful steps and frequently asked questions below.
Access instructions for webinars and eSchools
Virtual cancellations
All cancellations must be received in writing. Please provide a brief explanation for the cancellation and submit via email to hello@americascreditunions.org. Cancellations received more than 7 days prior to the event are subject to a 25% administrative fee on the order total. No refunds will be granted for cancellations received on or after 7 days prior to the event. Substitutions are accepted prior to the start of the program. Additional costs may apply. Please provide the event name, current participant, and new participant name to hello@americascreditunions.org.
On Demand cancellations
Once a purchase is completed, it is considered final. We do not offer refunds or exchanges for these products unless they are defective or not as described. Defective Products: If you receive a defective product, please contact us within 48 hours of receipt. We will arrange for a replacement or provide a refund at our discretion. Incorrect Item Received: If you receive an incorrect item, notify us within 48 hours of delivery. We will provide instructions for returning the item and issue a refund or replacement. For all questions, please contact hello@americascreditunions.org.
CPE details
In order to be awarded the full credit hours, you must attend each live session and complete the polling questions.
|
Live participants will earn |
Field of study |
Delivery method |
|---|---|---|
18 CPE credits |
Finance - Technical |
Group internet-based |
America’s Credit Unions is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.