Best Financial Modeling Classes Near Me: Find In-Person & Virtual Training

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Financial modeling is the process of taking complex real-world financial institutions, systems, and situations and reducing them to abstract models that help businesses and corporations predict and forecast their future potential earnings based on those models. Financial modeling is an important part of the modern financial industry, as the institutions involved have become so massive and complex that they need to be abstracted for clarity. For example, it is virtually impossible to precisely value a corporation employing tens of thousands of people and owning hundreds of subsidiaries. Hence, financial modeling projects are essential for keeping stakeholders aware of what that company is worth.

Financial modeling involves complex functions and predictive modeling practices, covering everything from risk management to cash flow forecasting and business valuation modeling. Once a business reaches a certain size, financial modeling expertise becomes necessary for its continued operation. It will be impossible for accountants and financial managers to maintain a perfectly accurate view of the company’s financial standing. This is not only because of the scope of the information but also because it changes so rapidly that any attempt to produce a non-modeled understanding of the company’s value and assets would likely be outdated by the time it is completed.

Why Learn Financial Modeling?

Financial modeling expertise is essential for a career in risk management, investment banking, or financial analysis. Financial models inform decision-making, particularly in pricing securities or executing transformative transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. As a result, large businesses must ensure their financial models are accurate and up-to-date to operate effectively in the billion-dollar industries they occupy. Modern financial modeling skills are necessary for the operation of large sectors of the economy since massive companies are too large to work with non-abstracted financial data, particularly when it comes time to declare their value and consider expanding or acquiring other companies.

Thus, financial modeling skills are highly marketable, signaling deep expertise valuable to companies. Financial modeling is also the backbone of value investing. One of the most common ways to value a company is to use a financial model like a DCF Model. With a DCF Model, you'll forecast cash flows for a company over a future time horizon and then discount the cash flows to the present to create a value for the company. This skill is vital for anyone looking to invest in stocks, work in finance, or purchase a business.

Business Intelligence

This profession is expected to see continued growth as candidates with experience in financial modeling offer a unique value proposition. Financial models are a critical source of business intelligence (BI), so expertise in this area is essential for corporate and organizational leadership. Business intelligence refers to the information and data that enable companies to make informed decisions about their financial position and market standing. This process is essential to corporate finance strategies since it allows them to understand what assets they currently hold and how valuable those assets are to interested parties.

Learning financial modeling skills will help professionals engage in the business intelligence aspects of corporate finance, as these models are integral to systems that allow businesses to make predictions and forecasts about their value and market trends. Using tools like Microsoft Excel, business professionals can apply their knowledge of economic systems and models to enhance their employers' understanding of BI practices and concepts, making those employees even more valuable to the company.

What You'll Learn

In financial modeling classes, you’ll learn to analyze companies and work with various types of models. As the foundation for building financial models, you’ll learn core accounting, finance, and investing principles. You’ll learn key concepts like NPV, IRR, market cap, enterprise value, financial statements, and more. Certain classes may focus on different areas of financial modeling, like stock market investing, LBO modeling, DCF modeling, or M&A modeling.

Building financial models requires historical data, ratios, other metrics, assumptions, forecasts, and valuations. Understanding these metrics requires a foundational understanding of accounting, finance, and economics principles. Students will need to grasp complex mathematical principles and understand key accounting terminology and concepts. Many classes teach these skills and concepts, but students should not be caught off guard by the amount of math involved in financial modeling.

Students will also need to learn how to create complex databases and spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel, which is by far the most commonly used program, though similar alternatives exist. Students will need to use advanced features of the program to organize large amounts of data and create shorthand functions to assist in modeling this data. They will also need to work behind the scenes to construct spreadsheets and other financial databases that automatically update when new information is made available. This recordkeeping and automation are essential to the process of financial modeling.

Financial Modeling Careers

Since financial modeling is so essential to the operations of large corporations and massive financial institutions, there are plenty of jobs available for professionals with these skill sets. Businesses are looking for Financial Accountants and Certified Public Accountants who have the skill sets required to build the financial models that let companies understand what their immediate and short-term financial futures look like so that they can take those models into account when making big decisions. These professionals may need to pass accreditation exams to work at major firms. Still, individuals with these skills are highly sought after since the ability to model million- or even billion-dollar corporate assets is essential for major companies to function.

Financial modeling is also an important skill for Investment Analysts and Financial Analysts. These professionals use data analytics tools alongside financial models to forecast markets and advise individuals and institutions on how to best spend their money and invest in future assets. In many cases, they will be using the financial models produced by accountants and other bookkeepers to further enhance the accuracy and quality of their predictions. These Analysts will need training beyond their financial modeling skills, but knowing how to build and work with these models is a vital foundation for their long-term career success.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that in the next decade, some 700,000 plus jobs will be added to the financial industry, and financial modeling experts are expected to be in high demand. While salaries will vary depending on professional experience, certifications, and location, many jobs in the financial sector regularly pay upwards of $100,000 a year.

