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How to Use the OFFSET Function in Excel

Learn how to use OFFSET in Excel to create dynamic references, build rolling averages, and make ranges that expand automatically as data grows.

May 3, 2026·7 min read

Financial Statement Analysis: How to Read and Interpret a Company's Financials

Learn how to read the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement together to assess a company's profitability, financial health, and cash generation.

May 2, 2026·10 min read

April 23, 2026·7 min read

Working Capital: How to Measure and Manage Short-Term Liquidity

Learn how to calculate net working capital and operating working capital from a balance sheet, understand what drives working capital changes, and see how those changes affect cash flow.

April 21, 2026·5 min read

How to Use Solver in Excel

Learn how to use Solver in Excel to optimize decisions with multiple variables and constraints, with a step-by-step production planning example.

April 20, 2026·7 min read

How to Create Charts in Excel

Learn how to create and customize column, line, pie, and scatter charts in Excel, with step-by-step examples using a monthly sales dataset.

April 18, 2026·6 min read

How to Use Data Tables for What-If Analysis in Excel

Learn how to use one-variable and two-variable data tables in Excel to test multiple scenarios from a single formula, with step-by-step examples using PMT.

April 18, 2026·7 min read

Three-Statement Financial Model: How the Financial Statements Connect

Learn how to build a three-statement financial model that links the income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet through net income, depreciation, working capital, and capital expenditures.

April 15, 2026·5 min read

How to Use Goal Seek in Excel

Learn how to use Goal Seek in Excel to find the input value needed to hit a specific target, with step-by-step examples for pricing and break-even analysis.

April 13, 2026·6 min read

Merger Model: How to Build a Pro Forma Combined Company

Learn how to build a merger model step by step, from sources and uses through purchase price allocation to the pro forma combined earnings per share.

April 12, 2026·7 min read

Credit Analysis: How Lenders Evaluate a Company's Ability to Service Debt

Learn how to calculate leverage ratios, coverage ratios, and debt capacity to assess whether a company can support its debt load through normal conditions and downturns.

April 11, 2026·8 min read

Payout Policy: How Companies Choose Between Dividends and Buybacks

Learn how dividends and share buybacks return capital to shareholders, how each method affects EPS, taxes, and flexibility, and how to measure the total shareholder yield.

April 10, 2026·7 min read

Terminal Value: How to Estimate What a Business Is Worth Beyond the Forecast

Learn how to calculate terminal value using the perpetuity growth method and the exit multiple method, and how the choice between them affects your DCF valuation.

Sensitivity Analysis: How Changing Assumptions Moves the Valuation

Learn how to build one-way and two-way sensitivity tables that show how changes in WACC, growth, and terminal value assumptions shift an implied share price.

April 9, 2026·7 min read

How to Use Flash Fill in Excel

Learn how to use Flash Fill in Excel to split, combine, and reformat data from a single example, without writing formulas.

April 8, 2026·5 min read

Excel TipsProductivity

How to Freeze Panes in Excel

Learn how to freeze rows and columns in Excel so headers stay visible while you scroll through large spreadsheets.

April 7, 2026·4 min read

Capital Structure: How Companies Choose Between Debt and Equity

Learn how the mix of debt and equity affects a company's cost of capital, risk profile, and value, and why the right balance depends on the trade-off between tax shields and financial distress.

April 3, 2026·8 min read

How to Use Tables in Excel

Learn how to use Excel Tables to auto-expand your data ranges, write readable formulas with structured references, and add instant sorting, filtering, and totals.

April 2, 2026·8 min read

Depreciation: How Asset Costs Flow Through the Financial Statements

Learn how straight-line and accelerated depreciation work, how they affect reported earnings and taxes differently, and why depreciation matters for free cash flow and valuation.

April 1, 2026·7 min read

Excel TipsData Analysis

How to Use Pivot Tables in Excel

Learn how to create and customize pivot tables in Excel to summarize, filter, and analyze data without writing formulas.

April 1, 2026·7 min read

March 31, 2026·7 min read

LBO Analysis: How Debt and Cash Flow Drive Private Equity Returns

Learn how leveraged buyout analysis works, how debt paydown and EBITDA growth drive equity returns, and how to calculate MOIC and IRR for an LBO.

March 31, 2026·5 min read

How to Use VLOOKUP in Excel

Learn how to use VLOOKUP in Excel to search a table and return matching values, with examples for exact match, approximate match, and dynamic lookups.

March 30, 2026·5 min read

How to Use the INDIRECT Function in Excel

Learn how to use INDIRECT in Excel to build dynamic cell references from text, pull data across sheets, and create flexible formulas.

