Financial Modeling For Decision Making

This book provides accounting students in post-secondary institutions with an advanced level understanding of how to use MS-Excel to make business decisions. It reflects real-life applications of this important analytical tool, which has become the accepted industry standard for spreadsheet software.

This book provides accounting students in post-secondary institutions with an advanced level understanding of how to use MS-Excel to make business decisions. It reflects real-life applications of this important analytical tool, which has become the accepted industry standard for spreadsheet software.

This handbook in two parts covers key topics of the theory of financial decision making. Some of the papers discuss real applications or case studies as well. There are a number of new papers that have never been published before especially in Part II.Part I is concerned with Decision Making Under Uncertainty. This includes subsections on Arbitrage, Utility Theory, Risk Aversion and Static Portfolio Theory, and Stochastic Dominance. Part II is concerned with Dynamic Modeling that is the transition for static decision making to multiperiod decision making. The analysis starts with Risk Measures and then discusses Dynamic Portfolio Theory, Tactical Asset Allocation and Asset-Liability Management Using Utility and Goal Based Consumption-Investment Decision Models.A comprehensive set of problems both computational and review and mind expanding with many unsolved problems are in an accompanying problems book. The handbook plus the book of problems form a very strong set of materials for PhD and Masters courses both as the main or as supplementary text in finance theory, financial decision making and portfolio theory. For researchers, it is a valuable resource being an up to date treatment of topics in the classic books on these topics by Johnathan Ingersoll in 1988, and William Ziemba and Raymond Vickson in 1975 (updated 2 nd edition published in 2006).

the mathematics of financial modeling & investment management The Mathematics of Financial Modeling & Investment Management covers a wide range of technical topics in mathematics and finance-enabling the investment management practitioner, researcher, or student to fully understand the process of financial decision-making and its economic foundations. This comprehensive resource will introduce you to key mathematical techniques-matrix algebra, calculus, ordinary differential equations, probability theory, stochastic calculus, time series analysis, optimization-as well as show you how these techniques are successfully implemented in the world of modern finance. Special emphasis is placed on the new mathematical tools that allow a deeper understanding of financial econometrics and financial economics. Recent advances in financial econometrics, such as tools for estimating and representing the tails of the distributions, the analysis of correlation phenomena, and dimensionality reduction through factor analysis and cointegration are discussed in depth. Using a wealth of real-world examples, Focardi and Fabozzi simultaneously show both the mathematical techniques and the areas in finance where these techniques are applied. They also cover a variety of useful financial applications, such as: * Arbitrage pricing * Interest rate modeling * Derivative pricing * Credit risk modeling * Equity and bond portfolio management * Risk management * And much more Filled with in-depth insight and expert advice, The Mathematics of Financial Modeling & Investment Management clearly ties together financial theory and mathematical techniques.

Make informed business decisions with the beginner's guide to financial modeling using Microsoft Excel Financial Modeling in Excel For Dummies is your comprehensive guide to learning how to create informative, enlightening financial models today. Not a math whiz or an Excel power-user? No problem! All you need is a basic understanding of Excel to start building simple models with practical hands-on exercises and before you know it, you'll be modeling your way to optimized profits for your business in no time. Excel is powerful, user-friendly, and is most likely already installed on your computer—which is why it has so readily become the most popular financial modeling software. This book shows you how to harness Excel's capabilities to determine profitability, develop budgetary projections, model depreciation, project costs, value assets and more. You'll learn the fundamental best practices and know-how of financial modeling, and how to put them to work for your business and your clients. You'll learn the tools and techniques that bring insight out of the numbers, and make better business decisions based on quantitative evidence. You'll discover that financial modeling is an invaluable resource for your business, and you'll wonder why you've waited this long to learn how! Companies around the world use financial modeling for decision making, to steer strategy, and to develop solutions. This book walks you through the process with clear, expert guidance that assumes little prior knowledge. Learn the six crucial rules to follow when building a successful financial model Discover how to review and edit an inherited financial model and align it with your business and financial strategy Solve client problems, identify market projections, and develop business strategies based on scenario analysis Create valuable customized templates models that can become a source of competitive advantage From multinational corporations to the mom-and-pop corner store, there isn't a business around that wouldn't benefit from financial modeling. No need to buy expensive specialized software—the tools you need are right there in Excel. Financial Modeling in Excel For Dummies gets you up to speed quickly so you can start reaping the benefits today!

A properly structured financial model can provide decision makers with a powerful planning tool that helps them identify the consequences of their decisions before they are put into practice. Introduction to Financial Models for Management and Planning enables professionals and students to learn how to develop and use computer-based models for financial planning. Providing critical tools for the financial toolbox, this volume shows how to use these tools to build successful models. Placing a strong emphasis on the structure of models, the book focuses on developing models that are consistent with the theory of finance and, at the same time, are practical and usable. The authors introduce powerful tools that are imperative to the financial management of the operating business. These include interactive cash budgets and pro forma financial statements that balance even under the most extreme assumptions, valuation techniques, forecasting techniques that range from simple averages to time series methods, Monte Carlo simulation, linear programming, and optimization. The tools of financial modeling can be used to solve the problems of planning the firm’s investment and financing decisions. These include evaluating capital projects, planning the financing mix for new investments, capital budgeting under capital constraints, optimal capital structure, cash budgeting, working capital management, mergers and acquisitions, and constructing efficient security portfolios. While the primary emphasis is on models related to corporate financial management, the book also introduces readers to a variety of models related to security markets, stock and bond investments, portfolio management, and options. This authoritative book supplies broad-based coverage and free access to @Risk software for Monte Carlo simulation, making it an indispensible text for professionals and students in financial management. Please contact customer service for access to the software if your copy of the book does not contain this information.

