Best Finance Classes in Charlotte
Finance is a term that encompasses a range of activities involved with investments, banking, credit, capital markets, money, and debt management. Finance professionals are involved with any money-related decisions individuals, businesses, or governments make on a given day, week, or year. Whereas those who work in accounting are involved mostly with gathering and analyzing financial information, the field of finance is broader in scope and focuses on any implications of money management. Those who work in finance must be able to synthesize financial data so they can provide a client with an actionable recommendation they can use to make sound monetary decisions. Finance plays an integral role in many individual’s daily lives, even those who don’t have a finance-related career. It’s used to help create personal budgets for grocery shopping, as well as to determine how much money out of each paycheck to set aside either for savings or investment. It even factors into deciding whether to pay off monthly credit card balances. Studying finance can help individuals make better decisions for their own financial well-being and provide training for a high-paying job in the financial services sector. Knowledge of finance can be used in professions like banking, stock brokerage, venture capital, accounting, and financial analytics.
Best Finance Classes & Schools in Charlotte
If you live in Charlotte and want to learn finance for professional or personal reasons, enrolling in a nearby class is one of the most effective ways to do so. You can search for finance classes in Charlotte to find the ones that are most appropriate to your learning needs. Coursework is available for those who are just getting started in this field and for financial professionals with years of experience who want to master advanced skills for professional advancement. The following sections will explore several current course listings in Charlotte in finance and the requirements and tuition in each program.
Bentley University Center for Financial Services—Wall Street 101
Wall Street 101 is a course for high school juniors or seniors interested in getting started with global finance. Instruction is provided on a range of topics and skills related to finance. Participants explore financial markets, the stock market, investment research, portfolio management, and macroeconomics. Coursework is built around the premise that individuals who have knowledge of capital markets possess an essential skill set, even if they don’t use it toward a career in finance. Those who study in this program acquire useful skills like stock valuation, which is helpful for making smart investment decisions toward retirement and also how to create budgets today. The level of instruction provided in this course is equivalent to that which is available in college.
This program costs $3,180. It takes one full week of live study to complete this class. Instruction is available in-person as well as live online. No prerequisites are required for this program. All prospective students have their applications evaluated based on their interest in capital markets and critical-thinking skills, creativity, problem-solving, and leadership qualifications.
Noble Desktop - Financial Modeling Bootcamp
Aspiring Financial Analysts can receive the training they need in Noble Desktop’s Financial Modeling Bootcamp. This program provides instruction on many essential financial modeling concepts and skills, such as working with corporate finance and advanced Excel. Those enrolled explore how to use Excel’s cash flow projection tools and modeling shortcuts, financial functions, and tools for sensitivity analysis. Instruction is also provided on working with data tables and advanced formulas. Learners work with corporate valuation, financial statements, enterprise value, and investments. Students are taught how to analyze companies and create discount cash flows. Participants have the opportunity to prepare to interview for investment banking positions by reviewing the most commonly covered topics and the most popular interview questions. By course completion, learners in this hands-on bootcamp create a financial model to value a public company and acquire training from Hedge Fund Analysts and Investment Bankers in the best practices for finance.
This bootcamp costs $995. It takes 18 hours to complete this program over three days. Those interested in enrolling should have Excel knowledge equivalent to that which is taught in Intermediate Excel for Business, like how to work with VLOOKUP, IF statements, and PivotTables. It’s also helpful, but not required, for participants to have prior finance knowledge. Those who don’t come from a finance or accounting background can learn the terminology used in this class by reviewing a short guide they can request upon registration. This bootcamp can be retaken for free for one full year after graduation.
UNC Charlotte - FinTech Bootcamp
FinTech Bootcamp is intended to provide learners with comprehensive training in fintech. During this hands-on class, those enrolled study topics like cryptocurrency, advanced trading algorithms, blockchain, and Python programming. Students explore many marketable financial skills, such as financial analysis and modeling, machine learning, Amazon Web Services, SQL, APIs, NumPy, and Pandas.
Those enrolled also have the chance to compile a professional portfolio showcasing the skills they acquired during this bootcamp. This can be shared with potential employers. Additionally, career services provide graduates with support in helping them find their first finance-related career.
This program takes 24 weeks to complete this part-time program. Tuition is $11,495. Participants complete coursework in person in Charlotte. Since this is a beginner-friendly bootcamp, students are not required to have a background in finance or programming to enroll. However, it’s recommended that those interested in this bootcamp have a bachelor’s degree or a minimum of two years of experience working in a field like statistics, business, or management.
Wall Street Prep—Financial & Valuation Modeling Bootcamp
For corporate finance professionals who are seeking training in equity research and investment banking, Wall Street Prep’s Financial & Valuation Modeling Bootcamp provides hands-on training. This bootcamp teaches students fundamental finance skills like DCF, valuation, M&A, and financial modeling. Students create financial models that have real-world applications. On the first day, those enrolled receive instruction on developing projection drivers, creating a three-statement model from scratch, and working with historical assumptions and data. Day two of this class teaches DCF modeling basics, like the step-by-step process involved in valuing a company. On the third day, learners work with Excel to design a merger model capable of reflecting pro forma ramifications of various acquisition scenarios.
The cost of study for this bootcamp ranges from $1,699-$1,899, depending on the date of enrollment. Those interested in enrolling should have Excel knowledge equivalent to that which is provided in Excel Crash Course.
Those who enroll in this bootcamp receive live online financial training and can take advantage of post-seminar resources. Participants have access to online courses like DCF Modeling, M&A Modeling, LBO Modeling, Comps Modeling, and Financial Statement Modeling, all of which are included with tuition. Graduates of this bootcamp also receive online networking opportunities designed to help them connect with MBAs and other professionals who work in industries like investment banking and FP&A. Tuition also includes access to Wall Street Prep’s webinar series and continuing education online training platform, both during and after the class.
