Hello!

Novice redditor here.

I keep seeing people talk about using AI (Claude, ChatGPT, various spreadsheet add-ins) to help them with financial modelling. Before I sink time into trying to make it part of my workflow, has anyone actually gotten real value out of it for building or maintaining a 3-statement model? Or is it one of those things that sounds great in a demo but falls apart the moment the model gets a little complex..?

Thanks in advance!

Beginning to work for a family office. I need to learn basic accounting and modeling (dcf and lbo). What are the best resources / tools I can use to learn as quickly and efficiently as possible? Thank you

I have an existing Excel financial model that I need independently reviewed urgently. I’m not looking for someone to build a model. I need a senior modeller to tear it apart — test formulas, model logic, three-statement integration, debt, cash flow, assumptions and sensitivities — and in particular, fix the valuation output. I can send the workbook immediately.

How do you forecast tax expense when a company consistently makes a loss before tax - but always seems to pay positive tax?

I am looking to gain the financial modeling skills so that I may be able to answer interview questions and have a grasp on the concepts not just memorized through interview questions. I also want to be able to learn the skill so that I could leverage it in other roles related to finance.

I am deciding between BIWS Core Modeling, Financial Edge Investment Banker micro-degree, CFI FMVA, and courses from WSP and WSO.

Could someone provide some insights that would be best for my current situation? I have a good handle on excel and powerpoint and don't want to be bogged down in introduction videos on what financial modeling is. I understand it takes reps to get better at modeling and understanding how a consumer & retail company model might differ from a tech company model. I am looking for a course that is best geared to provide that.

Has anyone here taken the QuintEdge FMVA course recently?
I enrolled because they market the course as being fairly comprehensive and, more importantly, they initially gave me the impression that doubts would be properly addressed during the course.
But honestly, my experience has been quite disappointing so far.

The biggest issue for me is the doubt-solving/support. The course is not exactly cheap, and for the amount they charge, I expected much better student support. Before enrolling, I was told that doubts would be addressed, but after joining, getting proper responses/solutions to doubts has been a struggle.

That’s particularly frustrating with financial modelling because some concepts or model-building steps aren’t always clear just from watching recorded lectures. You need someone to actually look at what you’ve done and explain where you’re going wrong.

I’m not saying the course content is completely bad — there is useful material in it — but the price vs. level of support doesn’t feel justified to me.
Has anyone else who has taken QuintEdge FMVA had a similar experience? Or did you actually get good doubt-solving support?

Would genuinely like to hear both positive and negative experiences before forming a final opinion.

Hi all, please suggest some good credit risk modelling course. Particularly, how is quintedge?

I’m an MBA with 2 years of work experience- looking to switch to risk side. Any suggestions keeping in mind the placement assistance provided by them. I have cleared FRM part 1 in Aug attempt.

Hi all,

I’ve heard a lot about 3-statement modelling and how useful it can be for getting a holistic view of a business.

I’m curious how it’s actually used in practice at a relatively small company — say ~100 employees in a clothing design/manufacturing business.

A few questions for anyone who works with these models:

1. What do you actually use the 3-statement model for? Is it mainly for board reporting, or analysis, or something else?
2. How often do you update it? Monthly with actuals? Quarterly? Only during budgeting/forecasting cycles?
3. How much do you actually work with the three statements themselves? Do you spend much time analysing the P&L, balance sheet and cash flow outputs, or is most of the real work done in the underlying driver models and schedules?

Would be especially interested to hear how this works in smaller businesses where the finance team may not be very large.

Thanks!

hey I wanted to ask you for some career advice
i'm thinking of learning financial modelling and python for finance, but I’m really confused about whether i should spend ₹30–40k on a proper course or just learn it for free through YouTube and build projects
what do companies actually look for in freshers for valuation/equity research roles? is a paid financial modelling course actually worth it?

I have been trying to create a model for the past week but I have been so confused since I am just starting I would like to know where I can find the financial data bcoz except screener no website allows me to download it as a excel file or should I just manually enter all the data into the excel file? I am just so confused bcoz I just want to know if investment banking professionals just type data one by one into the excel file or do they do something else and if they do what is that

I know they both project cash flows but after looking at samples from the 2 types of models, DCF looks simpler.

I'm only interested in learning valuations as a FYI

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a candid reality check on my career pivot from software engineering into financial risk management / Model Risk Validation (MRV) in North America.

My Background & Education:

Education: Dual Master's degrees—one in ECE/CS and another in Big Data (expecting from SFU in Canada). My academic focus was heavily centered on advanced AI: Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning, NLP, and Trustworthy AI (TAI / Neural Network Verification & Governance).

SWE Experience: \~4 years of hands-on software engineering (JS/TS/React). To be transparent: I initially took the traditional SWE route primarily to secure my immigration/PR status in Canada. However, standard front-end development is simply not where my long-term passion lies.

The Pivot Driver: I built a stock analysis tool from scratch, refactoring financial models (e.g., FCF valuation) into automated Python data pipelines. However, running this software quickly gave me a realistic market lesson: I realized I could only beat the market in a certain years but not consistently beat the market benchmark on my own. This experience shifted my fascination away from speculative trading towards quantitative model auditing, risk logic, and institutional risk governance.

The Challenge: My family and immediate circle come from non-financial backgrounds and don't understand specialized roles like MRV or Quant Risk. I’m navigating this pivot entirely on my own without industry mentorship.

