Course Goals & Overview:
This is not an Accounting class, but rather, is a perfect course for those needing a refresher or those desiring a financial statements crash course as it relates to financial analysis. Learn the most important and relevant areas of financial statements for financial modeling.

This program covers the basics of financial accounting including the major financial statements (Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow) and the most important components of each as it relates to financial analysis. Concentration is placed on the integration of the financial statements and provides a full integrated grasp of accounting from a finance perspective.

Course Sections:
Financial Statement Analysis

Course Goals & Overview:
"How to Analyze a 10K" builds upon basic accounting and financial statements concepts to focus on the major components of a 10K SEC filing, including the Management Discussion & Analysis, Financial Condition and Results and how to analyze the myriad of footnotes.

It’s simply not enough to merely analyze the financial statements, but especially critical to plow through and understand the footnotes and the management discussion & analysis, where the most of the qualitative information is contained. The challenge is that there are a myriad of footnotes and figuring out which are the important and relevant ones is no small feat. This course provides the overview and analysis for most major common footnotes and gives you a starting point to plow in deeper when we build our financial models. The irony is that in the process of crunching numbers and building numbers, reading comprehension, particularly on the 10K is probably even more important in terms of getting the right inputs.

Course Sections:
Overview & Analysis

Course Goals & Overview:
Learn the basic finance concepts that are the backbone of any financial analysis. An understanding of these basic core tools is absolutely critical to mastering any Wall Street analysis. Topics covered include risk / return trade-offs, time value of money, cost of capital, Gordon growth model and basic valuation theories.

Moving beyond the accounting and 10K analysis, this course provides an introduction to the major concepts in finance that many people take for granted. Understanding financial modeling, valuation, and the capital markets in general would be difficult without a full grasp of these fundamental concepts.

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
Learn how corporations are valued and the major analytical tools that are used. Go beyond academic theory to real-world methods as used by professionals; includes a crucial primer to Corporate Finance and its non-theoretical application. Apply learning objectives and goals immediately by analyzing a $6 billion+ transaction. Topics covered include: (i) how to value a company (trading comps, deal comps, DCF, LBO, break-up and asset valuation); (ii) importance of Enterprise Value, EBITDA, capital structure, leverage and WACC; (iii) analyze valuation multiples and ratios; why are PE ratios sub-optimal as a valuation metric?; (iv) practical, non-theoretical application of introduction to corporate finance

Course Sections:
Valuation Methodologies

Course Goals & Overview:
Company profiles are the most basic overview and descriptions of a company being analyzed. Profiles supply the most basic and fundamental, yet probably the most important aspects of a company. Gain an introduction and explanation of the major components of a profile for a publicly traded company.

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
Our Financial Accounting Intensive Bootcamp is specifically built as a pre-requisite for our finance, valuation, financial modeling and more complex course topics. The bootcamp is structured as an interactive discussion in which we cover definitions and terminology thru examples and case studies. Oftentimes, learning and teaching accounting is associated with boring definitions; however, our approach is to tell a story, illustrate what the numbers mean through interesting examples, not by reading slides or textbooks. We stress learning through application, practice and repetition not memorization. We emphasize, hone and re-hone concepts via one large integrated case study in which the focus is not on debits/credits and t-accounts, but rather financial analysis. This is geared towards those with little to no accounting background (i.e. liberal arts majors) and is perfect as a refresher of the most important concepts for those having previously taken "Accounting 101" courses.

Course Sections:
Ten Ways to Cook the Books

Course Goals & Overview:
Build very quick financial summary and trading statistics exhibit using historical results, analyst estimates & basic assumptions in Excel. This course will allow you to understand basic structure of building an analysis in Excel and navigating through and becoming efficient in Excel.

Course Sections:
Financial Summary

Course Goals & Overview:
This course builds upon, and implements in Excel, the fundamental financial analysis and valuation topics. Create a top-down, five year income statement projection model and then construct a basic discounted cash flow analysis on top of your projection model.

