Financial Modeling Consulting

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝟰 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺? As an Associate of the Valuation and Modelling team, I leverage my expertise in 𝗠𝗦 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹 & 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 to help clients make informed decisions. I 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀, including bid pricing, project finance, MIS, forecasting, and performance monitoring models. These models empower CFOs and other stakeholders to QUANTITATIVELY make critical financing, capital raising, and allocation decisions. I also contribute to the deal-making process by 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 for PE/VC funds and Investment Banks, ensuring the accuracy of the models. A few of my key engagement highlights! (keeping the #confidentiality clause in mind!) 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗧𝘀: I have a proven track record of working directly with CFOs of listed REITs in India, building and maintaining their financial models, and presenting insights to their Boards. 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Partnered with a Union Territory government to develop a financial model for a potential theme park, projecting cash flows and profitability. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿: Built a model for a listed manufacturer to evaluate a subsidiary restructuring, ensuring maximum shareholder value. 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀: Conducted model audits for high-profile projects across sectors, including e-bus transportation, airport acquisitions, and national toll roads. I specialise in assisting hedge funds & asset management firms to monitor/track/compute & evaluate their fund & strategy performance. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀: Had the opportunity to support and audit models for: • one of India's largest conglomerates (recent INR 11,000 crore fundraising for data centres) • a UK-based investor (INR 1,200 crore investment in solar & wind projects in Bharat). My passion lies in transforming complex financial data into actionable insights, enabling clients to make strategic decisions with confidence. My guilty pleasure is solving polynomial equations to get IRR, breaking circular references and writing long complex VBA codes & Excel formulas. I might go out of business if AI - ML based LLMs like ChatGPT start building models hence I blog on LinkedIn as a side hustle 🤣😉 Sheldon Cooper needs a time machine, but I just need to press [ALT + Page Dn] to enter the future. Let's connect to discuss/learn/explore how financial modelling can help one make an informed decision, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻. #financialmodeling #valuation #corporatefinance #decisionmaking

Capex investments shape cash flow and impact operating efficiency. Here's an example you might borrow. There are 3 separate forecasts for 3 different capital expenditures for a food company: • Buildout of a commercial kitchen • Acquisition of a tempering machine • Acquisition of an automatic filler There are a few areas to demystify: 𝟭) 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 Major projects are rarely paid all at once. The timing of the schedule matters for cash flows and financing. The move to the commercial kitchen is estimated to cost $800,000. 10% of this amount ($80,000) will be due first to the general contractor. There is a drop-down, using data validation, that allows the modeler to select which month the deposit is set to be paid. The remaining drop-downs allow the modeler to forecast the 1st phase and 2nd phase payments. 𝟮) 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 While depreciation doesn't matter much for direct cash flow modeling, it's important for depreciation expense on the P&L, accumulated depreciation for balance sheet forecasts, and tax planning. Here you can see that I'm assuming 15-year, 5-year, and 7-year depreciation respectively across the investments. This assumption determines the monthly depreciation expense. Below the assumption for useful life, an automated formula determines the first full month of the asset deployment. The month prior, uses an automated mid-month convention for conservatism. 𝟯) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘅 𝗢𝗻/𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 Excel nerds unite. I use the check box functionality at the top to include or exclude these capex forecasts from the integrated model. Why not just zero out the forecasts instead? Because that's manual and permanent. The CFO will hate that and you'll waste time. The toggles let you maintain the assumptions while running, or not running, scenarios on the forecast. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽: • Each project is broken down into phases (initial deposits, final payments). • Depreciation is tied to the month the fixed asset enters service, not just when cash goes out. • Check boxes allow the CFO to keep the capex forecast assumptions in place, but turn on/off the impact to financial forecast models. • Everything in blue font is an assumption, while everything in black font is formulaic. The forecast can be updated in minutes and toggled in seconds.    This is benefit of building a highly-reliable templated approach for one capex forecast. You can copy it and apply similar flexible methodology to the others.

