Insights on Financial Modeling and Business Understanding

Welcome to the Financial Modeler's Corner (FMC), where we discuss the Art and Science of Financial Modeling with your host Paul Barnhurst.

Financial Modeler's Corner is sponsored by the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI), the most respected accreditation in Financial Modeling globally.

Raphael Benhamou, an independent consultant and fractional CFO explores the art and science of financial modeling. Raphael shares his experiences, insights, and a few horror stories from his extensive career, highlighting the importance of operational understanding and the advantages of using modern tools like Causal for financial modeling.

Sample Causal Financial models if you want to review how Causal works:

• Subscription Model - https://www.benhamouconsulting.com/subscription-saas-revenues

• Pipeline Model - https://www.benhamouconsulting.com/pipeline-saas-revenues

Key takeaways from this week's episode include:

• Raphael emphasizes the critical need for regular audits of financial models to prevent errors and ensure accuracy. He shares a horror story about a model that wasn't audited for five years, leading to significant financial discrepancies.

• While Excel is known for its flexibility, Raphael discusses the trade-offs of using more structured tools like Causal, which can help reduce errors and provide more insightful analysis through its object-oriented approach and natural language variables.

• The importance of integrating operational data with financial models to provide actionable insights. He stresses that understanding business operations is crucial for building effective and useful models.

• Raphael shares his journey from using traditional Excel spreadsheets to adopting Causal, a modern financial modeling tool. He explains how Causal's dynamic dashboarding, probability distribution modeling, and seamless integration with other systems offer significant advantages over Excel.

• The discussion focuses on the potential of AI in financial modeling, Raphael notes that while AI can build models, the real question is whether it should. He also touches on the importance of human judgment and expertise in interpreting and using these models effectively.

Quotes:

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode on financial analysis and modeling:

"My perspective on this is what I was saying earlier about operating connecting to finance. I think to be a good financial modeler, you need to have a good understanding of what what's going on in the business as well, not just at the finance level.”- Raphael Benhamou

“It gave me a great grounding in best practices for modeling across all modeling platforms, especially Excel. Because one of my big nitpicks with Excel and Google Sheets is that it's too freeform.”- Raphael Benhamou

This episode provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of financial modeling. The discussion sheds light on the benefits of modern financial modeling tools like Causal, the necessity of regular audits, and the critical role of understanding business operations. Whether you're a seasoned financial modeler or just starting, this episode offers practical advice and thought-provoking perspectives on how to enhance your financial modeling practices.

Sign up for the Advanced Financial Modeler Accreditation Today and receive 15% off by using the special show code ‘Podcast’. Visit www.fminstitute.com/podcast and use code “Podcast” to save 15% when you register. 

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• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelmibenhamou/
• Website - https://www.benhamouconsulting.com/

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• Website - https://www.thefpandaguy.com   
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy  
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thefpandaguy  
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thefpaguy8376 

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In today’s episode:

[00:03] - Introduction

[01:01] - Guest Introduction

[03:47] - Key Takeaways from the Horror Story

[04:55] - Guests’ Background

[07:13] - Introduction to Causal

[08:03] - Transition to Finance

[12:29] - Love for Modeling

[14:00] - Early Career and Tools

[17:46] - Flexibility vs. Structure

[23:50] - Types of Models Built in Causal

[39:43] - Rapid-Fire Session

[48:12] - Get to know the guest

[49:46] - Conclusion