All the precision of financial modeling--and none of the complexity Evidence-based decision making is only as good as the external evidence on which it is based. Financial models uncover potential risks on a company’s balance sheet, but the complexity of these instruments has limited their effectiveness. Now, Mastering Financial Modeling offers a simplified method for building the fast and accurate financial models serious evidencebased decision makers need. What sets this practical guide apart is its "learning-on-the-job" approach. Unlike other books that teach modeling in a vacuum, this superior method uses a diverse collection of case studies to convey each step of the building process. "Learning on the job" connects the dots between the proper Excel formulas and functions and the real-world situations where you want to use them. By learning through association, you can absorb the information quickly and have it ready to use when you need it. The book starts right off on building models--from creating a standalone cash flow model through integrating it with an income statement and balance sheet. Along the way, you will master the skill set you need to build advanced financial models. With only a basic knowledge of accounting and finance, individual investors and financial professionals alike can: Create a core model and customize it for companies in most industries Understand every working component of a financial model and what each one tells you about a company Format cells and sheets in Excel for easily repeatable modeling Written with the practitioner in mind, Mastering Financial Modeling shows you how to ensure your model is ready for real-world application by safeguarding it against modeling errors. It covers a full array of Excel's builtin auditing and testing tools and illustrates how to build customized error-checking tools of your own to catch the inaccuracies that typically fall through the cracks. Get the most out of your data with Mastering Financial Modeling. Mastering Financial Modeling brings the power of financial models down to earth and puts it in the hands of investors, bankers, and private equity professionals who don't have a passion for crunching numbers. Nowhere else can you get step-by-step instruction on building these valuable tools from an elite World Bank investment officer. Starting from the ground up, Eric Soubeiga shows you how to interpret and build financial models in Microsoft Excel that will accurately assess any company’s valuation and profit potential. Even if you have unsuccessfully tried financial modeling in the past, this book will reach you because it associates every lesson to the business world you work in daily. Chapter by chapter, you will master financial modeling, and in the end, you will: Command authority over building every aspect of a financial model Be capable of explaining the accounting and finance concepts behind the mechanics of modeling Confidently determine a company’s ability to generate cash flows for its capital investors with discounted cash flow (DCF) modeling Execute powerful spreadsheet calculations in Excel Most importantly, as a decision maker, the insight you bring to the table through your sophisticated understanding and application of financial modeling will benefit every stakeholder. See what leading professionals around the world already know--Mastering Financial Modeling is the most comprehensive guide on the market for designing, building, and implementing valuation projection models. What it does from there is up to you.

CD-ROM contains: Crystal Ball -- TreePlan -- AnimaLP -- Queue -- ExcelWorkbooks.

A solid understanding of financial analysis is an essentialbut often overlookedprerequisite to making key strategic decisions.Financial Analysis and Decision Making explains how all professionals can use the tools and techniques of financial analysis to define problems, gather and organize relevant information, and improve problem-solving skills. David E. Vance, C.P.A., is an instructor in the M.B.A. program at Rutgers University School of Business and director of executive development for the Rohrer Center for Management and Entrepreneurship.

Financial Modeling for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs: Developing Excel Models to Raise Capital, Increase Cash Flow, Improve Operations, Plan Projects, and Make Decisions may be one of the most important books any entrepreneur or manager in a small or medium-sized enterprise will read. It combines logical business principles and strategies with a step-by-step methodology for planning and modeling a company and solving specific business problems. You’ll learn to create operational and financial models in Excel that describe the workings of your company in quantitative terms and that make it far more likely you will avoid the traps and dead ends many businesses fall into. Serial entrepreneur and financial expert Tom Y. Sawyer shows how to break your company down into basic functional and operational components that can be modeled. The result is a financial model that, for example, you can literally take to the bank or bring to local angel investors to receive the funding you need to launch your business or a new product. Or it might be a model that shows with startling clarity that your new product development effort is a likely winner—or loser. Even better, you’ll learn to create models that will serve as guideposts for ongoing operations. You’ll always know just where you are financially, and where you need to be. The models you will learn to build in Financial Modeling for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs can be used to: Raise capital for startup or any stage of growth Plan projects and new initiatives Make astute business decisions, including go/no-go assessments Analyze ROI on your product development and marketing expenditures Streamline operations, manage budgets, improve efficiency, and reduce costs Value the business when it is time to cash out or merge In addition to many valuable exercises and tips for using Excel to model your business, this book contains a combination of practical advice born of hard-won lessons, advanced strategic thought, and the insightful use of hard skills. With a basic knowledge of Excel assumed, it will help you learn to think like an experienced business person who expects to make money on the products or services offered to the public. You’ll discover that the financial model is a key management tool that, if built correctly, provides invaluable assistance every step of the entrepreneurial journey. Tom Y. Sawyer has used the principles this book contains to create financial models of numerous startup and early-stage companies, assisting them in planning for and raising the capital that they needed to grow their businesses and ultimately exit with multiples of their initial investment. Financial Modeling for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, a mini-MBA in entrepreneurship and finance, will show you how you can do the same. Note: This book is an updated version of Sawyer's 2009 title, Pro Excel Financial Modeling.