Financial Mechanics - Training Courses - FAST Modeling Skills Online

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FAST Modeling Skills Online

Within the 8 weeks of the FAST Modeling Skills online course you will become a modeler who:

is faster at the job
makes fewer mistakes
has a better understanding of excel functionality
can solve complex modeling problems by breaking them down into simple steps, and
has the confidence to build a complete model from scratch.

In addition you will build models that are easier:

for anyone to review and understand, and
for colleagues to adapt when you’re not around.

You should achieve all of these objectives if you participate fully in the course and complete all the assignments. To support you further your have a course forum where you can:

ask questions of the instructors, and
review recorded sessions.

However, if you feel by the end of the course that we have not delivered on our commitments, we’ll give you all your money back. It’s that simple.

Overview

FAST Modeling Skills is aimed at those people who need to build or run financial models. For those with no modeling experience, this course provides a solid introduction to real-world financial modeling. For experienced modelers, the course will improve the quality and productivity of your modeling. It is appropriate to financial modelers in the corporate, business modeling, banking, treasury, financial advisory, government and infrastructure sectors.

The online course format retains the interactive features of face-to-face training but avoids the cost associated with travel to a training center. The pace is slower to allow you to work your schedule around the course and all sessions are recorded to ensure that you can review them in case you miss one session, or need a refresher. The weekly assignments ensure that you get hands-on practice of the methods you are taught in the live sessions.

The course covers model design, model construction techniques, and basic financial accounting principles. Week by week you will learn to apply FAST modeling principles to improve your modeling design, style, structure, and productivity, as you gradually build a valuation model based on a corporate acquisition case study. The techniques we teach are applicable to a wide variety of modeling topics and relevant to modelers across sectors.

The course includes an overview of term debt interest and repayment calculations, inflation indexation, capex and depreciation, and deferred tax. Theory is de-emphasized in favour of detailed instruction and hands-on practice with good model design and modeling techniques.

Dates and pricing

There are two options available for this course:

8 weekly live tutorials plus personal support package - $1750 (VAT may apply)*
8 weekly live tutorials only - $1150 (VAT may apply)*

If you’re not yet sure if this course fits your requirements, you're welcome to sign up for a free trial. You will get full access to the first two weeks of the course including all relevant course materials. If you decide the course is not for you there is no obligation to continue.

Please contact courses@fi-mech.com for dates and times

Teaching approach

This course is delivered online. Find out more about the benefits of our online training courses and review the options we have available for personal support.

We run a number of these courses concurrently to suit different time zones. See the table above for the schedule of upcoming courses.

Live online tutorials take place at the same time and on the same day of the week over the 8 weeks of the course. During the live online session there will be plenty of time for you to ask questions. You will also be given homework assignments each week. If you choose the personal support package, our instructors will review your homework modeling and provide detailed, individual, scored feedback back to you prior to the next tutorial.

Each live online tutorial will follow the same format

25 minutes: Round up of key issues and questions from the previous week’s homework assignment.
55 minutes: Tutorial on the new topics for that week with a demonstration by the instructor and an interactive discussion.
10 minutes: Setting of a new homework assignment for the coming week

Over the 8 weeks of the course you will progress towards producing a fully-functioning financial model, covering subjects such as depreciation and fixed asset balance calculations, term debt, deferred tax, profit-restricted dividends, constructing the primary financial statements, and discounted cash flow valuation.

In between each weekly tutorial, as you progress through the homework assignments and review the course material, you will be able to post questions and share your thoughts with other course participants on a dedicated course forum. Your instructors will check into the forum daily and respond to unanswered questions and provide you with further support.

Agenda

The 8 sessions of the course cover the following topics:

Session 1:

Review of pre-course tutorials (note: you will be given a number of pre-course videos and tutorials to watch in your own time covering a number of core skill areas)
Key principles of the FAST modeling standard
comparison of different approach to model structures
setting up timing architecture
modeling revenues and expenses using flags and indexation factors
Assignment 1: Setting up timing in your model and calculating revenues and opex

Session 2:

Capital expenditure and depreciation with introduction to the ‘balance corkscrew’
Different methods of calculating depreciation including discussion on the relative merits of the various excel ‘lookup’ functions
Assignment 2: Add capital expenditures and depreciation schedules to your model

Session 3:

Senior debt interest and principal calculations
Common issues with interest calculations
Roughing out basic financial statements using placeholders and introduction to alternative sign conventions
Assignment 3: Add senior debt and financial statements to your model.

Session 4:

Input control: scenario and sensitivity management
Output control: track sheets and delta sheets
Assignment 4: Add model control elements

Session 5:

Structured approach to reliable indexation factors; forecast price indices vs. contract reference price levels.
Common issues with indexation calculations
Assignment 5: Add indexation factors and connect into appropriate places in your model. Add scenario management structure

Session 6:

Taxation: actual cash tax paid vs. P&L tax charge and deferred tax;
Model control: Error checks and alerts
Assignment 6: Calculation tax payments and expense. Add error checking and alert management.

Session 7:

Share capital account; calculating profit-constrained dividends.
Present value of shareholder distributions as primary DCF valuation methodology;
model flexing
wrap-up on ancillary points raised and topics of interest to participants
Assignment 7: Addition of summary sheet (prizes for best and worst layouts!)

Session 8:

Presentation of model outputs results
Design and layout of summary sheets
Principles of data visualisation
Setting of final homework assignment: Bid game with prizes!

Requirements

You should have a basic understanding of MS Excel (e.g. syntax of IF statement, purpose of $s for anchoring cell references). You should also ensure that you have sufficient broadband capacity, reliability, and firewall approvals to support live online video sessions of approximately 90 minutes.

Instructors

John Richter
John was formerly a principal instructor for F1F9, a specialist financial modeling company that now licenses its training courses exclusively to Financial Mechanics. He has over 20 years experience in finance and has been teaching both introductory and advanced courses in financial modeling, as well as running his own modeling services company, for the past 8 years.

In partnership with his former colleague at F1F9, John developed the principles of FAST modeling; an approach to financial modeling adhered to by leading financial institutions and other organizations around the world. He has a BSc in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (1985) from Princeton University and an MBA (1992) from Harvard Business School.

Kenny Whitelaw-Jones
Kenny joined Financial Mechanics following 7 years as a financial advisor on project finance transactions across the energy, health, education, and waste sectors. Kenny has worked for several leading advisory firms including KPMG and Deloitte. In additional to his MA, he holds an MBA from Solvay Business School in Brussels and is a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and the Securities Institute.

Attendee comments

"This was a fantastic opportunity for me to refresh and hone my basic modeling skills... I am definitely looking forward to similar web based courses."

"I have been using spreadsheets for over 25 years and this course revealed how chaotic and haphazard my approach has been over the years. I wish that I would have been taught this way years ago. Bravo Financial Mechanics."

"The course was well designed and very well delivered. Would look forward for more such courses."

"I found the course very beneficial."

"I was very impressed with the course, it is exactly what I have been looking for."

"I would like to commend you for conducting such an informative course, which was simple to follow and addressed the points from a financial modeler’s perspective."

* Please note that the prices quoted are excluding VAT and additional amounts may be chargeable, depending on your location. As a summary, VAT is NOT applicable if you are outside of the EEC or if you are inside the EEC attending from a company. VAT is applicable if you are inside the UK or if you are inside the EEC attending on an individual basis.