March 29, 2026·6 min read

Accretion/Dilution Analysis: How Acquisitions Impact Earnings Per Share

Learn how accretion/dilution analysis works, how deal structure and P/E ratios determine the outcome, and how to calculate the impact on the buyer's EPS.

March 29, 2026·4 min read

How to Use COUNTA and COUNTBLANK in Excel

Learn how to count non-empty and empty cells when your data has text, dates, or a mix of types that COUNT skips.

March 28, 2026·5 min read

How to Use HOUR, MINUTE, SECOND, and TIME in Excel

Learn how to extract hours, minutes, and seconds from timestamps and build time values from separate components for scheduling and shift analysis.

March 28, 2026·7 min read

Precedent Transaction Analysis: How to Value a Business Using Deal Multiples

Learn how to value a company using precedent transaction analysis by selecting comparable deals, calculating deal multiples, and applying them to a target.

March 27, 2026·5 min read

How to Use ABS, INT, and MOD in Excel

Learn how to use ABS for direction-free differences, INT for whole-number results, and MOD for remainders after division.

March 27, 2026·6 min read

Financial Leverage: How Debt Amplifies Earnings Swings

Learn how financial leverage works, how to calculate the degree of financial leverage, and how debt amplifies both gains and losses for equity holders.

March 26, 2026·7 min read

Return on Invested Capital: How to Measure Value Creation

Learn how to calculate ROIC from financial statements and use the ROIC-WACC spread to determine whether a company creates or destroys value.

March 26, 2026·4 min read

How to Use YEAR, MONTH, DAY, and WEEKDAY in Excel

Learn how to extract the year, month, day, and day of the week from dates to group data, spot patterns, and build reports.

March 25, 2026·3 min read

How to Combine Text with CONCAT and the & Operator in Excel

Learn how to join text from multiple cells using the & operator, CONCAT, and CONCATENATE to build full names, email addresses, and labels.

March 25, 2026·6 min read

Operating Leverage: How Fixed Costs Amplify Profit Swings

Learn how operating leverage works, how to calculate the degree of operating leverage, and why a company's cost structure determines how much its profits swing with revenue.

March 24, 2026·5 min read

Cash Conversion Cycle: How to Measure Working Capital Efficiency

Learn how to calculate the cash conversion cycle from financial statements and understand how DSO, DIO, and DPO determine how long cash is tied up in operations.

March 24, 2026·3 min read

How to Use MIN and MAX in Excel

Learn how to use MIN and MAX to find the smallest and largest values in a range, spot extremes in your data, and measure the spread.

March 23, 2026·6 min read

Comparable Company Analysis: How to Value a Business Using Market Multiples

Learn how to value a company using comparable company analysis by selecting peers, calculating trading multiples, and applying them to a target.

March 23, 2026·4 min read

How to Use STDEV and VAR in Excel

Learn how to use STDEV and VAR to measure how spread out your data is, even when AVERAGE makes two very different datasets look the same.

March 22, 2026·4 min read

How to Use CEILING, FLOOR, and MROUND in Excel

Learn how to use CEILING, FLOOR, and MROUND to round values to specific multiples like quarter hours, $5 increments, or container quantities.

March 22, 2026·6 min read

Loan Amortization: How Payments Split Between Interest and Principal

Learn how loan amortization works, how to calculate fixed payments with the annuity formula, and how interest and principal shift over the life of a loan.

March 21, 2026·7 min read

How to Use Conditional Formatting in Excel

Learn how to use conditional formatting in Excel to highlight cells with rules, color scales, and custom formulas, with step-by-step examples.

March 20, 2026·5 min read

How to Use MEDIAN, PERCENTILE, and QUARTILE in Excel

Learn how to use MEDIAN, PERCENTILE, and QUARTILE to summarize data more accurately than AVERAGE, especially when outliers are present.

March 19, 2026·7 min read

DCF Valuation: How to Value a Company from Its Cash Flows

Learn how to build a discounted cash flow model that projects free cash flow, estimates terminal value, and arrives at an implied share price.

March 19, 2026·5 min read

How to Use the LET Function in Excel

Learn how to use the LET function in Excel to name calculations inside formulas, making them easier to read and faster to run.

March 18, 2026·6 min read

How to Use Named Ranges in Excel

Learn how to create and use named ranges in Excel to make formulas easier to read, maintain, and debug.

March 17, 2026·7 min read

Dividend Discount Model: How to Value a Stock from Its Dividends

Learn how the dividend discount model values a stock by discounting future dividends, including the Gordon Growth Model formula and sensitivity analysis.

March 17, 2026·7 min read

How to Use Wildcards in Excel Formulas

Learn how to use wildcard characters (* and ?) in COUNTIF, SUMIF, VLOOKUP, and other Excel functions to match partial text.

