Finance Essentials (Lightning Skills Bundle) Certificate

How to Run an Efficient Payroll Course

Payroll systems play important roles in businesses. They help process employee payments and make necessary deductions, including tax and National Insurance. Various tasks are performed to help run payroll every month. However, if businesses are not careful, they can spend too much time on payroll, leaving little for other important aspects of the business. That explains why it is important to run an efficient payroll. With an effective system in place, it becomes easy to overcome the various challenges that inefficient systems pose.

This course has been designed to help you learn how to make any existing payroll system more efficient for better outcomes. First, it explains the various challenges an inefficient payroll can pose and the need to overcome them. Next, it explains various issues businesses often experience with manual payroll processes. It goes on to discuss various ways small and large businesses can improve their payrolls for increased efficiency.

You Will Learn:

• The challenges that payroll systems often pose
• The issues businesses experience with manual payrolls
• How to run an efficient payroll
• How to improve an existing payroll system
• The benefits of running an efficient payroll system

Benefits of Taking the Course

Taking this course will help you to:
• Better understand the role of payroll systems in businesses
• Overcome existing challenges in business payroll processes
• Learn how to improve payroll processing efficiency
• Learn the essence of continuous training and education among employees
• Find out why most businesses are moving from manual payroll to automated payroll systems
• Appreciate payroll and its role in large and small businesses
• Reflect on your goals and decide whether you are interested in taking up a career in accounting
• Prepare for your future business start-up

Payroll Systems the Basics Course

The role of payroll in modern businesses cannot be understated. Every business with employees, whether it has just a couple of workers or hundreds of staff, must run a payroll. It does not just help pay employees accurately, keep transaction records or remit and file taxes, but offers many other benefits to business owners. Payroll systems play important roles in businesses, including avoiding fines, penalties and even legal action. Therefore, small and large businesses alike should work on an effective and efficient payroll.

This course has been designed to introduce you to the basics of payroll and payroll systems. First, it defines the term payroll and differentiates it from a payroll system. Next, we explain how a payroll works and the various functions it performs to help businesses accomplish different aspects of operations. It also covers the various benefits of payroll systems and how business owners can choose the right payroll system that meets specific business needs.

You Will Learn:

• The definition of payroll
• The various payroll tasks
• The role of payroll in business operations
• The definition of a payroll system and its varied functions
• The benefits of payroll systems to small, medium and large businesses
• How to choose the right payroll system for specific business needs

Benefits of Taking the Course

Taking the course will help you:
• Learn fundamental basics of payroll and payroll systems
• Understand how payroll and payroll systems work
• Learn the various functions of a payroll system
• Learn the benefits of payroll systems in modern businesses
• Develop enthusiasm and motivation to learn more about payrolls and accounting
• Determine if you’re interested in the subject enough to explore accounting or take it up as a career in the future

Personal Finance Course

Personal finance involves individual budgeting, saving and spending money, with illness, job loss and reduced business in mind. It can involve a group of people or individuals. It teaches individuals how to use their hard-earned money. It is a large subject that can also involve the management of finances to help increase wealth. With a proper plan, personal income can be spent wisely. A percentage of the money can go into saving for emergencies, such as job loss and preparation for retirement. The same income can also be used to sustain daily and monthly needs, such as paying rent and buying clothes.

This course has been developed to help you manage your finances wisely. Firstly, it defines personal finance and what it is all about. Next, it covers the process of personal financial planning to help you manage your income. The principles of personal finance are also stated. The course also covers the focus areas of personal finance that you should know about. Proper personal financial planning tips are also covered. Finally, we discuss the various benefits of personal finance to both individuals and groups.

You Will Learn:

• The definition of personal finance and what it entails
• The personal financial planning process
• The principles of personal finance
• The main focus areas of personal finance
• Tips for proper personal financial planning
• The benefits of personal finance

Benefits of This Course:

Taking this course will help you:
• Understand personal finance
• Develop proper personal finance skills
• Learn how to plan for proper income use
• Learn the process of developing a proper personal finance plan
• Learn the essentials of personal finance
• Know the benefits of personal finance
• Understand how personal finance can guide how you spend your money
• Learn how to spend money wisely and avoid wasting resources
• Avoid impulse buying

Problem Solving Certificate Course

Problem solving is a skill that you need in every single area of your life. From facing unexpected issues at home to confronting workplace challenges, problem solving skills are essential. For those in the business world, not having these skills can be the difference between lucrative success and massive failure. Coming up with ways in which to identify, address and solve problems is not always easy. Thankfully, there are a few key techniques and methods that you can master, making problem solving a much less daunting task.

This course goes into detail regarding problem solving, including the important problem solving skills that you need to develop. We begin by giving you a brief introduction to problem solving, along with a discussion of the very basic steps involved. Next, we discuss the process that you can go through in order to identify why a problem is occurring, along with a step-by-step guide to implementing this strategy in your life. We also review a four-phase problem solving technique that is commonly used in workplaces across the UK. Finally, we review the five steps you need to correct an issue once you have identified it.

You will Learn:

• The basic steps involved in solving any problem
• How to determine the root cause of any issue
• How to use one of the most popular problem solving methods currently used in most industries across the country
• How to come up with a series of solutions that may address the issue
• The importance of post-implementation testing and evaluation

Benefits of Taking this Course:

• Learning how to use the five whys of root cause analysis in order to quickly identify the true issue
• Learning the four phases of the PDCA problem solving model
• Understanding the role of collaboration in problem solving attempts
• Learning why you should not rush or judge yourself during the ideas generation process
• Learning what steps to take if the first potential solution does not address or solve the problem at hand

The Financial Services and Markets Act Course

Finance is key to economic development. It provides an investment basis and supports the flow of income and expenses.

