Financial Due Diligence in M&A

2 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

The only guide on how to conduct a preliminary or comprehensive M&A financial due diligence

Course overview

A masterclass to level up financial due diligence and analysis skills

Between 70 and 90% of M&A investments fail. In part, due to a lack of due diligence


A comprehensive financial due diligence and analysis help understand a business or project including its cash flows, opportunities and underlying risks before an investment decision is made”

 

This training will walk you through the core skills required to conduct a value-adding due diligence and analysis - an exercise that Big 4 firms charge hundreds of dollars. Using case studies and active learning the training will cover purchase price mechanism, quality of earnings, working capital analysis, net debt schedules, plus other key deal elements


This is the only course on market today with a sole focus on the financial aspects of due diligence  


The training enables professionals from diverse backgrounds (corporate development, PE, Search Funds) to add value to the deal process by identifying key negotiating points (e.g. equity adjustments), value and synergy drivers as well as risks to be mitigated.


Sell-side or buy-side finance and accounting professionals, often the heavy lifters when it comes to due diligence will welcome this training


This training will make you stand out among peers, accelerating career growth in finance and investments.


The live and cohort-based training is led by one of the most insightful and experienced diligence practitioners you will ever meet. You will also learn and share with like-minded peers


Enroll and benefit from my experience providing due diligence services to hundreds of investors ranging from large PE houses (KKR, Bain), and small family offices to corporates.


M&A deals are often the single largest investments of many businesses. CFO's without M&A due diligence skills and experience often fail to make a meaningful impact on the investment/divestment decision


Enroll and make yourself a key part of the process

Who is this course for

01

All finance/accounting professionals keen on building a well-rounded profile. M&A financial due diligence skills will catapult your career 

02

M&A advisors aiming to broaden their understanding of the financial aspects of M&A transactions

03

Investment bankers, private equity professionals, and corporate finance executives interested in honing their skills in financial analysis

What you’ll get out of this course

Understanding sources and quality of financial information

You will learn how to request financial information; evaluate sources financial of information; asses the quality of information including key reconciliations required

Determining the final purchase price paid as consideration in transaction

Buyers and Sellers (and their advisors) are often shocked at the final dollar amount that change hands in a deal. Learn how this final amount is typically determined in private business acquisitions

Understand the key value levers typically negotiated

Key elements of the Quality of Earnings (QoE)

Learn to perform detailed analysis of historical earnings to identify underlying growth and margin trends;

Identification of accounting items that may distort earnings (i.e., one-off/non-recurring income/expenses);

Analysis of the key drivers of historical and forecast

Cash flows and Working Capital

Learn how to ascertain the trends in “free’ cash flows generated in business


Learn to identify the trends, quantum and timing of working capital requirements;

Establish the completion working capital target for transaction structuring and contractual documentation

Quality of assets

Learn to analyse the nature of balance sheet items and whether they are fairly stated.


Understand how balance sheet items might impact valuation


Establish the level of net debt in a business and the expected net debt at the proposed acquisition date

Course syllabus

Week 1

Dec 5—Dec 10

    Quality and Reliability of Financial Information

    1 item

    Determine the purchase price paid in private business M&A

    1 item

    Quality of Earnings and PL Analysis

    1 item

Week 2

Dec 11—Dec 15

    Forecast analysis

    1 item

    Cash Flow Analysis

    1 item

    Net Assets

    1 item

    SPA and Completion mechanisms

    1 item

Post-course

    A preliminary due diligence analysis practice and completion

    0 items

What people are saying

        Tawanda's guidance during financial due diligence was insightful and helped me expedite the process"
Jayne Brophy

Jayne Brophy

COO/CFO
        “Tawanda is one of the most knowledgeable due diligence practitioners I have worked with. He is able to simplify complex deal elements into easy-to-negotiate concepts”
Terence Ngwerume

Terence Ngwerume

Private Equity

Meet your instructor

Tawanda Makoni

Tawanda Makoni

Corporate Finance and M&A expert

Tawanda is passionate about learning and development. He is keen to share his over 10 years’ M&A experience through teaching.


Working for Big 4 accounting firms, Tawanda provided financial due diligence services to large global corporates, private equity, family offices and individual investors during acquisitions and disposals.


Tawanda is a qualified Chartered Accountant and CFA charter holder and holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town  

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Financial Due Diligence in M&A

Course schedule

6 Hours per week for 2 weeks

  • 5 Tue, 6 Wed, 8 Fri | 12 Tue, 13 Wed, 14 Thu, 15 Fri

    9:00am - 11:00am NZT

    5:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Free resource

Grab a free financial due diligence checklist

With more than 60 items this checklist with a tracker covers the major elements of the due diligence exercise

Get this free resource

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

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Financial Due Diligence in M&A