Training Courses
Financial Modelling for Acquisition Transactions
A systematic approach to debt modelling, valuation and investment ratios. Build a comprehensive acquisition model from screening through to exit, working with debt and equity in real acquisition scenarios, with analytical outputs tailored for investment banks, private equity and corporate finance executives.
See dates & pricesSend enquiry- 2 daysPractitioner-led
- Hands-onYou build the model,
not watch one being built - In person or digitalDelivered in person
and worldwide online - Take awayThe completed model files
and templates
Who this is for
For transaction teams assessing risk and return
Financial Modelling for Acquisition Transactions is built for investment banks, private equity and corporate finance executives who need to assess the risk and opportunities in a proposed transaction, not just review someone else’s model.
Working confidence in Excel is assumed. The course builds the modelling methodology from first principles before applying it to a full acquisition model, so no prior financial modelling course is required.
You will get the most from this course if
- You assess acquisition transactions for investment banks, private equity or corporate development
- You need to build the debt and equity structure of a deal, not just its operating assumptions
- You want a repeatable framework for evaluating returns across management, sponsors and debt financiers
- You want practical grounding in exit strategy analysis: exit date, exit multiple and scenario management
What you will learn
Build a comprehensive acquisition model, screening to exit
Eight modules take you from modelling methodology through a fully integrated three-way model, an acquisition debt facility, and exit strategy analysis.
Master proven modelling technique
- Work with our powerful, easy to follow financial modelling methodology
- Discuss and identify good versus bad modelling technique using real-life examples
- Reinforce consistency in calculation technique and presentation
The lifecycle of a model
- Set a flexible timing architecture
- Learn how binary flags simplify model structure and formulae
- Set the design flow of the model, from screening and structuring to exit strategies
High-level operations forecasts
- Review the case study and discuss the approach to developing the target company’s operational cashflows
- Build up revenue with detailed pricing controls
- Model operational expenditure, both fixed and variable, and a capital expenditure breakdown
Working capital forecasting
- Model debtor and creditor accounts
- Discuss common errors and pitfalls, and integrate the forecast into a developed model
Acquisition debt facility
- Build the acquisition capital structure with the appropriate adjustments for the target company’s balance sheet
- Integrate the acquisition debt facility and size the debt on a flexible gearing input
- Build a schedule of forecast interest margins
- Calculate key debt metrics, including DSCR and Senior Debt / EBITDA, with signal checks against covenant ratios
PP&E and depreciation
- Remove the need for cumbersome tables, and incorporate switches for multiple depreciation methods
- Easily replicate calculations for accounting and tax depreciation
Financial statement construction
- Put together three-way financial statements and the core accounting concepts that keep the balance sheet balancing
- Continuously test and debug the integrated statements
- Understand how a well-built cashflow waterfall avoids circularities in complex models
Returns and exit strategies
- Integrate internal rate of return and NPV, and understand the role of the discount rate
- Learn the differences between NPV and XNPV, and common errors in their application
- Review exit strategies by flexing key variables such as exit date and exit multiple
- Produce data tables for meaningful stakeholder analysis, and save time with our approach to scenario management
Next available dates
Upcoming courses
How the course runs
You learn modelling by modelling
Interactive, instructor-led and built on a single modelling standard that has been taught to more than 20,000 people. You build the model yourself with individual coaching through every exercise, and you keep the completed files.
This course also runs privately: see in-house training for delivery built around your team and sector, or browse the full course portfolio.
Our trainers
Learn from a practitioner
Our courses are led by experienced members of our financial modelling and model audit teams. The trainers below run this course frequently, but your session could be led by any member of our team.
Joshua Grimm
Director, Singapore
Joshua leads the development and delivery of financial modelling training courses for Forvis Mazars in Asia. His expertise covers areas such as project finance modelling for large-scale renewable energy, utilities and infrastructure projects, as well as corporate finance modelling for M&A transactions and internal FP&A. He has supported clients with their projects from feasibility through financial close, all the way to operations.
Ben Kwan
Partner, Sydney
Ben is an experienced financial modeller with a background in transaction teams and as a lead financial modeller in industry. He has experience building a wide range of models across multiple sectors. Ben leads APAC Model Audit at Forvis Mazars, where he reviews models to support clients on bid submissions, financing processes and internal governance requirements.
Keshav Rana
Associate Director, London
Keshav is an Associate Director in London, managing the financial modelling training business across EMEA. He is an experienced financial modeller with more than 10 years of financial modelling experience, having worked on global projects in renewables (primarily solar and wind), utilities and telecom, as well as a range of corporate and portfolio forecasting and valuation models. Keshav’s focus now is developing and delivering financial modelling training courses, providing tailor-made courses to meet the needs of clients across an ever-changing landscape in the infrastructure and energy sectors.
Book this course
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