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).
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.
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!
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.
Praise for Financial Modeling with Crystal Ball(r) and Excel(r) "Professor Charnes's book drives clarity into applied Monte Carlo analysis using examples and tools relevant to real-world finance. The book will prove useful for analysts of all levels and as a supplement to academic courses in multiple disciplines." -Mark Odermann, Senior Financial Analyst, Microsoft "Think you really know financial modeling? This is a must-have for power Excel users. Professor Charnes shows how to make more realistic models that result in fewer surprises. Every analyst needs this credibility booster." -James Franklin, CEO, Decisioneering, Inc. "This book packs a first-year MBA's worth of financial and business modeling education into a few dozen easy-to-understand examples. Crystal Ball software does the housekeeping, so readers can concentrate on the business decision. A careful reader who works the examples on a computer will master the best general-purpose technology available for working with uncertainty." -Aaron Brown, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley, author of The Poker Face of Wall Street "Using Crystal Ball and Excel, John Charnes takes you step by step, demonstrating a conceptual framework that turns static Excel data and financial models into true risk models. I am astonished by the clarity of the text and the hands-on, step-by-step examples using Crystal Ball and Excel; Professor Charnes is a masterful teacher, and this is an absolute gem of a book for the new generation of analyst." -Brian Watt, Chief Operating Officer, GECC, Inc. "Financial Modeling with Crystal Ball and Excel is a comprehensive, well-written guide to one of the most useful analysis tools available to professional risk managers and quantitative analysts. This is a must-have book for anyone using Crystal Ball, and anyone wanting an overview of basic risk management concepts." -Paul Dietz, Manager, Quantitative Analysis, Westar Energy "John Charnes presents an insightful exploration of techniques for analysis and understanding of risk and uncertainty in business cases. By application of real options theory and Monte Carlo simulation to planning, doors are opened to analysis of what used to be impossible, such as modeling the value today of future project choices." -Bruce Wallace, Nortel
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.
The Oxford Guide to Financial Modeling is accompanied by a companion web site that serves as an interactive workbook designed specifically for the book. This site is simple to use yet exceedingly robust with regard to its technological efficiency and purposeful usability. It is designed to further enhance understanding of the use and applications of the models referred to in the book and it is accessible free of charge at www.thomasho.com. This on-line workbook and resource tool contains more than 95 downloadable Excel models. The models provide clear expositions of the mathematical formulations and can be used along with the book. The companion web site is rich with a plethora of research and analytic tools designed for "doing finance" on-line.
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.