Financial Modelling Articles

Once we’ve finished creating a model, we then need to communicate the findings – often in the form of a PowerPoint slide. So what do we often see?  A spreadsheet copied directly into the slide.  In the example below, we’ve created business case and we’d like to present the financials. We can’t decide what to show, so we’ll just display everything. Nasty!

This kind of spreadsheet-on-a-slide results in far too many numbers being in the presentation, and leads to the audience being inundated by data and overwhelmed by detail. 

Congratulations to Alvin Woon, the new 2017 ModelOff Financial Modelling World Champion! Every year, 16 ModelOff finalists are flown to compete at the Microsoft headquarters in New York or London. Yet again, not one female made it to the finals and when the organisers posted an image of 16 finalists of varying age, ethnicity and background – but all male - it predictably sparked a storm of online criticism.

I’ve come across a lot of preconceptions (and misconceptions) about the idea of financial modelling; many people think it sounds very elaborate and esoteric, even mystical. Some question whether the skill is a science or a creative tradecraft in the industry, and I’ve even heard suggestions that it’s a dark art!  But what is financial modelling really – an art, science, or just plain magic?

I’m often asked what degree of skill level one needs to be able to include financial modelling as a skill on your resume or LinkedIn profile.  Once you’ve got an idea of exactly what is financial modelling, what is involved in the modelling process and you feel like you’ve got a good knowledge of financial modelling skills that you have used in the workplace then – yes – “Financial modelling”

Danielle Stein Fairhurst was recently interviewed on a live webinar with The Outperformer, a career management platform on the topic of "Adding Financial Modelling to your Tool kit - a Must for any Accountant". Financial modelling is now one of the most sought-after skills in the accounting job market but there’s a lot more to being a good financial modeller than just having good Excel skills.  

Now that my new book “Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies” is finally available, a lot of people have been asking me about the writing process and how it all came about. I think what they want to know but are too polite to ask is “what on earth were you thinking?” and I must admit that I asked tha

"Financial Modeling in Excel for Dummies" is finally here!  The book launch of Danielle Stein Fairhurst's brand new book, a comprehensive beginner's guide to building financial models was held in early 2017. Photos of the launch can be found on the Facebook Page.

Date: 25th May 6pm
Venue: Dymocks Sydney, 424-430 George st

It's no secret that financial modelling is an industry that lacks gender diversity and that is particularly shown in the ModelOff Financial Modelling World in which very few women make it to the finals.

Financial models sometimes don’t start out life intended to be a full-fledged financial model.  You might start fiddling in Excel, and go from there.  In its most basic form, a model might start its life as a rough calculation or a “back of an envelope” scribble – something that can help you make the most basic of financial decisions such as; how much money do I have left when the bills have been paid?  Those useful little calculations that help you plan whether you can afford to renovate your house.