Hiring finance people looks simple... Until you’ve hired the wrong one. Because finance isn’t just about accuracy. It’s about awareness. About asking the right questions before the numbers break. Here’s what separates the good from the great: 1. Curious, not compliant. >> Anyone can close books. But the best ask why margins dropped, or why cash isn’t showing up. >> They don’t just report numbers - they challenge them. 2. Calm in chaos. >> Most early-stage finance setups are messy. >> No structure, no systems, no time. >> You need someone who builds clarity while fighting fires - not after. 3. Empathy with edge. >> They’ll work with sales, ops, founders - AND everyone who thinks finance slows them down. 🤣 >> The great ones don’t say “no.” They say, “Here’s how to make it work.” 4. Systems over spreadsheets. >> If they fix errors, they’re accountants. >> If they fix why the errors happen, they’re future CFOs. 5. Business-first mindset. >> If they don’t understand what drives revenue, pricing, or CAC - they’ll never influence strategy. Finance hires can make or break your business. Because a bad marketer might cost you customers.... but a bad finance hire can cost you the company. #Finance #Hiring #FractionalCFO #Accounting

I've reviewed hundreds of financial models across 100+ clients. Most of them fail in the first 30 seconds. https://lnkd.in/eHYUr9Jc The numbers might be fine. But I open the file and see 47 tabs with names like "Sheet2_final_v3" and I already know what I'm dealing with. Assumptions buried in random cells. No flow. No structure. If I can't follow your model, nobody else will either. This is the same 9-part structure I use at my firm and teach to every fractional CFO I work with. → Drivers TabThis is the most important tab in your entire model. One place for every assumption. Revenue growth, headcount, tax rates. Change one input and the entire model updates. No hunting through tabs. → Source Data TabsRaw exports from QBO or your ERP. Keep them separate from your calculations. One formula pulls from here to populate everything else. → Error Check TabValidates that data made it from source to destination. Assets equal liabilities plus equity. Revenue ties across statements. Green means fine, red means stop. → Instructions TabMost people skip this. Don't. Which cells are editable, which tabs are read-only, what each color means. Your model will get passed around. Make it easy to audit. → Three Financial StatementsIncome statement, balance sheet, cash flow. All pulling from the drivers tab. Historicals and projections in one place. → Revenue TabYour most important forecast. Build it separately, link it back to drivers. Every business is different here, but the connection to the model stays the same. → Headcount TabYour largest expense needs its own schedule. Start dates, salaries, departments, prorated amounts. One mistake here and your cash forecast is off by six figures. → Balance Sheet SchedulesAR, AP, CapEx, debt. Waterfalls that show how balances move over time. These connect your P&L to your cash flow. → DashboardsThe view your board actually sees. KPIs, summary financials, budget vs actual. Everything else feeds into this. You can build your own following this structure, or grab a free template here: https://lnkd.in/eHYUr9Jc What does your model structure look like?

Speed, precision, and Excel Mastery are what we have historically been rewarded for as modelers, and they are what AI is coming for, but it cannot take our judgment.   Matan Feldman the CEO and Founder of Wall Street Prep joined me on Financial Modeler's Corner this week for a lively discussion on how AI will impact investment banking and financial modeling education.   I appreciated Matan's take on the future of AI as he discussed how it will impact both the demand and supply sides of modeling. How the role could change, and how the tech is not at the point where it is eliminating roles today. He gave a very balanced view of how this could shape out both the opportunities and risks AI creates.   Highlights from our conversation:   ➡ "If you haven't used AI yet and you're waiting until it's amazing… you're going to miss the boat."   ➡ "You could take 10 analysts with the same information, and they all come to different conclusions. That human judgment element ��� that's the final layer where AI doesn't exist."   ➡Strengthen your business judgment now. Matan admits he modeled for four years without truly understanding how businesses run. It was not until he started his own business that he gained an appreciation   ➡ The foundation still matters. AI does not replace the need to understand accounting, corporate finance, and modeling principles. Good judgment is downstream of a solid foundation, and there are no shortcuts to building it.   ➡ Know where AI makes mistakes and how those differ from human mistakes. AI errors are not the same as analyst errors. Modelers need to develop pattern recognition for how these tools fail, not just how to use them.   ➡ Your role title may evolve, but your relevance depends on judgment. The "modeler" label may give way to something closer to "investment analyst" or "finance strategist." Those who develop strong interpretive and communication skills around financial outputs will remain indispensable.   🎧 Financial Modeler's Corner with Matan Feldman: https://lnkd.in/gMgb-RrP   🎓 Master the fundamentals by earning your Advanced Financial Modeler accreditation from the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI) at https://lnkd.in/gQV55MxS (Use code Podcast to save 15%). Stop waiting and master the fundamentals to get the most out of AI. 

