A Complete Accounting Learning Environment

YALEiE (Your Accounting Learning Environment in Excel) is an interactive Excel-based system that teaches you accounting by doing. Instead of passively reading about transactions and journal entries, you work through problems with built-in coaching that guides you when you’re stuck and confirms when you’re right.

See behind the scenes of an accounting system. YALEiE takes you through the accounting process—from recognizing transactions to recording journal entries to seeing the resulting financial statements. You’ll understand exactly how each transaction flows through the system and affects the final reports.

YALEiE was developed for ACCT 2700: Foundations of Accounting and Valuation (Yale College) and LAW 21417: Financial Accounting (Yale Law School), but anyone can try it.

What’s Inside a YALEiE Workbook

When you open a YALEiE file, you’ll find tabs organized by color:

Gray Tabs – Instructions and Information

  • Instructions – The entity, accounting period, chart of accounts, and your requirements checklist. Always start here.
  • Notes to Financial Statements – Background information about accounting policies

Blue Tabs – Accounting Environment

  • Journal – Where you record transactions. Use the Transaction Viewer to see each item, then make your journal entries below.
  • Financial_Statements_Builder – Where financial statements are constructed from your journal entries (automatically or manually, depending on the version)

Yellow Tabs – Assistance

  • Analysis_Help – Built-in coaching that walks you through each transaction without giving away the answer
  • Tools – T-Account Viewer to visualize entries; Journal Entry Checker for feedback
  • Reconciliation_Tool – For cash flow statement problems (in advanced workbooks)

These tools let you see behind the scenes—how debits and credits accumulate in accounts, and how everything connects to produce the financial statements.

Download RetailBiz Inc.

RetailBiz Inc. is a complete accounting cycle for a small retail business. Two versions are available, depending on your goals.

Time: 30-45 minutes
Prerequisite: You should be comfortable with Sections 2.0-4.0 on this website.

User Version

For MBA students and those who want to understand financial statements

You focus on the decisions that matter:

  • Analyzing transactions: Is this something we record? Why?
  • Recording journal entries: What accounts? What amounts?
  • Making adjustments: What needs to be updated before reporting?

The financial statements are automatically generated from your entries. You see the direct connection between your work and the resulting income statement and balance sheet—without the mechanical compilation steps.

Download RetailBiz Inc. – User Version (Excel, ~1 MB)

Preparer Version

For aspiring accountants who need to master the full process

You do everything:

  • Recording journal entries for all transactions
  • Making adjusting entries
  • Closing temporary accounts to retained earnings
  • Compiling the income statement from revenue and expense accounts
  • Compiling the ending balance sheet

This is the full mechanical process that accountants must understand. Nothing is automatic.

Download RetailBiz Inc. – Preparer Version (Excel, ~1 MB)

How to Use YALEiE

  1. Download the file and open it in Excel (desktop version works best)
  2. Start with the Instructions tab (gray) – Review the entity, accounting period, chart of accounts, and requirements
  3. Go to the Journal tab (blue) – This is where you do your work
    • Use the Transaction Viewer to see each transaction
    • Make your journal entries in the entry area below
    • The Balance Checker alerts you if an entry doesn’t balance
  4. If you’re stuck, consult the Analysis_Help tab (yellow) for coaching
  5. Use the Tools tab (yellow) to visualize your work:
    • T-Account Viewer shows how entries flow through accounts
    • Journal Entry Checker provides feedback
  6. Go to the Financial_Statements_Builder tab (blue) to see or construct the financial statements
    • User Version: Statements auto-generate from your entries
    • Preparer Version: You select accounts and build the statements yourself

Tip: YALEiE is designed for learning, not just checking answers. Use the coaching tools to understand why entries work the way they do.

Click here for the complete YALEiE v12 User Manual.

Want More?

These sample problems are from ACCT 2700: Foundations of Accounting and Valuation (Yale College) and LAW 21417: Financial Accounting (Yale Law School).

The full course includes:

  • A carefully sequenced set of YALEiE problems, building from simple to complex
  • Comprehensive coverage of financial statements and cash flows
  • Advanced topics including accounts receivable, marketable securities, and more

The complete YALEiE problem set is available to enrolled students.

For Instructors

YALEiE includes a Presentation Mode that allows you to walk students step-by-step through how a transaction, adjustment, or event affects the financial statements:

  • Balance Sheet
  • Income Statement
  • Other Comprehensive Income
  • Statement of Shareholders’ Equity
  • Direct Method Cash Flow Statement
  • Reconciliation between Cash Flow from Operations and Net Income

Presentation Mode uses scripts to reveal effects on the financial statements on step at a time, making it ideal for classroom demonstrations. Contact rick.antle@yale.edu with YALEiE in the subject line for more information about using YALEiE in your course.

System Requirements

  • Microsoft Excel (desktop version recommended)
  • Excel Online or Google Sheets may work for viewing but some features may not function properly
  • Macros are not required – YALEiE uses formulas and conditional formatting only

Feedback

Found a bug? Have a suggestion? Contact: rick.antle@yale.edu with YALEiE in the subject line.