** Don’t get thrown off by the word "basic" – this Basic Financial Modeling serves as the fundamental basis for all of our additional Excel-based courses. Before you "graduate" onto our advanced modeling courses, we HIGHLY recommend you take this course for the full background on working efficiently in Excel the way we want you to, otherwise you may have a much steeper learning curve in our other classes. **

Course Sections:
Income Statement Projection

Course Goals & Overview:
Build a basic, quick and dirty, back-of-the-envelope trading comps analysis (analysis of selected publicly traded companies). This course will allow you to quickly construct a relative valuation analysis and serves as a critical basis for our Complex Trading Comps Analysis course.

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
Build fully integrated 5-yr financial statement projection model by projecting the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement, the Debt Sweep to balance model and Interest Schedule to fully integrate model. This course will allow you to have a complete financial model projecting run-rate profitability which you can easily layer on valuation and merger models.

Course Sections:
5-Year Financial Statement Projection Model

Course Goals & Overview:
Learn how to build detailed revenue and segment build-ups into your larger financial model. Many financial projection models are based off simple revenue growth rate and expense margin assumptions, resulting in reduced precision in the projection model. This course teaches various approaches to true, bottoms-up, fundamental analysis, from both an "account-by-account" and "business segment" basis (very detailed build-up vs. division by division). The results of build-up analysis roll-up into a consolidating income statement that feeds into the Income Statement revenue items.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Enhance core integrated financial model by building a detailed revenue and segment build-up into your larger financial model, properly deriving a depreciation schedule, honing in on complex method of calculating dilutive treasury options, creating a flexible WACC template, performing residual value & EVA analyses, analyzing financial ratios, and automating credit and leverage statistics. For capital intensive businesses, it is critical to derive a more precise depreciation schedule that flows off Capital Expenditures assumptions instead of merely projecting percentage of revenue. Simplify your credit analysis as we automate the estimated credit ratios analysis for you with our unique proprietary construction that is supplied for you and flows from the Core Model and the projection model. Build a detailed tax schedule incorporating NOLs (Net Operating Losses), Section 382 limitations on NOL usage and differences between book and tax depreciation. This standalone, add-on course will allow you to have much more detailed inputs to your stand-alone financial model and valuation model!

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Layer on complete valuation analysis including discounted cash flow analysis, quick & dirty trading comps, reference range and football field. Learn the proper way to account for options in valuation context using complex treasury method.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Build a detailed, thorough trading comps analysis (analysis of selected publicly traded companies) and learn how to properly construct a relative valuation analysis the correct way as well as how to normalize financials for extraordinary items, non-recurring and restructuring charges. This course itself isn’t terribly complex or difficult, but is very tedious, time consuming and at times frustrating as it requires a great deal of patience, attention to detail and reading comprehension. Hence, the first four letters of the title “analyst” ring true – perfection is required to get the right numbers.

Course Sections:
Trading Comps Overview and Instruction

Course Goals & Overview:
Build a deal comps analysis (analysis of selected acquisitions), similar to trading comps analysis, but from an acquisition context using historical transaction data instead of current market valuation data. This course will allow you to properly construct a deal comps analysis the correct way, uncovering some of the nuances related to calculating transaction value and purchase price. This course is not a complex course and in fact, is a relative breeze compared with our Complex Trading Comps course, but builds upon the concepts in the latter course.

Deal Comps Instruction

Course Goals & Overview:
Pro Forma financial statements are a tool to recast financial results in a manner that is more representative of future performance and to remove the effects of private ownership. Pro Forma financial statements have one or more assumptions or hypothetical conditions built into the data and are often used to develop core earnings capacity (quality of earnings) when the objective is to value a company for sale to a third party or for internal perpetuation. The goal is to examine a sampling of the most common types of Pro Forma adjustments most often seen when valuing closely-held entities. Similar to analyzing one-time adjustments for public companies, the adjustments can affect both revenues and expenses, increasing or decreasing either one. However, private company pro form adjustments require a much more detailed analysis of each expense line to adjust for the effects of private ownership.

