Whether you are an executive or a student, beginner or expert, this book is designed to explain and illustrate the working essentials of finance with clarity and speed.

This desktop companion deliberately combines essential theory with real-world application, using short, focused chapters to help you find what you need and implement it right away. www.pearsoned.co.uk/estrada

'This delivers the essential concepts of modern finance clearly and concisely. My advice: buy this book and keep it close at hand!'

Mark Kritzman, President and CEO, Windham Capital Management, LLC

'Whilst there are a number of books that purport to offer a quick reference for business professionals, this is the only that really manages to do this in an effective way.' Valerio Poti, Dublin City University Business School

'This is corporate finance served in bite-sized and digestible portions.'

Elroy Dimson, BGI Professor of Investment Management, London Business School

'Javier Estrada is to be commended for translating deep economic ideas into terms that are immediately usable, compelling and valuable.'

Robert F. Bruner, Dean of Darden Business School, University of Virginia

A no-nonsense companion to working with the tools of finance.

Whether you are an executive or student, beginner or expert, this book is designed to explain and illustrate the working essentials of finance with clarity and speed.

The FT Guide to Understanding Finance deliberately combines essential theory with real-world application, using short, focused chapters to help you find what you need and implement it right away.

Originally published as Finance in a Nutshell, this new edition includes:

• Full coverage of risk and return including CAPM, the three-factor model and risk-adjusted returns

· Stocks and bonds including versions of the DCF model, reverse valuation, relative valuation and issues related to fixed-income securities, pricing and sources of risk

• Case studies and examples from companies such as Apple, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft, Berkshire Hathaway and Johnson & Johnson

• Accompanying Excel spreadsheets of all the calculations and formulas at