Dezzmond Blog

Insights, tips, and best practices for Excel, AI-powered analysis, financial modeling, and spreadsheet productivity.

• AR Aging Report in Excel: DSO & Collections Guide (2026)
  August 9, 2026

  Build an AR aging report in Excel: bucket formulas, countback DSO, roll-rate collections forecasting, and a CECL allowance that ties to the GL control account.

• Bank Financial Model in Excel: FIG Modeling Guide (2026)
  August 8, 2026

  Build a bank financial model in Excel: net interest income from average balances, deposit betas, CECL provisions, CET1 capital, and a DDM valuation that ties.

• Goodwill Impairment Test in Excel: ASC 350 Guide (2026)
  August 7, 2026

  Build a goodwill impairment test in Excel under ASC 350: reporting unit carrying amount, fair value, tax-deductible goodwill circularity, and journal entries.

• ARR Bridge in Excel: SaaS Revenue Waterfall Guide (2026)
  August 6, 2026

  Build an ARR bridge in Excel that ties to the penny: customer cube setup, new vs expansion vs contraction vs churn rules, reactivation logic, and NRR checks.

• Headcount Planning Model in Excel: FP&A Guide (2026)
  August 5, 2026

  Build a headcount planning model in Excel that ties to the P&L: fully loaded cost math, start-date proration, a headcount bridge, and driver-based hiring.

• Price Volume Mix Analysis in Excel: PVM Bridge Guide (2026)
  August 4, 2026

  Price volume mix analysis in Excel: the PVM formulas that reconcile to the penny, how to handle new and lost SKUs, and a waterfall bridge that ties out.

• Extract Financial Data From PDF to Excel With AI (2026)
  August 3, 2026

  Extract financial data from PDF to Excel with AI: the prompts, cleanup formulas, and tie-out checks that catch extraction errors before they reach your model.

• Deferred Revenue Schedule in Excel: ASC 606 Guide (2026)
  August 2, 2026

  Build a deferred revenue schedule in Excel that ties to the GL: SSP allocation, day-weighted proration, a drift-free recognition grid, and a rollforward proof.

• Multi-Currency Model in Excel: FX Translation & CTA (2026)
  August 1, 2026

  Build a multi-currency financial model in Excel that ties. Rate table design, ASC 830 translation, a CTA that proves out, and a constant-currency FX bridge.

• Link Excel to PowerPoint: Automate Board Decks (2026)
  July 31, 2026

  Link Excel to PowerPoint so board decks update themselves. Paste Link vs embed, dynamic named ranges, broken-link fixes, and a 20-minute month-end workflow.

• Excel VSTACK vs HSTACK: Syntax, Differences & 7 Patterns
  July 30, 2026

  VSTACK vs HSTACK in Excel: which stacks rows, which stacks columns, and when each is right. Syntax, 7 FP&A consolidation patterns, and the ragged-range fixes.

• Purchase Price Allocation Template in Excel: ASC 805 Steps
  July 27, 2026

  Build a purchase price allocation template in Excel under ASC 805: the 5-tab layout, MPEEM and relief-from-royalty valuation, deferred tax and goodwill plug.

• Earnout Model in Excel: M&A Contingent Consideration (2026)
  July 26, 2026

  Build an earnout model in Excel with tiered payouts, Monte Carlo valuation, and ASC 805 contingent consideration accounting — full formulas and a template.

• Piotroski F-Score in Excel: Build the 9-Point Screener (2026)
  July 25, 2026

  Build the Piotroski F-Score in Excel with all 9 signals — formulas, thresholds, and a value-investing screener template that filters strong from weak balance sheets.

• Debt Covenant Compliance Model in Excel: 2026 CFO Guide
  July 24, 2026

  Build a debt covenant compliance model in Excel to track leverage, coverage, and liquidity ratios. Automate testing, cushion analysis, and lender reporting.

• Excel Data Validation for Financial Models (2026 Guide)
  July 23, 2026

  Excel data validation for financial models: dropdowns, formula rules, and error alerts that prevent broken inputs. Build guardrails in minutes without VBA.

