Understanding how to effectively manage dimensions such as geographies, product lines, or currencies is often necessary, especially when building financial models for revenue and costing models. In this virtual meetup, we dive into practical strategies for reducing repetition, improving formula consistency, and creating (more…)
Dynamic arrays offer many benefits to financial modellers. They add incredible flexibility and make inconsistent formulas impossible. They make model file size smaller and model performance faster. But dynamic arrays cannot perform certain financial calculations, such as the common corkscrew, without (more…)
The ability to spot trends and patterns in the numbers and to quickly and effectively communicate financial data to make informed decisions is a crucial skill for financial modellers to master! Watch to hear from Ann K. Emery from Depict Data Studio for this virtual meetup session designed specifically for finance (more…)
In this episode, Microsoft MVP Danielle Stein Fairhurst tackles a classic valuation problem by recreating a discounted cash flow (DCF) model based on a PDF attachment received via email. Using Power Query in Excel, Danielle walks us through extracting data, building assumptions, and running different scenarios to determine valuation based on various changes such as discount rate and cost of goods sold (COGS). Watch as she navigates (more…)
Working with dates in Excel can be tricky. Conversion is rarely straightforward, as conversion issues and regional format differences can complicate the process of consolidation. Power Query can solve these issues, but knowing the right steps makes all the difference. If you have struggled with dates, you’re not (more…)
In this case, we look at the time value of money and we’ll see what a huge impact adding the dates will make on the rate of return. Watch Microsoft MVP Danielle Stein Fairhurst walk though the “Sweet Time” case 1 of the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC) Stage 2 2025. You’ll learn how to calculate the internal rate of return (IRR) for a series of cash flows, the impact of adding dates on the rate of return using XIRR, and how different sales discount (more…)
Complex models are often deemed reliable based on the word of their author, with few compliance measures in place to confirm their accuracy. Watch to hear from financial modeller Col Werner discuss a key issue in financial modelling: the reliance on trust rather than systematic validation of the model. Verbalising the (more…)
I started my career in investment banking, where back then, no one talked about having financial modelling skills—it was just expected you were able to do the job. It was just what you did to test assumptions, structure deals, and make decisions.
And if you were a half-way decent modeller, you got your work done on time and were able to go home before midnight. 🥱 Here’s a photo from that first year in London when I thought didn’t need sleep (or haircuts). (more…)
Let’s build a simple debt calculations to work out the rate of return on the equity cashflows of a project. Watch Microsoft MVP Danielle Stein Fairhurst walk though some questions from “Playing with Repaying” case 1 of the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC) Stage 4 2025. Can we build this using dynamic arrays?
Managing dependencies and circular references within Excel can be daunting especially in large financial models. As models grow in size and complexity, the chain of relationships between cells can become increasingly intricate and difficult to follow, making it hard to identify how assumptions and inputs changes might affect (more…)