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
This course builds upon our basic Corporate Valuation course and introduces the complex nuances associated with analyzing and valuing private companies. We dive deep into the details and concepts deeply imbedded with valuation of large publicly traded and listed companies and take it to next level by applying it to companies and regions with very sparse publicly available data. Learn nuances of adjusting for DCF valuation, WACC analysis when no data exists, how to select and adjust peer comparables when no "good comp" exists. While there is certainly no magic bullet to the tough questions and lack of information, there are techniques and best practices to get us as close as possible.

Course Sections:
Fundamental & DCF Valuation Nuances:

Course Goals & Overview:
The goals of this course include: (i) understand the major steps and timelines of M&A; (ii) learn how to structure an M&A deal; (iii) explore common deal structures and determine optimal deal structures such as cash vs. stock consideration, stock vs. asset deals; and (iv) accretion / dilution and breakeven analysis. This course provides the fundamental knowledge required to understand, analyze and structure mergers & acquisitions. To hone the concepts learned in this module, be sure to follow-up with our hands-on, Excel-based Merger Modeling Basics course.

Course Sections:
Mergers & Acquisitions Overview

Course Goals & Overview:
This merger modeling course builds on top of our M&A Deal Structuring course in which you will build an accretion / dilution analysis, a generic "ability to pay" analysis, and a simple merger model slapping together two income statements, selected balance sheet items and cash flow sweep for debt payment. This course will allow you to quickly understand basics of merger modeling. To maximize your learning in this module, you need to absolutely understand the concepts in our M&A Deal Structuring course! This course serves as the backdrop to our super-advanced, complex merger modeling course.

Course Sections:
Accretion Dilution Model

Course Goals & Overview:
Our Intermediate Merger Modeling course significantly builds upon our Basic Merger Modeling course. We go beyond the simple concepts of accretion /dilution and build additional precision into estimating the correct, pro forma combined earnings. First, enhance the Sources & Uses of Funds to allow for additional clarity in deal structure. Then, dive right into the fine details of the complex FASB 141/142 and IFRS 3 purchase price allocation rules and fair market value tangible assets step-up intertwined with intangibles asset allocation. We tackle and quantify the resulting nuances in deferred tax liabilities and better quantify our synergies estimates. Participants should have mastered the merger concepts and financial modeling techniques covered in our M&A Deal Structuring and Merger Modeling Basics course.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
This Merger Modeling – Earnout Discussion module builds upon our M&A Deal Structuring and Merger Modeling Basics course by reconciling differences that arise in private middle-market transactions in which a buyer wants to be rewarded for future growth and a seller is only willing to pay for growth that has been achieved. But, the seller reckons – “why should I sell when I believe I can achieve greater growth and then sell for an even larger valuation at that future point”. The main tool to bridge this gap is for the seller to put his money where his mouth is – if you say you can achieve $1 billion of revenue, then prove it – one should be willing to accept deferred, contingent payments for such future growth that has yet to be realized. In this add-on module, we explore different ways to analyze and structure earnouts.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
The goal of this course is quite simple and yet extremely complex in implementation: build an all-out, full combination and merger analysis of target and acquirer company, integrating full projection model for both. This course will allow you to build one of the most dynamic, sophisticated and complex merger models out there, slapping together complete Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement, brand new, highly complex Debt Sweep and Interest schedule for the two companies and combined merged entity. Determine deal structure, purchase price allocation and tax deductibility, accretion / dilution and a whole host of issues.

Learning objectives include: (i) calculate Sources & Uses of Funds, post-transaction ownership, accretion / dilution; (ii) combine Target and Acquiror Income Statements and incorporate synergies into pro forma merger model; (iii) calculate pro forma, post-transaction opening Balance Sheet and project future combined Balance Sheet; (iv) derive combined Cash Flow Statement, dept sweep & interest schedule to balance and integrate model.

The core LBO model serves as the beginning model for the target company in this Complex, Super-Advanced Merger Modeling course and as such, you must have completed the Complex LBO Modeling course first to have the model!

