Financial Modelling
Financial Modelling
Gain up to 14 CPD hours
Modelling provides valuable insights into the behaviour and performance of the organisation being modelled. A financial model is a representation of the present and future states of an organisation. The model is a dynamic creation and its outcomes are all action-related. Deciding, reporting, analysing, valuing – these are just some of the outcomes of models.
Brightstar’s popular and comprehensive Financial Modelling course shows how modelling is done and how models are used. It also covers the finance, accounting, spreadsheet and design skills that underlie good modelling practice.
Financial Modelling contains a high level of practical work, backed up by lecture and discussion, to provide the most valuable and intensive learning experience possible. All participants will be provided with their own laptop and software for use in practical exercises. Participants should have at least an intermediate level of experience with Excel.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Learn the objectives, principles and methods of financial modelling
- Gain expertise in spreadsheet functions and tools used to build efficient and well-presented financial models
- Discover techniques to make models easily extended, maintained and adapted
- Develop sophisticated “what-if” and scenario analyses
- Build clearly understandable, “bullet-proof” and user-friendly models
- Compare and contrast A.I. and Human Intelligence approaches to modelling so as to best realise A.I’s potential
Past Participant Testimonials
The course was more useful than I predicted. Alex was very patient and went through the content at a pace I was able to follow' I liked that we had a chance to attempt exercises ourselves.
Very practical, example/ scenario based. Lots of practice. Helped me join some dots together. I personally enjoyed Alex's style of teaching in a technical course/ training like this. Clear, logical and very detailed. Content coverage is what I'm after as well. Enough practice and lots to take away for own study and future reference.
This is an excellent training session for developing excel skills and displaying your data for external/ internal stakeholders in more meaningful manner.
Introduction to financial modelling objectives and outcomes
- The true breadth and scope of financial modelling
- The process of financial modelling
- How the financial system responds to its drivers
- Key metrics and how they feed into the decision-making process
Generating key metrics and performance indicators
- Quantifying key metrics such as value and risk
- Understanding the business being modelled
- Understanding drivers, constraints, inputs and outputs
- How are key metrics derived?
Financial modelling as a valuable management tool
- Reporting on how realised key metrics compared with modelled metrics
- What caused variances?
- What “trajectories” are key measures taking?
- Using financial models for scenario, sensitivity, attribution, and what-if analysis
- Risk assessment: gaining a sense of risk exposure
Finance concepts and financial functions
- Applying finance principles and functions
- Key concepts: Present and future value, discount & hurdle rates, cost of capital
- Spreadsheet financial functions: NPV, XNPV, IRR, XIRR, NOMINAL
Spreadsheet functions, tools and features used in financial modelling
This section of the course presents a broad scope of spreadsheet applications, they illustrate many spreadsheet capabilities.
- Logical functions
- Lookup and referencing functions
- Arithmetic and ranking functions
- Error handling functions
- Date functions
- Auditing tools
Accounting and finance concepts underlying modelling
Financial modelling builds on accounting and finance concepts. This section reviews the accounting and finance theory that is needed for effective financial modelling.
- Balance Sheet
- Income statement
- Cash flow statement
- Finance concepts
Design and construction of models
- Structuring the model
- Logical organisation of tabs and worksheets
- Determining appropriate periodicity: e.g. Aligning with seasonal effects
- Dealing with one-off / irregular or short-term events
- Prioritising and apportioning claims on cash flows: e.g. Debt service, CAPEX, dividend payments
- Planning for sensitivity / scenarios / stress-test analysis.
- Generating summary sheets : High and low level model results
- Design of dashboards and tailoring for particular classes of users
- Model consistency checking and reporting
- Valuation
- Calculation of ratios
- Model versioning, documenting and testing
Financial modelling objectives and outcomes
- Financial models give key insights and support for analysis, reporting, decision-making and management. Those are some of the objectives and outcomes of modelling.
- Generating metrics and performance indicators
- What-if and scenario analysis
- Decision-making
- Management and reporting
Financial modelling design and implementation
- The stages in designing and building financial models are covered and practised.
- Determining requirements
- Plan
- Design
- Build
- Validate
- Document and release
Best-practice principles
Best practice principles lead to models that are easy to adapt, user-friendly, efficient and feature-rich. The following are covered:
- Logical flow of information
- Modularity
- Separation of data and calculations
- Consistency
- Error detection
- Avoidance of computationally expensive functions
- Presentation style tailored to the user
Modelling themes
Common themes arise in financial modelling. For example, goods and services are often bought, sold and traded in markets and so market behaviours may need to be modelled. Markets are therefore a common theme in modelling. Another theme is strategy: The art and science of planning and directing overall operations and movements to achieve a major or overarching goal. And a third theme encompasses methods and processes.
This section addresses these three themes and shows specific examples of modelling within those theme types. These examples are covered:
- Markets theme
o Volatility
o Seasonality
o Pricing elasticity - Strategy theme
o Synergy
o Contingency - Methods theme
o Prioritisation & allocation
o Optimisation
o Amortisation (of debt)
o Depreciation
A.I.
Artificial Intelligence has application in financial modelling. A.I. is best used to advantage when its strengths and weaknesses are understood and it is guided accordingly.
In this section a modelling problem from earlier in the course – originally solved using human intelligence – is solved using artificial intelligence (with human guidance). The results are compared and learnings drawn as to best practice when working with A.I. assistance.
Alex is an experienced Australian-based trainer specialising in technical finance and business topics.
Previously, Alex worked as a Division Director at Macquarie Group in Sydney. In that role he developed a range of finance workshops both for Macquarie and non-Macquarie people and presented those workshops internationally in London, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington. Those workshops focused on Financial modelling, financial spreadsheets, valuation, derivatives, credit risk and Visual Basic programming.
Prior to joining Macquarie in 1994 Alex worked for a number of financial services organisations as a financial software developer and before that lectured at Technical Institutes in New Zealand in programming and electrical engineering.
Alex’s university qualifications are in engineering. He obtained Masters and Bachelors degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
Alex Palfi
Facilitator, Finance
Course Dates
This is a 2 day course, unless virtual.
Courses start 9am (coffee & registration from 8.30am) and run until 4.30pm / 5.00 pm each day.
April 28, 2025
- Last Minute $2699 + GST per person
- Cliftons, Auckland
October 15, 2025
- Last minute $2699+gst per person
- Virtual