NYIM Training - Financial Analyst Training Program
NYIM Training’s Financial Analyst Training Program is available for those interested in acquiring Excel and corporate finance training. Students learn how to work with Excel’s functions, formulas, shortcuts, and PivotTables. They also study how advanced Excel skills can be used in financial modeling, such as working with cash flow projection tools and Goal Seek. Corporate finance and accounting skills are also covered in this hands-on course. Participants learn about enterprise value, DCF modeling, corporate valuation, and financial statement analysis. All participants in this program create a robust valuation model for a public company as part of this program.
This program takes five days to complete. Tuition is $2,195. Students can opt to study in person in Manhattan or live online. The skills acquired during this class are intended to prepare participants to work at a top-tier financial firm. Because the first two days of this class are devoted to Excel training, students don’t need prior experience with spreadsheets to take this class. Previous knowledge of accounting and finance is helpful though not required. All learners are given a brief pre-learning guide a week before class begins.
Charlotte Industries That Use Finance
Charlotte’s is home to almost 800,000 residents. The city’s diverse economy comprises many industries, such as healthcare, technology, and business. It is a go-to spot for sports, culture, and the arts. Ten Fortune 1000 companies are located in Charlotte, such as Lowe’s, Duke Energy, and Bank of America. Charlotte ranks first in the top-ten cities for employee engagement. The following sections will take a closer look at several of the city’s main industries and the role finance plays for those who work there.
Tourism
North Carolina is one of the country’s ten most popular states to visit. Tourism contributes significantly to the state’s economy and leads to nearly a quarter-million jobs for those who live there. In the summer of 2023, Charlotte’s tourism contributed significantly to the city’s regional economy. North Carolina saw over $33 billion in international visitor-related spending, which was a 15% improvement from 2021.
Those who work in Charlotte’s tourism industry must devote significant funds to marketing, product development, and infrastructure. Finance allows them to source and manage investments to ensure funding is directed toward the initiatives likely to yield the greatest investment return. Finance professionals also help hotels ensure they’re generating enough profits to offset the expenses they accrue. Accountants provide real-time financial data to those who work in tourism, such as a real-time view of cash flow.
IT
North Carolina attracts both large and small IT companies due to its low taxes, high quality of life, and pro-tech environment. Companies like Google, Oracle, Cisco, SAS, and Microsoft do business in NC. The country’s largest research park is located in the state. Additionally, residents enjoy low-cost electricity that is 8% cheaper than that which is available in the rest of the country. The state is a national leader in STEM program completion and STEM-related job growth. Those working in Charlotte’s IT industry often rely on various funding sources to research and complete cutting-edge projects. Those who work in finance help businesses, from small startups to international corporations, seek funding resources, evaluate investment opportunities, and create budgets. They help organizations and companies explore financing options such as angel investors, government grants, and venture capital to evaluate which option might be more beneficial to explore.
Financial Services
Charlotte draws from its talented workforce of financial professionals and rich history of being a banking industry headquarters. Currently, this city is the country’s third-largest banking center. Charlotte has the US’s lowest corporate income tax rate, at 2.5%. The state is ranked first for both local and state tax burden. Those who work in the finance sector draw from some of the country’s top-tier business schools, such as North Carolina State University, UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. North Carolina’s infrastructure has many professional organizations for those in finance, such as The Association of International Certified Public Accountants, the North Carolina Treasury Management Association, and the Eastern Finance Association Financial Review. Charlotte remains a great place to pursue a finance-related career as an Actuary, Financial Analyst, CPA, Investment Banker, or Stockbroker.
Finance Jobs & Salaries in Charlotte
If you live in the Charlotte area and are looking to put your finance skills to work, several career paths are available. The following sections will explore some finance-related jobs in Charlotte, as well as the professional requirements and corresponding salary for each role.
Actuary
Actuaries are hired to study the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. They rely on a strong mathematical, statistical, and financial theory background to determine the risk involved with potential events so their clients can employ strategies and policies to reduce the cost associated with this risk. Actuaries play an integral role in the insurance industry. This career path is often challenging intellectually but is considered relatively low-stress. Salary rates are typically high for Actuaries since they must pass several difficult exams to earn actuarial certifications at the associate and fellow level. These tests generally have a passing rate of between 30 and 40%. Charlotte-based Actuaries make a yearly salary of $172,000.
IT Business Analyst
IT Business Analysts who work in Charlotte draw from their information technology and business administration background. They are hired by organizations to be liaisons between the executive branch and IT and to provide better quality IT services for those at their workplace. These professionals also perform data analysis of their company’s needs. Studying these data allows them to predict what changes to infrastructure are essential to help their organization grow. On a daily basis, IT Business Analysts perform tasks like overseeing tech development, interpreting stakeholders’ business goals into deliverables, and serving as liaisons between those in leadership and the IT staff. IT Business Analysts generally have an undergraduate degree in a field like project management, IT, software development, or computer science. Those who work as IT Business Analysts in Charlotte make about $102,000 annually.
Hotelier
Hoteliers in Charlotte run or own hotels. Their job involves a range of responsibilities that ensure the hotel operates smoothly and guests have the best experience possible staying there. Although Hoteliers often work behind the scenes, they perform many essential daily tasks, such as making sure operations run smoothly, hiring and managing staff, scheduling meetings, and communicating with various teams within the hotel to make sure occupancy rates are high, rooms are prepared properly, and guest reviews are favorable. Hoteliers draw from hard and soft skills like financial management, teamwork, leadership, communication, and customer service to perform their jobs. Hoteliers who work in Charlotte earn approximately $59,000 a year.