Course Sections:
Merger Summary & Sensitivity Options

Course Goals & Overview:
This course provides a basic overview and introduction to leveraged buyouts, including discussion of rationale for 'going private', ideal LBO candidate, drivers of value. The following items are discussed, including description, importance, implications and general thoughts on: valuation, debt capacity, scenario analysis, sources & uses of funds, rollover equity, pro forma capital structure, purchase vs. recap accounting, goodwill treatment and other issues. You will gain some basic & fundamental knowledge required to understand LBO transactions. The purpose of this course is to introduce some of the terminology and concepts required for our Quick & Dirty LBO Modeling and Complex LBO Modeling courses.

Course Sections:
Discussion of the following, including description, importance, implications and notes of the following areas:

Course Goals & Overview:
Leveraged buyouts (LBOs) are risky and complex financial transactions – sometimes, building a full-out, complex LBO model is not necessary or required if one just wants to quickly gauge the feasibility of an LBO. This class builds a short, quick and dirty LBO analysis that incorporates all the major inputs and value drivers of an LBO transaction and provides an excellent condensed overview and introduction to LBO modeling.

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
In the normal course of running a company, the CFO must balance capital requirements with capital sources of funds. Changes to the capital structure are not insignificant as each component of capital has an opportunity cost. In this course, we introduce the impact of changes in capital structure and the resulting impact on a company's decision to borrow vs. raise equity. We quantify the thought process and the logic that dictates one or the other by examining both extremes of capital structure changes: from a simple small share repurchase to the opposite spectrum, the leveraged buyout. This class examines and incorporates all the major inputs and value drivers of capital structure changes by building an intermediate level LBO analysis, providing an excellent overview and introduction to the finer points and nuances of LBO modeling. This course also builds upon our Quick & Dirty LBO modeling course concepts and basic model by: expanding upon the different components of the Sources & Uses analysis; projecting selected critical Balance Sheet items; constructing more detailed Cash Flow Statement estimates and robust Debt Sweep, as well as triangulating IRRs for dividends to equity sponsor.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Layer a complex LBO model on top core standalone projection model and build one of the most dynamic, sophisticated and complex LBO models out there. This is a highly complex and a very advanced modeling class and requires an absolute grasp of all basic and advanced accounting and financial concepts. Your finished LBO model will be a highly versatile and functional financial model able to capture and sensitize a great deal of inputs to project a realistic and more precise outcome including the ability to toggle between status quo, standalone model vs. all-out LBO vs. partial recap. The core LBO model serves as the beginning model for the target company in our Complex, Super-Advanced Merger Modeling course.

Significantly enhance the LBO model by incorporating the following: PIKs (Paid-In-Kind), warrants and partial, less than 100% recapitalization. Further modify LBO model for mezzanine debt, non-cash interest, issue warrants and modify equity acquired. Incorporate all enhancements into end-all IRR analysis by significantly scaling out returns calculation via massive triangulation of cash flows.

Standalone Projection Model

Course Goals & Overview:
Build a fully integrated, scalable, new insurance company model including detailed build-up by line of business from Gross Written Premiums to Net Premiums down to Underwriting Income. Consolidate the lines of business performance into a GAAP Income Statement with statutory adjustments. Integrate income statement projections with a self-balancing balance sheet, an automated cash flow statement and the balancing cash flow sweep schedule.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
The standard financial analysis and valuation methodologies that apply to most companies do not apply to industries that "use money to make money". Balance Sheet based companies, such as banks, play by different rules and methodologies based on the unique nature of their businesses. First, start off with an interactive primer on commercial banks and their financial statement terminology and drivers. Then, build a fully integrated bank financial model that addresses the key drivers of profitability, cash flow, and valuation. Focus is placed on: projecting the Balance Sheet line items which drive the entire model; estimating interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities which drives profitability; projecting loan portfolio growth, provisions for credit losses, and net charge-offs which determine overall impact on the financial statements. Complete the model by projecting different fee revenue sources and integrating the Cash Flow Statement. Finish the model by calculating and analyzing capital adequacy ratios, financial performance indicators and valuation metrics.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Evaluate the financial feasibility of a greenfield real estate development project. Determine the valuation of an empty plot of land by developing and building different lots, houses and condos. First, incorporate infrastructure costs required for a master plan development. Then dynamically differentiate among developing empty lots, building single family houses, and constructing & selling condominiums. Account for variability in construction timelines for different types of properties and sensitize the master financial model for various per unit and per square foot costs as the project is in planning, construction and post-construction phases. Learn how to quickly modify assumptions to customize the model to reflect a poor operating environment as the pace of lot sales significantly decline. In addition, learn how to determine optimal funding mix of equity vs. debt based on project cash flows and IRR.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Evaluate and analyze the acquisition, construction and renovation of a boutique hotel. Quantify hotel-specific construction costs and Sources & Uses of Funds. Perform detailed construction loan analysis that rolls into larger debt funding facility. Funnel into the core projection, estimating REVPAR (Revenue per available room), various revenue streams and operating expenses. Compute management incentives and ultimately roll into Net Cash Flow and IRR.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Build a fully integrated, scalable, REIT financial model including detailed build-up by internal growth, acquisitions, dispositions, and new development. Consolidate the various business assumptions with Consolidating Income Statement which flows through to the rest of the financial statements. Integrate income statement projections with a self-balancing balance sheet, an automated cash flow statement and the balancing cash flow sweep schedule.

