Blogs

February 4, 2021

The Middle Way

This guy. Probably a Modano user. Om. I recently joked with our team that I had begun to see Modano as The Middle Way Whilst this might sound overly Zen, it has turned out to be a surprising handy description. It has helped newcomers quickly...

October 20, 2020

Three common misconceptions about financial modeling

Financial modeling is, and always has been, one of the key finance sector skills that distinguishes the great from the good. From my experience the closer you get to to the cutting edge of multi-billion...

September 24, 2020

Manage Funds Not Models

Whilst we don’t yet have 4500 years of experience, we have such systemmatic modeling IP for the funds management space that our models are now filling major process gaps in the fund management industry...

September 1, 2020

Modano fills gap in SaaS financial modeling market

Putting a financial planning system or process in place for SaaS companies is notably problematic. SaaS companies are typically growing rapidly, working to a funding runway...

August 5, 2020

Model Scoping Video Series

We've developed a sequence of 25+ bite-sized videos to introduce some of the key scoping concepts that underpin designing and scoping best in class financial models. Models that are perfectly fit for purpose and stand the test of time...

July 27, 2020

My Experience as a Modano Intern

The coveted position that all undergrads are desperately seeking, hoping to gain some experience and convert into a graduate position before finishing their degree. 2019 was the penultimate year of my double Bachelor’s in Commerce...

March 12, 2020

Modano's working capital modeling sets a new industry standard

There are so many benefits from using modular workbooks (work it faster, better, stronger...) that it's easy to overlook one of the fundamental reason why people use them: Accuracy...

February 19, 2020

The horror investment banking war story that inspired Modano

The bid model I'm staring at on screen has been at the centre of my mind day and night for almost 6 months. At first it completely owned me, as I fought to understand the intricacies of everything from...

October 14, 2019

Done in 60 seconds: A day in the life at Modano

Quick blog post to illustrate the practical modelling realities of Modano, a world in which a scalable custom-scoped financial model can be built for a new client in a small fraction of the time taken by...

September 11, 2019

Inside story: Tech IPO valuations from an investment banker's perspective

My mother was a mathematics professor at Melbourne University, while by father was a physics teacher who went to on get an MBA and have a successful business career...

September 9, 2019

Detailed Daily Cash Flow

Our bolt-on Daily Cash Flow Tool allows users with any monthly historical-forecast model to perform highly detailed near-term cash flow analysis. The driver behind this detailed modelling is typically the need to: 1. better understand cash flows of...

August 20, 2019

Movie Star Dashboards

You know you have problems when you walk through a gallery, see a world famous image and the first thing that pops into your head is... That would make a really cool dashboard theme! Not that I'm not a fan of the standard Excel colours, they're a little bit tired...

July 24, 2019

Modano redefines financial modelling services.

Whenever we present Modano to potential clients there are two questions that arise in the pitch: 1. Did you just insert an entire corporate tax schedule into a workbook? 2. Does that mean we can build our...

June 17, 2019

How Modano can help with a smooth AASB16 transition

Now that AASB16 - the new leasing standard - is in the process of being implemented, one important question remains - how do you apply this standard from a forecasting perspective?

June 12, 2019

Top 3 reasons to go modular

When I started working as Modano 3 years ago, it coincided with the rebranding of the business and a shift in focus to ‘modular’ financial modelling. Having had limited modelling experience in my previous job, I was essentially a...

June 4, 2019

Uses of Sources & Uses

The industry standard tool for analysis of cash on a transaction is the Sources & Uses Statement. The S&U provides a summary of where cash is coming from and how it’s being used through the deal. Modano enhances the information...

May 30, 2019

5 Reasons to Join a Boutique Firm

Deciding where to apply for work is both an exciting opportunity and a daunting task. While working for a large organisation can seem appealing, there are significant benefits of working in boutique organisations...

March 29, 2019

How large accounting firms can increase their fee revenues by $1 billion

Large accounting firms are perfectly positioned to leverage improvements in financial modeling technology to provide billions of dollars of new business...