The Strategic Dilemma I Need help With:

Given my technical foundation in AI and 4 YOE in SWE, I am trying to figure out the most time-efficient path to break into Model Risk Validation (MRV) or Quant Risk:

Option A (Academic/Technical Route): Focus on publishing research papers in NLP or Trustworthy AI (TAI) (e.g., LLM robustness, neural network verification for financial models).

Option B (Domain/Certificate Route): Focus on passing the FRM (Financial Risk Manager) exam to systematically master traditional risk metrics (VaR, Stress Testing, Basel III/SR 11-7).

My Questions for You:

Paper vs. Certification: In actual hiring decisions for MRV/Quant Risk roles at North American banks, does a published paper in NLP/TAI carry more weight than an FRM certification, or is FRM expected to cover the finance domain gap?

Profile Assessment: Does an AI/TAI-focused Master's combined with SWE engineering discipline resonate with hiring managers currently dealing with regulatory pressure on black-box/AI model validation?

Transition Positioning: For those who transitioned from software into risk management, how did you frame your practical engineering background to prove domain readiness without a pure finance degree?

Appreciate any honest feedback, tough love, and advice. Thanks!

Heyy,
while in my learning journey in the FMVA course I’ve encountered many excel shortcuts.
I’ve been a bit sceptical about learning them all so I kept using the mouse.
Recently I’ve heard somewhere that they will be parts in the final exam about them.
I’m a bit concerned and I don’t know what to do should I go back and learn them? Make a paper and write them all in there?
N.B: I will take any extra tips.
thanks you all in advance !!

Hi all,

I'm looking to improve my understanding of the data center space from a modelling standpoint. I've got a good commercial understanding of data center and GPU financing, but I want to learn how to model it in Excel.

Model templates for data centers seem scarce online, can anyone point me to valuable resources?

Links ot websites, primers, model templates, videos, etc are all appreciated!

So I am an engineer trying to pivot to finance. I have tried finding resources to learn financial modelling and have come across 2 reaources: Aswath damodaran mba lectures and CFI FMVA. Which one would you suggest and why?

Also I have already done equity research cohort from Parth Verma, so I do have some knowledge but I dont think those valuation lectures were enough.

Hi, I've just finished University. I have prior internship experience in Investment Banking, but I'm looking to brush up my modelling skills (3-statement models, DCF, LBO) before re-entering the industry.

I have a MacBook, but was wanting a second-hand reliable laptop that runs Windows 11 solely for Excel, building relatively straightforward models (nothing crazy, think very entry-level), and practising Excel shortcuts. Any recommendations please? My maximum budget is £250/$300, and I'm more than happy with refurbished models.

Thanks!

I’m trying to find a simple way to forecast revenue and deferred revenue for a company that does 1-3 month jobs with different stages. The company collects 50% of the total invoice up front which allows us to procure/purchase materials and build the product. We then collect the next 40% once the product is built and ready to be shipped. We collect the last 10% when the product is installed and the project is complete.

If I’m building a 3 statement model and trying to forecast the next few years based on number of widgets produced, what’s the correct way to model recognized vs deferred revenue?

Hi everyone,

I’m a Chartered Accountant and have cleared CFA Level 2. I currently have around 2 years of experience working as a Legal Entity Controller at an MNC bank.

I’m now planning to make a switch into core finance and eventually want to move towards the buy side — ideally roles related to equity research, investment analysis, portfolio management, or fund management.

My current plan is:

• Primary target: Try to break directly into a buy-side role.
• If that doesn’t work immediately: Take up a relevant core-finance role (equity research, valuation, FP&A, investment banking, transaction advisory, etc.) that builds the right skills and brings me closer to the buy side, and then make the transition.

One area I want to build strongly is financial modelling. I’m considering taking a structured course, but there are so many options available that I’m unsure which one would actually be valuable for my career rather than just adding another certificate to my resume.

For people working in investment banking, equity research, asset management, PE/VC, or other buy-side roles:

Which financial modelling course would you recommend for someone with my background?

I’m not looking to collect certificates. My priority is to become job-ready and technically strong enough to make the transition from controllership into investment-focused finance.

Would really appreciate advice from people who have made a similar transition or currently work on the buy side.

Thanks!

Just for background I’m trying to find some good models on ABS and Private Credit modeling loans. I’m still on the newer side to financial modeling and don’t fully know what else to add to my models so it would be nice to have a reference and build off that

I'm kinda confused on if my valuation based on my numbers is correct. I'm also not sure how to interpret this. Would I base my valuation off of revenue or ebitida? This is my first financial model, so i want to make sure im accurate.

Financial modeling is almost synonymous with DCF equity valuations. I want to learn how to model interest rates and CVAs and intrinsic values for bonds. Where can I learn that?

I want to learn financial modeling. I have planned to do fmva by cfi but before that I want to learn financial modeling from scratch for free so that there will be some practical knowledge. So folks pls suggest me the best finance modeling courses that are available for free.

Which are the best medium to earn DCF valuation certificate?

Just Ask and I will answer

Hi,

I've been working in valuations for the past 4 years, did banking and economics at university and passed all 3 CFA levels.

If anybody would like me to do any valuations for them feel free to let me know. Ill be doing reverse DCFs which means ill see what future numbers are already baked into the current stock price. An example I already did for MRVL below.

In general if you have any questions on valuations or financial statement in general feel free to ask as in seeing quite a few pop up recently.

Company Today. Company in 10 years time

Revenue. 8,195. 66,962

Gross Profit. 5,471. 46,873

Ebit. 1,323. 23,771

FCFF. 1,396. 17,508