A country’s financial sector transforms its economic savings into investments. An efficient financial sector does not just accomplish that, but also encourages savings and increased investment. Eventually, it results in increased income levels, and faster economic growth of the country.

The financial sector also provides money and methods of payments to support the exchange of economic goods and services. However, financial regulation is key to the efficient functioning of the financial sector.

Financial regulation comes in to offer varied benefits to both consumers and players in the industry.

This course covers the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) in the United Kingdom. It is a key regulator of the UK financial sector. First, we give extensive details about the Act.

The course explains what it is and the varied functions it plays in the UK’s financial sector. It further explains the different regulatory bodies that work under the Financial Services and Markets Act, including subordinate legislation.

Next, it states the various regulated financial activities in the UK under the financial framework.

Finally, it concludes with a few benefits of regulating a financial services market.

You Will Lean:

• What the Financial Services and Markets Act is and what it does
• The key roles and functions of the FSMA
• The regulatory bodies working under the Financial Services and Markets Act
• The benefits of regulating the financial services sector
• The varied functions of the FCA, PRA and FPC

Benefits of This Course

Taking this Course Will Help You:
• Understand the role of financial regulators
• Understand the different aspects of the financial services sector that the Act affects
• Understand the Financial Services and Markets Act and its role in the UK’s financial services sector
• Learn the various bodies or regimes involved in financial regulation
• Learn the importance of financial regulation
• Gain basic knowledge of industry regulation before entering the financial sector to start a business

The Importance of Ethics Certificate Course

Imagine a world where there was no right or wrong - one where everyone makes their own baseless rules and we are not bound by any laws, regulations, or compassion for others.

This would be a world without ethics - and if you don’t think that this would be a good situation, you can fully understand why ethics are so important.

This course gives you an overview of the importance of ethics in our lives.

It begins with a brief definition of what ethics are and how we can define this ideal and continues with an introduction about why it is important to live an ethical life.

This course also examines the different elements that make up ethics and while explaining this, you further can see how important ethics are in everything we do, from communicating with others and the decisions we make at work, to what we believe is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

You Will Learn:

• How to define ethics in an easy to understand way
• Why it is so difficult to define ethics across the board
• Reasons why ethics are so important throughout our lives
• Why there are so many elements that go into ethics
• How ethics can affect every decision we make

Benefits of Taking This Course:

• Learn more about what ethics involve and how to make ethical decisions
• Learn about why you should create your own definition of what is ethical
• Understand why understanding ethics is so important and why asking questions about ethics might lead to more questions than answers
• Learn what elements go into creating the ideal of ethics and how these parts work together to help us in our actions, values and goals
• If you are interested in learning more about why ethics make us safer, this course can give you information on this

When Employees Pay Less than the NIC Course

Arrangements for pension-related salary sacrifice have become common over the years. They benefit employers and employees alike; however, certain measures should be taken into account when making the arrangements for protection. Bonus or salary sacrifice arrangements changed in April 2017. However, arrangements related to pensions and related advice, cycle-to-work and childcare under employer support were exempt from the changes.

This course covers salary sacrifices associated with pension contributions. Firstly, we define the term salary sacrifice and illustrate how it works.

The course states various tax-exempted benefits that can also be used with the arrangement.

Next, it explains in detail how salary sacrifice can benefit both employers and employees. It also covers how the arrangement can impact other employee benefits.

The course goes on to explain the role of employee agreement or consent in salary sacrifice. It explains the role of the employer and employee in implementing salary sacrifice and what usually happens. The role of HMRC and pension scheme trustees are also covered.

Finally, we provide information on defined contribution and personal pension and how it can be used with the arrangement.

You Will Learn:

• The meaning of salary sacrifice
• The benefits of salary sacrifice to employers
• The benefit of salary sacrifice to employees
• How salary sacrifice affects other employee benefits
• The role of employers and employees in the agreement
• The support that HMRC and pension scheme trustees provide
• How defined contribution and personal pension are used with the arrangement

Benefits of Taking the Course:

Taking this course will help you understand:
• Salary sacrifice: what it is and what is used for
• How employers and employees benefit from salary sacrifice
• How you can benefit from salary sacrifice
• How employees pay less than the NIC
• How you can reduce PAYE tax or benefit from tax relief
• The role that HMRC and pension scheme trustees play in salary sacrifice

The course is broken down into 0 individual modules. Each module takes between 20 and 90 minutes on average to study. Although you are free to spend as much or as little time as you feel necessary on each module, simply log in and out of the course at your convenience.

You can study the course any time you like. Simply log in and out of the web based course as often as you require. The course is compatible with all computers, tablet devices and smart phones so you can even study while on the move!

Once you have completed all 0 modules there is a multiple choice test. The questions will be on a range of topics found within the 0 modules. The test, like the course, is online and can be taken a time and location of your choosing.

The pass mark for the test is 70%.

If you don’t pass the test first time you will get further opportunities to take the test again after extra study. There are no limits to the number of times you can take the test. All test retakes are included within the price of the course.

Once you have completed your test you can log in to your account and download/print your certificate any time you need it. If you would prefer us to post you a certificate to a UK address, there will be an admin charge of £10 (certificates sent internationally may cost more).

You can either use your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Solo cards or PayPal account to pay for the online course. Our site uses the latest SSL encryption to ensure your safety. All payments are handled securely by PayPal.

You can begin the course immediately after your payment has been received. You will create your login details during the checkout process. We will also send you an email confirming your login details.

We estimate that the course will take about 4 hours to complete in total, plus an additional 30 minutes for the end of course test.

Once you have been awarded your certificate it is valid for life. The certificate does not expire or need renewing.