Email from Morne
Good Morning Colin, I love financial modelling and find your website inspirational!
I’m a self-taught financial modeller but I’d like to make a career out of it, so am keen to learn correct modelling principles and how to automate spreadsheets. I also want to know more about calculating the value of a business or part of a business.
I notice you are registered with the Association of Financial Modelling. How do I obtain that certification?
Colin, my goal is to know everything about modelling in Excel – I’m keen to enrol for all your courses.
Regards, Morne.
Colin’s response
What a great email to start the day and thanks for the compliment, Morne!
I too am passionate about financial modelling. In my long business career there’s always been one consistent thread – the existence of financial models. The simple reason: if properly built, they provide enormous insight into the performance of a business and allow management to make informed decisions.
One of the key elements of a financial model is flexibility and the ability to carry out “what if” analysis relating to the key model drivers (assumptions). Sensitivity analysis is another major output and is extremely useful in identifying and quantifying risk.
Quite frankly, whilst there’s undoubted value in historical management accounting – there’s infinitely more value in predictive financial modelling. While it’s good to know where you’ve been, it’s much more important to know where you’re going.
By the way, my view is that financial modelling is a great career choice. The skills it provides financial professionals are becoming a “must have”.
Morne, as my LinkedIn profile says, “I help individuals and companies build financial models and run financial modelling courses to empower people”. I’d be more than happy to assist you to make your career choice a reality. Just e-mail me or give me a call and we can chat.
All my best, Colin.