March 15, 2026·4 min read

How to Use the SEQUENCE Function in Excel

Learn how to use SEQUENCE to generate numbered lists, date ranges, and grids in Excel without typing values manually.

March 14, 2026·5 min read

Break-Even Analysis: How to Find the Point Where Revenue Covers Costs

Learn how to calculate the break-even point in units and revenue, and how changes in price, costs, and volume affect profitability.

March 14, 2026·4 min read

How to Use LARGE, SMALL, and RANK in Excel

Learn how to use LARGE, SMALL, and RANK to find the nth highest or lowest value and rank entries in a list in Excel.

March 13, 2026·6 min read

Enterprise Value: How to Measure What a Whole Business Is Worth

Learn how to calculate enterprise value, how it differs from market cap, and why analysts use it to compare companies across different capital structures.

March 13, 2026·5 min read

How to Use IFS and SWITCH in Excel

Learn how to use IFS and SWITCH to replace nested IF statements with cleaner, more readable formulas in Excel.

March 12, 2026·6 min read

Free Cash Flow: How to Measure the Cash a Business Actually Generates

Learn how to calculate free cash flow from financial statements and why it matters more than net income for valuation and capital allocation.

March 12, 2026·5 min read

How to Use MAXIFS and MINIFS in Excel

Learn how to use MAXIFS and MINIFS to find the largest and smallest values that meet one or more conditions in Excel.

March 11, 2026·6 min read

CAPM: How to Estimate the Cost of Equity

Learn how the Capital Asset Pricing Model estimates the return investors require on a stock based on its risk, and how CAPM feeds into WACC.

March 11, 2026·4 min read

How to Use the TEXT Function in Excel

Learn how to use the TEXT function in Excel to format dates, numbers, and IDs as text with custom format codes.

DuPont Analysis: Breaking Down Return on Equity

Learn how DuPont analysis breaks ROE into profit margin, asset turnover, and the equity multiplier to show where a company's returns come from.

March 9, 2026·5 min read

How to Use FIND and SEARCH in Excel

Learn how to use FIND and SEARCH to locate text within cells in Excel, with examples for splitting data and handling case sensitivity.

March 9, 2026·4 min read

Financial Ratios: How to Measure a Company's Performance

Learn how to calculate and interpret key financial ratios for liquidity, profitability, and leverage using a company's financial statements.

March 8, 2026·6 min read

How to Use LEN, TRIM, and CLEAN in Excel

Learn how to use LEN, TRIM, and CLEAN to find and fix hidden spaces and non-printable characters in Excel data.

March 8, 2026·5 min read

Bond Valuation: How to Price Bonds Using Present Value

Learn how to price a bond by discounting coupon payments and face value. Covers premium bonds, discount bonds, and yield to maturity.

March 7, 2026·7 min read

How to Use TRIM, CLEAN, and SUBSTITUTE in Excel

Learn how to use TRIM, CLEAN, and SUBSTITUTE to fix messy text in Excel, with syntax, examples, and formulas you can combine.

March 7, 2026·6 min read

How to Use AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS in Excel

Learn how to use AVERAGEIF and AVERAGEIFS to calculate conditional averages in Excel, with syntax, examples, and comparison tables.

March 6, 2026·6 min read

NPV and IRR: How Companies Decide Which Projects to Take

Learn how net present value and internal rate of return work, how to calculate each, and how companies use them together to evaluate investments.

March 6, 2026·7 min read

Absolute vs Relative Cell References in Excel

Learn the difference between absolute and relative cell references in Excel, when to use the $ sign, and how references behave when you copy formulas.

March 5, 2026·7 min read

How to Use SUMPRODUCT in Excel

Learn how to use SUMPRODUCT for total revenue calculations, conditional counting, conditional summing, and weighted averages in Excel.

March 3, 2026·5 min read

February 28, 2026·5 min read

How to Use SORT and SORTBY in Excel

Learn how to use SORT and SORTBY to reorder data dynamically in Excel, with examples for single and multi-column sorting.

Excel TipsFormulasProductivity

How to Use Date Functions in Excel (With Practical Examples)

Master Excel's essential date functions including TODAY, DATEDIF, EDATE, NETWORKDAYS, and more with clear examples and formulas.

February 27, 2026·10 min read

February 25, 2026·4 min read

How to Use ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN in Excel

Learn how to use ROUND, ROUNDUP, and ROUNDDOWN to control decimal places in Excel, with practical examples for reports and budgets.

February 24, 2026·4 min read

How to Use LEFT, RIGHT, and MID to Extract Text in Excel

Learn how to use LEFT, RIGHT, and MID to pull specific characters from cells in Excel, with step-by-step examples.

February 23, 2026·4 min read

Every Excel Error Explained (and How to Fix Them)

Learn what each Excel error means, what causes it, and how to fix it. Covers #DIV/0!, #VALUE!, #REF!, #NAME?, #N/A, #NULL!, and #NUM!.

