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Reading a Business, with Irnest Kaplan, CFA

What does an experienced analyst look at before opening a company’s accounts? A course made in collaboration with technology analyst Irnest Kaplan, CFA, on the checks he runs on every company. Then you run his one-page check on a listed company.

Get access with the Sophron® Passport Students: €15 a year with AIC Premium Already in? Open the module portal

Included in the Sophron® Passport (€25 a year) and AIC Premium (€15 a year), with every other module. Not sold on its own.

1 hourMasterclass
10Lessons, 7 with tests
74Glossary terms
1Certificate

What you learn

From four questions to one call

A recorded masterclass with Irnest, then written lessons with a test each, in the order he reads a company.

  1. 01The conversation

    • Watch the masterclass

  2. 02The four lenses

    • Four questions before the numbers

  3. 03The numbers

    • Revenue and growth
    • Gross margin and pricing power
    • Cash flow, working capital and capex
    • Debt and stock-based compensation
    • Return on capital

  4. 04The bigger picture

    • Moats and management

  5. 05Exercise

    • Irnest's one-page check on a listed company
Irnest Kaplan, CFA
Ten lessons: the one-hour masterclass, seven written lessons with tests, an exercise and the reference pages, with a glossary of 74 terms.

The expert

Irnest Kaplan, CFA

Irnest started on the sell side at Société Générale in South Africa in 2000 and has run his own research consultancy since 2003. He has been in the top five of his sector for 18 years in a row and is now a senior analyst at AlphaTarget.

LinkedIn

The certificate

The Sophron® Certificate in Reading a Business

The Sophron® Certificate in Reading a Business, with the holder's name, date and credential ID The Reading a Business certificate badge
The certificate, with a public verification linkThe badge on your Sophron® profile

Finish the module and hand in its exercise, and the Sophron® team signs off your certificate, with a public verification link and a badge on your profile.

  1. Finish every lesson and pass its test.
  2. Write an equity proposal on one listed company that applies the one-page check: every item rated with its evidence, the item that would make you walk away, and the call that follows.
  3. Request the certificate in the portal. The Sophron® team reads your proposal and signs it off, or tells you what to fix.

Get access

One membership, every module

The module comes with the Sophron® Passport and with AIC Premium, together with the Analyst Program and every other module.

The Sophron® Passport

€25 a year

The Analyst Program, the Quant Program once you are selected, five modules with their own certificate and badge (more to come), and the Options Course at the member price. Cancel any time.

See the Passport

AIC Premium

€15 a year

The same access for students, through the Amsterdam Investment Club.

AIC Premium

Already have access? Open Reading a Business in the portal.