Financial Modeling

 Financial Modeling

A financial model is simply a tool (generally built in Excel) to forecast a business’s financial future. It serves as one of the critical inputs for financial analysis and valuation. Knowing how to build an integrated 3-statement financial model and Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is a must-have skill for professions like equity research, investment banking and private equity.

I will divide the recommendations here in two parts. First, in case you want to learn financial modelling just to build or augment your skill-set. Second, in case you want to obtain a certificate of having gone through a financial modelling course to improve your chances of landing a finance role.

For the first case, if you are just keen on learning, I would suggest subscribing to A Simple Model. While there are a lot of free tutorials available online, what is actually needed is a structured approach to learning financial modeling, and ASM does a very good job at that. And for just USD 3 per month, it is very affordable too. They have a lot of material available for free in case you want to try them out first.

For the second case, in case you need a certification, there are several good options available. Some of the popular ones are Breaking into Wall Street, Imarticus, The WallStreet School, Corporate Finance Institute, EduPristine. Go through the course content and sample lectures/videos before deciding which course you wish to opt for. These are priced on the higher side – range from INR 5,000 to INR 40,000.

Most of these courses cover basics of Excel. In case the one you select doesn’t and you don’t have much experience using Excel, would suggest going through some course on Udemy. Here’s one highly rated course: MS Excel from Beginner to Advanced and Beyond. However, do look at the other courses as well, and pick the one which best meets your requirements