Financial modeling in Excel lies at the heart of effective decision-making and forecasting. Whether you’re building budgets, valuing businesses, or stress-testing scenarios, a well-structured model helps you communicate insights clearly and work efficiently. In this guide, you’ll discover five practical techniques—each demonstrated in a short video by Financial Modeling Institute Executive Director Ian Schnoor—that will elevate your Excel models from static number-crunchers to dynamic, user-friendly tools.

Managing Text in a Financial Model: Sentence Automation

Financial models are not just about numbers. Text automation plays a key role in making models dynamic and insightful. In this video, FMI’s Executive Director, Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM demonstrates how to efficiently manage text within your financial model, saving time and ensuring clarity.

Watch now to learn best practices and enhance your modeling skills.

How to Avoid Using Long Formulas

Instead of using long complex formulas, link and repeat. This improves readability, reduces errors, and makes collaboration easier.  Learn how in this video by FMI’s Executive Director, Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM.

Checking for Hardcoded Values within a Formula 

Hard-coded numbers in formulas can make your model difficult to audit and prone to errors. Using cell references maintains flexibility and transparency.

Watch this quick video by FMI’s Executive Director, Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM, to learn how to check for hard-coded values in your financial models.

How to Navigate a Financial Model Quickly 

Efficient Excel navigation is key to maintaining a seamless workflow in financial modeling. In this video, Ian Schnoor, FMI’s Executive Director, explores shortcuts that help move between worksheets, jump to key inputs, and navigate large models with ease. Enhance your productivity and streamline your modeling process with these techniques.

Navigating to a Cell in the Middle of a Formula

Jump to any cell in a formula instantly and back again! Learn how to navigate complex formulas with ease by jumping directly to referenced cells and back again in this video with FMI’s Executive Director, Ian Schnoor, CFA, CFM.

Mastering these five techniques will make your financial modeling in Excel faster, more transparent, and less error-prone. From automating narrative text and modularizing complex formulas to rooting out hard-coded values and navigating effortlessly, each skill builds toward a model that’s both powerful and intuitive. Ready to transform your workflow?