Learning Objectives:

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

Course Goals & Overview:
Learn how to analyze and value distressed companies and securities undergoing restructuring or bankruptcy process. First, appreciate and understand the historical perspective and context of the distressed market. Then, explore various opportunities in distressed investing from securities types to investment strategies. Properly identify and isolate the true sources and drivers of returns from supply & demand to operational changes to market rebound to recapitalizations. Quantify and comprehend the dramatic changes to a distressed firm's capital structure and the implications on the valuation process and realignment of economics. Understand the reorganization and bankruptcy process, including DIP (debtor-in-possession) financing, Section 363 sales (stalking horse), Chapter 11 reorganization, and Chapter 7 liquidation. Fully comprehend the key critical covenants required involved in distressed securities as well as the entire turnaround & restructuring process by identifying key parameters for successful business plan implementation.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Learn how to model and value distressed companies and securities undergoing restructuring or bankruptcy process. Build upon our Distressed Investing Overview course by quantifying the dramatic changes to a distressed firm's capital structure and the implications on the valuation process and realignment of economics. Build robust distressed sensitivity financial model. Learning objectives include: model out sample distressed company on a standalone basis, with and without restructuring; incorporate detailed valuation sensitivity to identify key value drivers in a distressed situation; analyze the fulcrum security based on various valuation and leverage scenarios

Course Sections:
Distressed Financial Modeling

Course Goals & Overview:
Participants will be introduced to the psyche of a hedge fund and learn how to think like a buy-side analyst. Through this course, participants will be shown how to expand their analysis beyond theory (valuations, trends, etc.) and apply the same practical techniques that hedge funds do. Specifically, learn what information is valued by funds, how and when hedge funds buy stocks, how single stock ideas are vetted through the construct of an entire portfolio, and how/why short decisions are made. Trade strategies will be detailed so conceptual ideas can be presented as actionable trades. Trading mechanics such as short interest, liquidity analysis, and ownership will also be discussed. Participants will be shown where to gain insights on funds and how to cater ideas/information to the fund’s existing book of stocks, market exposure, and stated mandate. If you’re a buy-side professional, you must master these fundamentals. If you’re a sell-side professional, adoption of these techniques will increase the value of the presenter’s ideas and result in increased and stronger buy-side relationships.

Course Sections:
Thinking like Hedge Funds

Course Goals & Overview:
When Excel and Office 2007 first debuted, Excel power-users around the world collectively groaned with a massive headache. While there are certainly key enhancements to Excel 2007 that we like, navigating the new "ribbon" caused some grief as users were forced to re-learn how to use Excel. Thankfully, most of the shortcut accelerator keys are still in place. But change is never easy, so we created this short tutorial on getting you up to speed real quick – the one stop source on mastering Excel 2007. Embrace it, Excel 2007 is here to stay.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
This course focuses on how to effectively and efficiently utilize Microsoft Excel for data analysis. A financial analyst will not only use Excel to build financial models, but also to crunch a large data dump. Learn how to minimize as much manual labor as possible, thereby saving time and performing more detailed analysis quickly. Apply commonly-used formulas in new and different ways; uncover often over-looked Excel formulas; streamline number crunching and analysis via functions and tools including pivot tables, sumif, sum+if, transpose, working with arrays, vlook-up, subtotals, and regression analysis; enhance your spreadsheets with drop-down boxes, data validation techniques, automation of alternate row shading; take Excel to the next level with an introduction to building and automating simple macros and more!