February 22, 2026·5 min read

WACC Explained: How Companies Calculate Their Cost of Capital

Learn how to calculate the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) and why it serves as the discount rate for corporate investment decisions.

February 21, 2026·2 min read

How to Use PROPER, UPPER, and LOWER in Excel

Learn how to use PROPER, UPPER, and LOWER in Excel to quickly fix capitalization and keep your text consistent.

Excel TipsProductivity

Fortify Your Files: How to Protect an Excel Workbook

Learn how to protect an Excel workbook and worksheet with this step-by-step guide to securing your files.

February 21, 2026·2 min read

February 21, 2026·2 min read

How to Use TEXTJOIN in Excel

Learn how to use TEXTJOIN in Excel to combine text from multiple cells with custom delimiters for cleaner data and reports.

February 21, 2026·3 min read

VLOOKUP vs XLOOKUP: Which Lookup Function Is Better?

Explore the differences between VLOOKUP vs. XLOOKUP in Excel. Learn when to use each function for efficient data retrieval and analysis.

Excel TipsProductivity

Create a Drop-Down List in Excel (Step-by-Step Guide)

Drop-down lists in Excel make data entry faster and reduce errors. Learn how to build one step by step using Data Validation.

February 16, 2026·2 min read

February 16, 2026·2 min read

How to Use the FILTER Function in Excel

The FILTER function extracts rows that meet specific conditions, making datasets easier to manage and reports cleaner.

February 16, 2026·4 min read

5 Helpful Finance Excel Functions: NPV, IRR, and More

Discover key Finance Excel functions for analysis: NPV, IRR, PMT, FV, and XNPV. These are helpful for complex analyses and modeling.

February 16, 2026·3 min read

Mastering INDEX and MATCH: A Powerful Alternative to VLOOKUP

Learn how to use INDEX and MATCH in Excel for flexible, efficient data retrieval. Master this powerful combination as an alternative to VLOOKUP.

February 15, 2026·3 min read

How to Use COUNTIFS in Excel (With Examples)

Learn how to use COUNTIFS in Excel to count cells that meet multiple conditions, with syntax, examples, and comparison to COUNTIF.

Excel TipsFormulasProductivity

How to Use IFERROR in Excel (With Examples)

Learn how to use IFERROR in Excel to replace error messages with clean, readable outputs. Includes syntax and step-by-step examples.

February 15, 2026·3 min read

February 15, 2026·2 min read

How to Use the UNIQUE Function in Excel

The UNIQUE function removes duplicates by returning a distinct list of values. It's a simple way to keep datasets and reports clean.

February 10, 2026·4 min read

Unlock Excel's Power: Master IF, AND, and OR Functions

Learn how to combine IF, AND, and OR functions in Excel to build smarter, more dynamic formulas for business, grading, or financial modeling.

February 10, 2026·5 min read

Present Value vs Future Value: Moving Money Through Time

Learn the difference between present value and future value, how to calculate each, and why these concepts matter in corporate finance and investment analysis.

February 10, 2026·3 min read

Effective Methods for Removing Duplicates in Excel

Learn how to remove duplicates in Excel to clean datasets, improve accuracy, and ensure your analysis and reports are reliable.

February 9, 2026·6 min read

PMT Function in Excel: Syntax, Examples, and Tips

Learn how to use Excel's PMT function to calculate loan or investment payments based on a fixed interest rate and term. Includes syntax, examples, and key tips.

February 8, 2026·3 min read

How to Calculate Mortgage Payments in Excel Using PMT

Learn how to calculate mortgage payments in Excel using the PMT function. Step-by-step guide with example to simplify loan planning and budgeting.

February 8, 2026·4 min read

How to Use SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT in Excel

Learn how to use SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT in Excel to add numbers, calculate averages, and count entries, with syntax and examples.

February 8, 2026·5 min read

Time Value of Money: The Foundation of Finance

Learn the time value of money, including present value, future value, discount rates, and how to apply TVM concepts with formulas.

Excel TipsProductivityShortcuts

Essential Excel Shortcuts for Faster Spreadsheet Work

Boost your productivity with essential Excel shortcuts. Learn key combinations that streamline navigation, data selection, and formatting.

February 7, 2026·3 min read

February 6, 2026·3 min read

How to Use SUMIFS in Excel (With Examples)

Learn how to use the SUMIFS function in Excel to sum values based on multiple conditions. This guide includes syntax and a step-by-step example.

February 5, 2026·2 min read

How to Use XLOOKUP in Excel (With Examples)

Learn how to use Excel's XLOOKUP function for fast data retrieval. Includes syntax, real-world examples, and tips for handling missing data.