September 5, 2018

Property Feasibility Model

The wait is over! Modano's feasibility modelling content is now available for download. We won’t waste time talking about s-curves and all the standard industry content – that’s a given and all included. . We’ve only outlined the...

March 22, 2018

The real reason 80% of people don't have their dream job

I'm currently reading Simon Sinek's Start With Why, in which he highlights studies show that over 80 percent of Americans do not have their dream job He notes that a big reason for...

February 12, 2018

Why you should focus on becoming a good financial modeler

When I started out as an M&A investment banker in 1999, financial modeling was largely the domain of investment bankers. I still recall my first day at Salomon Smith Barney, when my associate...

November 23, 2017

Onboarding clients is a lot like dating.

When I was in my mid-twenties I had a huge crush on a girl so much so that I was pretty much open to doing anything to take her out on a date. I was very attracted to her, but we also had a lot in common and I thought...

November 8, 2017

By 2025 investment banking M&A could be a lot like Tinder.

You may think I'm joking around after reading the title to this article, but I couldn't be more serious. After all, the role of an investment banking M&A advisor is to find perfectly matched companies...

August 17, 2017

How much fear is in your career?

When my twin brother and I were 8 years old, we invented a game we called Stair Jump. Yes, it's a crap name for a game, but that's exactly what it was, a game in which we'd jump down stairs. The main stairwell in our house had 12 stairs...

June 27, 2017

2 questions you should always ask your financial model auditor

As someone who has spent almost 20 years building financial models, and software to improve the way financial models are built, it's probably most apt to describe my relationship with the model auditing...

May 31, 2017

The 3 most ridiculous things accountants have said to me

They say it's rude to kiss and tell, but I think it's fair to say that there were more verbal punches exchanged than kisses during the encounters I'm going to share in this article. And I'm hoping that sharing them...

February 22, 2017

Which software is right for your accounting firm?

I have spent over a decade speaking with accounting firms about the software they use to provide their tax, compliance and business advisory services. So it's safe to say I now have a good understanding of...

February 17, 2017

Why would anyone want to use a mouse?

This exchange actually took place in a 1985 Playboy interview with Steve Jobs: Playboy: Most computers use key strokes to enter instructions, but Macintosh replaces many of them with something called a mouse…

February 14, 2017

Visualizing a financial model

I still recall the first time I was given a complex financial model and told to 'get my head around it' shortly after starting my investment banking career in 2000. It was like being given a huge tangled ball of barbed wire, tearing strips off...

February 7, 2017

In the future, financial models will be pre-audited.

If you’ve ever paid to have a financial model audited, you would have learned something pretty quickly: It’s very expensive. So expensive, in fact, that it’s not unusual for a model audit to cost more then...

January 31, 2017

The financial modeling skills to advance your career

Since publishing my article Financial modeling: the career game-changer, many people have asked me what skills they require to be deemed a good financial modeler. In most cases, I'm asked about...

January 24, 2017

How to double the value of an accounting firm.

I have spent the past few years speaking with accounting firms about the services they provide to their clients and, having come from an investment banking background, I've been amazed by how...

January 17, 2017

Would you go to jail for 10 years for $10 million?

The most common response I get from friends in the finance sector when I ask them whether they enjoy their job is: "I don't mind it, and it pays really well so I'm going to stick with it until...

January 10, 2017

How do I become an investment banker?

Since I left investment banking almost 15 years ago, I think I’ve been asked this question about a million times. It always reminds me of that hilarious I need an iPhone YouTube parody...

December 13, 2016

Transaction advisory services and one night stands

In early 2004, long before founding Modano, my firm was mandated to provide sell-side advisory services to TXU in the United States. Our financial modeling services were required...

December 6, 2016

Financial modeling: the career game-changer

Almost 14 years ago, I walked away from my promising investment banking career, much to the chagrin of my proud father, to dedicate myself to financial modeling. Many of my investment banking colleagues...