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" - but what happens when you have the perfect image in your head but you can't get Excel to graph it the way you want? Ever get annoyed at constantly having to go back into "Source Data" whenever you add an item to your data series? Or how about getting the perfect sized bar or line without resorting to using a ruler to literally draw it on! This course builds upon our Advanced Excel for Data Analysis course and focuses advanced charting & graphing techniques and how to properly integrate with PowerPoint. A critical, must-take course especially for professionals that have to create graphs in their presentations, reports and slides. As usual, we emphasize and teach all the best practices and focuses on our core Excel learning goal: automation, automation, automation! Leave nothing to chance, there is always a way to simplify and automate your charting & graphing approach. This jam-packed session includes: waterfall charts, football fields, dymamic ranges, and much much more! Learn the best practices of integrating into PowerPoint, when to embed, link (never) and copy as picture, as well as add to our Excel macros with a couple handy PowerPoint macros.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
This course focuses on how learning the fundamental building blocks of Excel so you can begin to take advantage and leverage all of Excel’s true capabilities. In order to efficiently build models and crunch large data dumps in Excel, one must master the basics before the advanced content. Learn relevant financial formulas, proper navigation, formatting of files and worksheets, creating calculations in cells, and linking between worksheets/tabs. Functions and tools covered in this course include: mathematical, financial, logic, date/time formulas; data manipulation; anchoring; data tables; and building a capstone model. Emphasis will be on using shortcut keys, simplifying steps, and manipulating data. You will leave with techniques you can use immediately, allowing you to work faster and with less effort.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Introduction to the major jargon and finance terminology in finance. What exactly is the sell-side and the buy-side and do they affect the capital markets and why do they have a symbiotic relationship? What exactly is investment banking, sales & trading and research? How is it that asset management is the flip opposite and yet very similar at the same time? Put those questions to rest with this Overview of Financial Markets overview.

Course Sections:
Part I: Sell-Side (Investment Banking, Research)

Course Goals & Overview:
This course provides an overview to how the capital markets operate and the different types of securities, including a discussion of alternative asset classes including hedge funds, private equity, fund-of-funds and real estate, followed by a discussion of the various types of securities markets and exchanges and how market indexes work. This course also discusses efficient market hypothesis and covers a brief primer on technical analysis.

Course Sections:

Course Goals & Overview:
Learn basic economic theory from macroeconomics, microeconomics and international economics. Economics packed into short condensed modules that mirror the CFA curriculum.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Pension and Other Post-Employment Benefits has had an increasing spotlight on a company's reported results and financial statements, especially given the dramatic impact on the airline and car manufacturing industries. Understand how different employer paid benefit programs, such as defined benefit pensions, manifest in and impact the firm's financial statements. Learn how and where to find benefit plan liabilities, their implications on valuation and profitability and how to analyze the information provided. This program begins with a primer on accounting and financial statements, the 10K SEC filing, a thorough review of pension accounting and terminology, the associated footnotes in a 10K filing and how to synthesize the information into a coherent analysis. Incorporate new Pension Protection Act of 2006 and SFAS 158: Accounting for Defined Benefit Plans.

Learning Objectives:

Course Goals & Overview:
Wall St. Training offers a variety of advanced topics to continue and enhance the professional’s proficiency. These sample course topics are designed for both junior and mid-level financial analysts and are designed to hone, reinforce and expand their capabilities. Each of the following topics can be expanded to cover greater detail.

Course Sections:
Deferred Income Tax Modeling

Treasury Options: