Excel for Finance Functions

Written by CFI Team

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Excel for Finance Functions

This Excel for finance functions template demonstrates sample calculations using the top 10 most important functions and formulas for finance professionals.

Below is a preview of the XNPV function example:

Excel for Finance Functions Screenshot

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#1 XNPV

Determines the Net Present Value (NPV) of a series of cash flows at specific dates.

Formula: =XNPV(discount_rate, cash_flows, dates)

#2 XIRR

Determines the internal rate of return for a series of cash flows, given specific dates.

Formula: =XIRR(cash flows, dates)

#3 MIRR

Determines the internal rate of return when the cash from one investment is invested in a different one.

Formula: =MIRR(cash flows, cost of borrowing, reinvestment rate)

#4 PMT

Calculates the number of payments given an interest rate, a number of time periods, and the total value of the loan.

Formula: =PMT(rate, number of periods, present value)

#5 IPMT

Calculates the interest portion of a fixed debt payment.

Formula: = IPMT(rate, current period #, total # of periods, present value)

#6 EFFECT

Returns the effective annual interest rate for non-annual compounding.

Formula: =EFFECT(interest rate, # of periods per year)

#7 DB

Calculates the depreciation expense in each period.

Formula: =DB(cost, salvage value, life/# of periods, current period)

#8 RATE

Calculates the yield to maturity for a security.

Formula: =RATE(# of periods, coupon payment per period, price of bond, face value of bond, type)

#9 FV

Determines how much money you will have in the future, given a starting balance, regular payments, and a compounding interest rate.

Formula: =FV(rate, # of periods, payments, starting value, type)

#10 SLOPE

Calculates Beta of a stock, given the weekly returns for the stock and the index you wish to compare it to.

Formula: =SLOPE(dependent variable, independent variable)

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Additional Resources

CFI is a global provider of financial modeling courses and of the FMVA Certification. CFI’s mission is to help all professionals improve their technical skills. If you are a student or looking for a career change, the CFI website has many free resources to help you jumpstart your Career in Finance. If you are seeking to improve your technical skills, check out some of our most popular courses. Below are some additional resources for you to further explore:

The Financial Modeling Certification

Analyst Certification FMVA® Program

The Financial Modeling Certification

Below is a break down of subject weightings in the FMVA® financial analyst program. As you can see there is a heavy focus on financial modeling, finance, Excel, business valuation, budgeting/forecasting, PowerPoint presentations, accounting and business strategy.

A well rounded financial analyst possesses all of the above skills!

Additional Questions & Answers

CFI is the global institution behind the financial modeling and valuation analyst FMVA® Designation. CFI is on a mission to enable anyone to be a great financial analyst and have a great career path. In order to help you advance your career, CFI has compiled many resources to assist you along the path.

In order to become a great financial analyst, here are some more questions and answers for you to discover: