Modules FNCE 3415 · Fall 2026
Each module has lecture slides (a template for class, not a substitute for attending), plus materials and assignments. What's required for each module is sent by email and listed on the schedule. Slides draw on Wall Street Prep and Professor Damodaran of NYU.
Basic Excel Modeling
Covers basic Excel skills: keyboard shortcuts, referencing, formatting, functions (statistical, logical, lookup), and modeling best practices, plus a review of time value of money.
Financial Statements Review
A review of accounting and financial statements: the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, and financial reporting. Students learn to read and extract information from regulatory filings (10-Ks, 8-Ks, 10-Qs).
Dates & deadlines →
Financial Statements Analysis
Standardized financial statements, financial ratios, and a brief look at financial planning and growth, plus the California Choppers case. Students analyze performance via trends and peer comparison.
Dates & deadlines →
DCF Valuation: Cash Flows
Introduction to discounted cash flow valuation: projecting future cash flows, modeling free cash flows directly, and the forecasting process.
DCF Valuation: Discount Rate
Estimating terminal value and cost of capital and calculating enterprise value. Students value a company using the discounted cash flow approach.
DCF Valuation: Diluted Shares & Loose Ends
Loose ends in valuation: employee equity grants, cash, mid-year discounting, cross-holdings, and dual-class shares, plus levered cash flows and sensitivity analysis.
Relative Valuation: Multiples
Relative valuation using multiples: selecting comparables, using common multiples, calculating LTM, and estimating excess cash. Students value a company using the multiples approach.
Model Selection & Football Field Chart
Intrinsic vs. relative valuation and building a football field chart to show your valuation range against the market price range. Students learn when to use which method.
Final Exam Review
Review materials and study guide to prepare for the final oral exam.
Advanced Excel
Miscellaneous Excel skills: pivot tables, conditional formatting, basic graphing, concatenation, INDIRECT, TEXT functions, and goal seek.