1.7 Qualifications
We end this introduction with some cautionary notes.
·
First, we assume that you have a basic understanding of accounting
terminology (so you know what Assets and Sales are, and understand
something about Depreciation and Capital Expenditures).
In short, we don’t define every term; you can easily look
these up online or in an introductory Financial Accounting text.
·
Second, our dataset is created using actual filings.
These filings can be incomplete and out of date, which is a
fact of dealing with real world data.
So while we strive to make the dataset as complete as
possible, it is perfectly possible, for example, that the filing is
incorrect or incomplete.
Valuation Tutor lets you locate the filing information and modify
the inputs, so you can make appropriate modifications to our data
(and if we have missed something obvious, please let us know; if we
have missed something subtle, definitely let us know!)
·
Third, we describe the assumptions that go into our calculations in
the textbook chapters.
In several cases, as noted, these are “first-pass” assumptions, not
necessarily the most refined estimates; in fact, we hope that you
develop your own judgment and learn how to refine the data further.
·
Fourth, this is an educational tool.
It is designed for learning concepts by doing and is not
meant to be a tool for making investment decisions.
·
Finally we note that the textbook component has grown out of
related courses we taught over the years at the MBA and
undergraduate levels at Carnegie Mellon University.
We welcome comments and suggestions. If there are topics you
would like to see covered or enhancements to the software, please
let us know. You can submit these comments at the Valuation Tutor
blog site.
www.valuationtutor.com