Financial Modeling Classes

Students looking to learn financial modeling skills will want to enroll in a specialized class that aims to teach them the terms, theories, and tools needed to build accurate, useful models. These classes will teach students how to use programs like Microsoft Excel to organize and analyze financial data and how to streamline and automate the process of building financial models. Students enrolled in these classes will leave better prepared to work with complex financial systems and ready to enter the job market as professional accountants or financial modeling experts.

Noble Desktop offers a focused Financial Modeling Bootcamp for students learning how to manage and model complex financial accounts. In this class, students will learn how to use Excel to build comprehensive discounted cash flow models, assess a company’s abstract valuation, and begin producing the financial statements and data required to facilitate acquisitions and mergers. This is a course focused on the practical applications of financial modeling skills in real-world business situations. Students will receive hands-on training covering tools like Excel and instruction in important business concepts. This is an advanced course that assumes students have a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel. While a basic understanding of economics isn’t required, it is strongly recommended (support materials are available for novice students).

Students looking to start from the beginning (or to brush up on the prerequisites) may consider enrolling in the Financial Analyst Training Program. In this class, beginners can learn the basics of using Microsoft Excel and important foundational theories of economics and finance that they will take with them into their financial modeling training. These lessons include an introduction to important Excel skills, like how to utilize functions and cell formats, and training in important financial skills, like how to read an earnings report or understand how large corporate entities are valued. This is an introductory course, so students completing the seminar won’t yet be prepared to enter into the workforce as financial modeling experts or financial analysts, but they will have gained the important foundational skills they need to succeed in future training programs.

Other service providers such as Wall Street Prep, offer accelerated financial modeling bootcamps for students looking to hone their skills. In Wall Street Prep’s Financial and Valuation Modeling Bootcamp, students will learn investment banking and financial modeling skills such as how to use advanced Excel functions, how to read corporate financial reports, and how to use those reports to model future earning potentials in Excel. This course aims to offer students a career-focused education in financial modeling, and graduates will receive a certificate of completion to indicate their training to potential employers.

Similarly, the Investment Banking Institute offers a focused Financial Valuation training program for students looking to apply financial modeling skills to work in investment banking contexts. This course will teach students how to model a company’s financial future and how that business intelligence can be applied to future investment plans. This course can also help students investing on their own learn how to better manage their own accounts and make informed decisions about companies to invest in.

In addition to these options, students can utilize Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool to find other in-person and live online financial modeling classes in their area. This tool lets students compare the courses in terms of length, cost, and curriculum to help them make more informed decisions about their future financial training.

In-Person or Live Online Classes

Once a student has decided that they want to learn financial modeling skills, they will need to decide whether they want to enroll in a live course or a live online class. While either option offers students the chance to learn from expert instructors in real time, receiving personalized feedback and assistance on the complex lessons they are receiving, there are meaningful differences between the two delivery methods. Students will need to consider their personal learning styles to choose the right course for them.

In-person training courses offer students the opportunity to learn financial modeling in a dedicated, distraction-free environment built to facilitate their learning goals. Students often find that they benefit from learning face-to-face with their instructors and in a communal setting that allows them to collaborate with their classmates. Students who enjoy the social aspect of classroom learning will want to consider enrolling in a live training course. The drawback to these courses is that students will only be able to enroll in classes near them physically, which can be restrictive, especially for students who don’t live near major metropolitan areas.

The alternative option for students seeking real-time financial modeling instruction is to enroll in a live online course. These courses, which are taught in digital classrooms over services like Zoom, let students learn from the comfort of their homes, greatly expanding their options for what courses to enroll in (though students should still consider issues like time zones). Students won’t have to commute to a classroom and can learn on their own devices, which can be a boon for many students. The drawback to these classes is that students must work to avoid becoming distracted when learning from home. Plus, while it can be nice to work with your own technology, learning from home does mean you will be responsible for keeping it up and running (you don’t want to miss a class because your laptop dies).

Eric Benac

Eric Benac is a copywriter, marketing content producer, researcher, and AI specialist for Noble Desktop. He earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in Writing from Northern Michigan University. Before working with Noble Desktop, Eric worked for over 15 years as a copywriter, project manager, and marketer. Since graduating, he's continually expanded his knowledge base by completing project management courses, digital marketing classes, artificial intelligence programs, and programming certifications. Currently, he works full-time as a project manager for an AI firm. Eric’s certifications include Google Project Management, Google Digital Marketing & E-Commerce, and Generative AI Fundamentals.

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NYC Career Centers Financial Modeling Bootcamp Sponsored

Learn More About Financial Modeling Courses

Why Learn Financial Modeling?

Business Intelligence

What You'll Learn

Financial Modeling Careers

Financial Modeling Classes

In-Person or Live Online Classes

Financial Modeling Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

Financial Modeling Training Map & Top Locations

14 Courses Available in NYC

13 Courses Available Live Online

3 Courses Available in Los Angeles

3 Courses Available in Chicago

Careers & Salaries Related to Financial Modeling

NYC Career Centers Financial Modeling Bootcamp
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Financial Modeling
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