Financial Modelling Best Practice The University of Sydney

Overview

The course is structured around 12 tried-and-tested best practice principles, which are the distillation of the lessons learned (often the hard way) over many years working as a professional financial modeller. It is taught in an engaging manner, making use of our real "war stories" and practical exercises.

What you will learn

By the end of this Financial Modelling Best Practice course offered by University of Sydney, you should be able to:

• explain why professionals need to build financial models

• explain why most financial models are constructed using Microsoft Excel

• explain where to begin when designing and constructing a financial model

• articulate the questions that should be asked when scoping a financial model

• follow the best practices when constructing financial models

• use styles to ensure consistent and disciplined formatting is used in financial models

• create flags to ensure that logic can be consistently copied across a timeline

• create punch-through calculations when modelling repeating structures

• incorporate error checks into financial models

• use range names to improve the transparency and usability of financial models.

• use the best file type for any financial modelling situation

• follow a file naming taxonomy that minimises the risk of losing work when constructing models

• avoid the worst practices when constructing financial models

• assess whether a financial model that has been presented to them should be relied upon

• methodically find errors that exist in financial models (particularly those built by others).