If your interview process rewards spreadsheet speed, you're hiring for a job AI is automating. And you'll do it systematically because your process is optimized for "produce," not "interpret and recommend." Here's the new hiring scorecard for finance teams in the AI era: 📌 𝟭. 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 When AI generates analysis quickly, the differentiator is the quality of thinking around it. Strong candidates ask clarifying questions before jumping to solutions. They acknowledge uncertainty and still move forward. Weak candidates treat AI outputs as truth and can't defend their assumptions. 📌 𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Not presentation polish. The ability to answer "so what" in two sentences. Strong candidates summarize instead of report. They move toward recommendations and trade-offs. Weak candidates hide behind detail and give findings with no implications. 📌 𝟯. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 Tools and workflows keep changing. The most valuable hires learn quickly and incorporate feedback without ego. Strong candidates move from "I don't know" to "here's my approach" with speed. Weak candidates rely on what they already know and treat feedback as critique. 📌 𝟰. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗙𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Not knowing every tool. Understanding where data comes from, how it breaks, and how to validate it. Strong candidates ask about definitions and source systems. Weak candidates accept numbers at face value. 📌 𝟱. 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 Seeing finance work as a system: process, stakeholders, incentives, handoffs. Strong candidates look for root causes and process fixes. Weak candidates treat every request as a one-off and optimize their piece while ignoring downstream impacts. If you hire only for what a junior analyst does today, you'll consistently select the wrong candidates for where the role is going. P.S. If you want your finance team's day-to-day performance to reflect this new reality, we run 𝗼𝗻-𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗣&𝗔 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. In-person training at your offices for teams of 5+, focused on sharper analysis, credible forecasts, and cleaner exec conversations. Book a 25-minute discovery call and see if it fits your team: https://lnkd.in/eygkdbZA -Christian Wattig

What does it take to land a finance role in Australia as an international graduate? Siddanth James George is a Finance MBA from University of Technology Sydney, and is now working as a Finance Analyst at Kraft Heinz. He joined My First Australian Offer last week to share how he did it. Here are 3 key takeaways from our deep dive: 1. Know the landscape before you apply: Not all finance roles are created equal, and for graduates, especially internationals, that distinction matters a lot. There are three broad buckets in Australian finance: • Deals & Markets: Investment Banking, Sales & Trading, PE etc • Corporate & Strategy: Commercial Finance, FP&A, Project Finance etc • Control & Risk: Risk Management, Compliance, Insurance etc If you're on a visa, Corporate & Strategy is probably your best starting point. Commercial Finance and FP&A have higher role volume, and corporate teams are far more open to sponsorship than their counterparts in IB or PE, where permanent residency is often a hard requirement. 2. Excel is not optional. It is the baseline. Australian finance still runs on Excel. Before you sign up for R or Python courses at uni, make sure you are not just familiar with Excel but genuinely good at it. For Commercial Finance and FP&A, financial modelling is non-negotiable. That means building models from scratch, not filling in someone else's template. P&L models, budget vs actuals, scenario and sensitivity analysis, three-statement modelling. Shortcuts, INDEX/MATCH, SUMIFS, pivot tables, basic VBA. Another crucial aspect is the business partnering piece. Knowing how to sit across from a sales manager or an ops lead, talk through their numbers. You will see requirements around SAP, Oracle, and Workday, in larger corporates but don’t worry about those, you can pick them up int he job. 3. Replace Instagram with LinkedIn. No matter which area of finance you target, it is competitive. So every time you apply for a role, go to that company's LinkedIn page, find two or three people in the finance team, and send a connection request with a short personalised note. If you can find their email, go a step further. Send them a short pitch covering your background and why you would be a good fit. Aim for 500+ connections. That is when your network hits a tipping point and your profile starts getting real visibility. By the time the hiring team looks at your application, there should already be a human thread connecting you to the company. That thread starts with a 3-line message on LinkedIn or the elevator pitch you make over email.

