Financial Modeling Limitations

What Are Financial Modeling Limitations?

The main financial modelingWhat is Financial ModelingFinancial modeling is performed in Excel to forecast a company's financial performance. Overview of what is financial modeling, how & why to build a model. limitations include: (1) the heavy use of assumptions about the future, (2) the heavy reliance on a terminal value that makes up so much of the net present value of a business, (3) the reliance on the weighted average cost of capital (WACC)WACCWACC is a firm’s Weighted Average Cost of Capital and represents its blended cost of capital including equity and debt., (4) the propensity of Excel modelsDocumenting Excel Models Best PracticesWhen working on large and complicated financial models in Microsoft Excel, it can be quite challenging to document them clearly for the users’ ease of use and understandability. We will discuss here several Excel models best practices and other useful tips and tricks that users can apply to maintain and audit your to contain errors that can not be easily found, and (5) the inability to reliably predict what is going to happen in the future. Despite these limitations, financial models can still be used as a planning tool to evaluate a range of potential outcomes.

Additional Questions and Answers

CFI is the official global provider of financial modeling and valuation analyst FMVA DesignationFinancial Modeling CertificationFinancial Modeling Certification - earn your certificate as a Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA)® for careers in investment banking, FP&A,. CFI’s mission is to help anyone become a world-class financial analyst and has a wide range of resources to help you along the way.

In order to become a great financial analyst, below are some additional questions and answersKnowledgeCFI self-study guides are a great way to improve technical knowledge of finance, accounting, financial modeling, valuation, trading, economics, and more. for you to explore further:

What are the types of financial models?Types of Financial ModelsThe most common types of financial models include: 3 statement model, DCF model, M&A model, LBO model, budget model. Discover the top 10 types
What is sensitivity analysis?What is Sensitivity Analysis?Sensitivity Analysis is a tool used in financial modeling to analyze how the different values for a set of independent variables affect a dependent variable
What is bookkeeping?AccountingOur Accounting guides and resources are self-study guides to learn accounting and finance at your own pace. Browse hundreds of guides and resources.
What are the most common valuation methods?Valuation MethodsWhen valuing a company as a going concern there are three main valuation methods used: DCF analysis, comparable companies, and precedent transactions

Example Excel Model

Below is a screenshot from one of CFI’s online analyst training and certification courses, offered 100% online.

To learn How to Build an Excel Model step-by-step, click on the image below.

Analyst Certification Program