Critical insights for savvy financial analysts Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is the essential desk reference for CFOs, FP&A professionals, investment banking professionals, and equity research analysts. With thought-provoking discussion and refreshing perspective, this book provides insightful reference for critical areas that directly impact an organization’s effectiveness. From budgeting and forecasting, analysis, and performance management, to financial communication, metrics, and benchmarking, these insights delve into the cornerstones of business and value drivers. Dashboards, graphs, and other visual aids illustrate complex concepts and provide reference at a glance, while the author’s experience as a CFO, educator, and general manager leads to comprehensive and practical analytical techniques for real world application. Financial analysts are under constant pressure to perform at higher and higher levels within the realm of this consistently challenging function. Though areas ripe for improvement abound, true resources are scarce—until now. This book provides real-world guidance for analysts ready to: Assess performance of FP&A function and develop improvement program Improve planning and forecasting with new and provocative thinking Step up your game with leading edge analytical tools and practical solutions Plan, analyze and improve critical business and value drivers Build analytical capability and effective presentation of financial information Effectively evaluate capital investments in uncertain times The most effective analysts are those who are constantly striving for improvement, always seeking new solutions, and forever in pursuit of enlightening resources with real, useful information. Packed with examples, practical solutions, models, and novel approaches, Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is an invaluable addition to the analyst’s professional library. Access to a website with many of the tools introduced are included with the purchase of the book.

Critical insights for savvy financial analysts Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is the essential desk reference for CFOs, FP&A professionals, investment banking professionals, and equity research analysts. With thought-provoking discussion and refreshing perspective, this book provides insightful reference for critical areas that directly impact an organization’s effectiveness. From budgeting and forecasting, analysis, and performance management, to financial communication, metrics, and benchmarking, these insights delve into the cornerstones of business and value drivers. Dashboards, graphs, and other visual aids illustrate complex concepts and provide reference at a glance, while the author’s experience as a CFO, educator, and general manager leads to comprehensive and practical analytical techniques for real world application. Financial analysts are under constant pressure to perform at higher and higher levels within the realm of this consistently challenging function. Though areas ripe for improvement abound, true resources are scarce—until now. This book provides real-world guidance for analysts ready to: Assess performance of FP&A function and develop improvement program Improve planning and forecasting with new and provocative thinking Step up your game with leading edge analytical tools and practical solutions Plan, analyze and improve critical business and value drivers Build analytical capability and effective presentation of financial information Effectively evaluate capital investments in uncertain times The most effective analysts are those who are constantly striving for improvement, always seeking new solutions, and forever in pursuit of enlightening resources with real, useful information. Packed with examples, practical solutions, models, and novel approaches, Financial Planning & Analysis and Performance Management is an invaluable addition to the analyst’s professional library. Access to a website with many of the tools introduced are included with the purchase of the book. Please see About the Website page for access instructions.

Written by the Founder and CEO of the prestigious New York School of Finance, this book schools you in the fundamental tools for accurately assessing the soundness of a stock investment. Built around a full-length case study of Wal-Mart, it shows you how to perform an in-depth analysis of that company's financial standing, walking you through all the steps of developing a sophisticated financial model as done by professional Wall Street analysts. You will construct a full scale financial model and valuation step-by-step as you page through the book. When we ran this analysis in January of 2012, we estimated the stock was undervalued. Since the first run of the analysis, the stock has increased 35 percent. Re-evaluating Wal-Mart 9months later, we will step through the techniques utilized by Wall Street analysts to build models on and properly value business entities. Step-by-step financial modeling - taught using downloadable Wall Street models, you will construct the model step by step as you page through the book. Hot keys and explicit Excel instructions aid even the novice excel modeler. Model built complete with Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Balance Sheet, Balance Sheet Balancing Techniques, Depreciation Schedule (complete with accelerating depreciation and deferring taxes), working capital schedule, debt schedule, handling circular references, and automatic debt pay downs. Illustrative concepts including detailing model flows help aid in conceptual understanding. Concepts are reiterated and honed, perfect for a novice yet detailed enough for a professional. Model built direct from Wal-Mart public filings, searching through notes, performing research, and illustrating techniques to formulate projections. Includes in-depth coverage of valuation techniques commonly used by Wall Street professionals. Illustrative comparable company analyses - built the right way, direct from historical financials, calculating LTM (Last Twelve Month) data, calendarization, and properly smoothing EBITDA and Net Income. Precedent transactions analysis - detailing how to extract proper metrics from relevant proxy statements Discounted cash flow analysis - simplifying and illustrating how a DCF is utilized, how unlevered free cash flow is derived, and the meaning of weighted average cost of capital (WACC) Step-by-step we will come up with a valuation on Wal-Mart Chapter end questions, practice models, additional case studies and common interview questions (found in the companion website) help solidify the techniques honed in the book; ideal for universities or business students looking to break into the investment banking field.

No matter what industry your company competes in, you need to have a firm understanding of how to create a direct link between shareholder value and critical business processes in order to improve performance and achieve long-term value. Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation contains the information and expertise you need to do just this—and much more.

This work focuses on the theory and practice of financial management in public organizations and local government, highlighting the planning, analysis, and control skills necessary to navigate a future of change in technology, society, politics and economics. It details three fundamental areas of responsibility in the annual financial management cycle - cash management, financial planning, and management control. The authors discuss the financial planning-control continuum, cash management and investment strategies, and techniques of financial and managerial cost accounting to assist financial managers and public administrators in their daily efforts to promote more efficient and effective use of financial resources.

It’s easier than you think to understand the financial reports you face every day . . . If your job focus is on managing employees and overseeing corporate affairs, financial analysis may sound like a foreign language to you. But, in today’s competitive business environment, it is crucial that managers and business executives have a firm grasp of financial analysis. The Essentials of Financial Analysis simplifies an often difficult-to-understand topic so stakeholders ranging from employees to executives to investors can understand and discuss an organization’s financial workings. The Essentials of Financial Analysis delivers practical, in-depth coverage on the key components of financial reporting, budgeting, and analysis to help you better relate to the numbers behind the business issues you face every day. By the time you turn the final page of this book, you will be able to command confident discussions on performance, investment, and other financial situations with members of your finance team and senior management. This hands-on book helps you make better business decisions by showing you how to structure financial analysis, as well as: Contribute to an organization’s success and guide others companywide to make better financial decisions Reduce cost of capital and hurdle rates by selecting the financial markets, intermediaries, and instruments that work best for your company’s financing needs Increase shareholder value by pursuing growth through capital investment, new products, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategies Your career success and the prosperity of your company depends on your ability to understand and act upon basic financial principles. With The Essentials of Financial Analysis, you can go inside the numbers and get a clear picture of where your company has been, where it is going, and how you can help it get there.

Risk analysis has become critical to modern financial planning Financial Forecasting, Analysis and Modelling provides a complete framework of long-term financial forecasts in a practical and accessible way, helping finance professionals include uncertainty in their planning and budgeting process. With thorough coverage of financial statement simulation models and clear, concise implementation instruction, this book guides readers step-by-step through the entire projection plan development process. Readers learn the tools, techniques, and special considerations that increase accuracy and smooth the workflow, and develop a more robust analysis process that improves financial strategy. The companion website provides a complete operational model that can be customised to develop financial projections or a range of other key financial measures, giving readers an immediately-applicable tool to facilitate effective decision-making. In the aftermath of the recent financial crisis, the need for experienced financial modelling professionals has steadily increased as organisations rush to adjust to economic volatility and uncertainty. This book provides the deeper level of understanding needed to develop stronger financial planning, with techniques tailored to real-life situations. Develop long-term projection plans using Excel Use appropriate models to develop a more proactive strategy Apply risk and uncertainty projections more accurately Master the Excel Scenario Manager, Sensitivity Analysis, Monte Carlo Simulation, and more Risk plays a larger role in financial planning than ever before, and possible outcomes must be measured before decisions are made. Uncertainty has become a critical component in financial planning, and accuracy demands it be used appropriately. With special focus on uncertainty in modelling and planning, Financial Forecasting, Analysis and Modelling is a comprehensive guide to the mechanics of modern finance.