✨Need some liquid courage while pouring over your budget? ✨ It’s Hard to Predict—But Is It Really? Every year around this time, we work with clients to forecast the next 12 months. Their biggest hesitation? They feel it’s pointless to try and predict the future. It’s challenging for them to think about what’s possible because it doesn’t feel real or tangible. It can seem like the numbers are random—but there are ways to make an educated guess about the future. Here are some of the steps my CFO leads and I take to help clients move through the uncertainty: 1️⃣ Financial Statements We look at the past year or two of financial performance by month. We review the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flows over the past 12–24 months. This gives us a starting point to see if there’s any seasonality, any trends, and an idea of general operating costs. It gives us a chance to look at past revenue sources—what products or services sold the best—and to spot customer patterns, including any former customers who haven’t purchased in a while or new potential customer segments. 2️⃣ Collaborate with the CPA We speak to the CPA to check for any upcoming changes in tax laws that may impact financials. We talk about any potential changes in the industry or economic environment that might affect the company’s future revenue. 3️⃣ Evaluate Staffing and Major Purchases We review the current employee list, their salaries, and benefits to determine if there are any hiring needs. Then, we discuss any new major purchases that need to happen, whether in technology, software, professional development, or conferences. And all of this revolves around the CEO’s higher-level goals for the company for at least the next 3 years. These are just a few of the ways we help make the future feel more tangible for our clients. Do you have similar hesitations when it comes to financial forecasting? If so, come to my next CFO Hours on 11/20—sign up at the link in the comments! #SmallBusinessFinance #ProfitabilityTips #ScalingYourBusiness #FinancialPlanning

In Quantitative Finance: What Roles Actually Exist? 📊📊 Quant Finance isn’t just “pricing derivatives.” It’s a full ecosystem of people who model, trade, validate, hedge, analyze, and control financial risk. If you’re planning your career, here are the core roles you should know 👇 📌 Quant Researcher Builds mathematical & statistical models. Works on volatility models, pricing formulas, stochastic processes, optimization, ML models for markets. 📌 Quant Developer Converts research into fast, production-grade software. Strong in C++/Python, low-latency systems, pricing libraries, data engineering. 📌 Quant Trader / Algo Trader Uses models + market intuition to trade. Designs strategies, automates execution, manages risk in real time. 📌 Risk Quant (Market / Credit / Counterparty) Builds VaR, Expected Shortfall, exposure models, XVA engines, stress testing, liquidity risk frameworks. Deep mix of math + regulations. 📌 Model Validation / Model Risk Tests and challenges all models used by traders and quants. Re-implements models, checks assumptions, looks for model failures. 📌 Portfolio Quant / Asset Management Quant Optimizes portfolios, factor models, asset allocation, ESG analytics, backtesting, portfolio risk systems. 💡 Tip for learners: You don’t need to “do everything.” Pick your direction based on what excites you: 👉 Love coding? Quant Dev 👉 Love markets + math? Quant Trader 👉 Love deep theory? Quant Research 👉 Love regulations + models? Risk Quant / Model Validation 👉 Love investing principles? Portfolio Quant

Best Practices in Developing Projections Models to Support Strategic Planning Strategic thinking, planning and evaluating strategic alternatives must be supported by a strong long-term projections (LTP) model. Best practices include the following: A comprehensive model is required to effectively evaluate financial performance, financing requirements and value creation. This requires P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow statements, Key Performance Metrics (e.g. ROIC) and Valuation Analysis. The potential for value creation should be a primary factor in evaluating strategic plans.   Incorporate and Review Historical Performance. In developing a model for use in LTPs, it is important to incorporate history (3-4 years). The inclusion of history helps to identify key drivers, trends and interrelationships that are critical to projecting future performance. Second, it provides confidence in the relationship between these drivers and the actual financial results posted in prior years represented in the LTP model. Identify and Evaluate Key Assumptions and Business Drivers. Critical assumptions and business drivers that will affect future performance must be explicitly identified. Too often, these are buried in formulas in a model that reduces the ability to review, test and modify. Key assumptions will vary for each individual business. Market and competitive forces, product life cycles and introduction plans are generally important. Key costs drivers must be identified and incorporated into LTP models. Critical assumptions must be documented, reviewed and tested. Identify Strategic Issues. Key Strategic issues must be considered in the development of LTPs. These may include changes in the market, competitive threats, addressing weaknesses and human capital gaps, strategic investments and many other issues that will impact future financial performance. Robust and Flexible to support evaluation of Strategic Alternatives and Scenarios. The model should be flexible to facilitate changes in assumptions, scenario analysis and evaluation of strategic alternatives. High Impact Output (Presentation) Summary. Key performance measures and proforma valuation analysis should be auto generated within the model to facilitate summarization and presentation and enable changes and scenario analysis. Adapted from “Financial Management: Partner in Driving Performance and Value,” chapter 21, Long-Term Projections.