• Excel Shortcuts for Finance & Investment Banking: Top 40
  July 22, 2026

  The 40 Excel shortcuts for finance and investment banking that save real time: navigation, paste special, anchoring and audit keys, with Windows and Mac keys.

• Sharpe Ratio in Excel: Sortino, Treynor & Information Ratio (2026)
  July 21, 2026

  Calculate the Sharpe ratio in Excel with formulas for Sortino, Treynor, and Information ratios. Build a full risk-adjusted returns dashboard for any portfolio.

• Interest Rate Swap Valuation in Excel: Price a Swap (2026)
  July 20, 2026

  Value interest rate swaps in Excel using the bond and DCF methods. Step-by-step SOFR swap pricing with discount factors, forward rates, and market checks.

• AI Data Cleaning in Excel: Fix Messy Data in Minutes (2026)
  July 19, 2026

  AI data cleaning in Excel: prompts, formulas and one-click workflows that de-duplicate, standardize and enrich messy finance data in minutes, not hours.

• DTA and DTL Calculation in Excel: Deferred Tax Schedule
  July 18, 2026

  DTA and DTL calculation in Excel: the cumulative temporary difference formula, an NOL tracker with the 80% cap, and a worked deferred tax disclosure note.

• Excel Circular References in Financial Models: Fix or Keep? (2026)
  July 17, 2026

  Excel circular references in financial models: when iterative calculation saves your model, when it breaks it, and how to build a bulletproof circular breaker.

• Bond YTM Calculator in Excel: YIELD, RATE & IRR Formulas
  July 16, 2026

  Bond YTM in Excel: build a yield to maturity calculator with YIELD, RATE, IRR and XIRR formulas, plus the semi-annual trap that cost one desk 41 basis points.

• Accounting Number Format in Excel: Custom Format Codes
  July 15, 2026

  Accounting number format in Excel, decoded: the exact format code, how it differs from Currency, plus 15 custom formats for millions, negatives and zero dashes.

• Excel STOCKHISTORY Function: Pull Live Market Data (2026)
  July 14, 2026

  Excel STOCKHISTORY function guide — pull historical prices, build portfolio trackers, and calculate returns without a Bloomberg terminal or Python.

• NPV vs IRR in Excel: Which Wins for Capital Budgeting (2026)
  July 13, 2026

  NPV vs IRR in Excel: when they agree, when they conflict, and which to trust. Master XNPV, XIRR, and MIRR with the capital budgeting framework analysts use.

• Terminal Value in Excel: Gordon Growth vs Exit Multiple
  July 12, 2026

  Terminal value in Excel: the Gordon Growth formula, how to find an exit multiple from peer comps, mid-year discounting, and the 15% cross-check for a bad DCF.

• Depreciation Schedule in Excel: MACRS & Book Methods (2026)
  July 11, 2026

  Build a depreciation schedule in Excel with MACRS, straight-line, and declining balance. SLN, DB, DDB, VDB formulas, book vs tax, and deferred tax integration.

• Beta Calculation in Excel: SLOPE, Unlever & Adjusted (2026)
  July 10, 2026

  Beta calculation in Excel using SLOPE, LINEST, and covariance — plus unlever/relever, Blume-adjusted beta, and rolling beta for CAPM and WACC.

• Break-Even Analysis in Excel: FP&A Formulas & Charts (2026)
  July 9, 2026

  Build break-even analysis in Excel with formulas for units, revenue, and multi-product mix. Charts, sensitivity, and target-profit models for FP&A teams.

• Excel REGEX for Finance: REGEXTEST, EXTRACT & REPLACE (2026)
  July 8, 2026

  Master Excel REGEX functions — REGEXTEST, REGEXEXTRACT, and REGEXREPLACE — to parse tickers, clean financial data, and automate text tasks with no VBA.

• Altman Z-Score in Excel: Predict Bankruptcy Risk (2026)
  July 7, 2026

  Build the Altman Z-Score in Excel to predict bankruptcy risk 12–24 months out. Full formulas, private-company and emerging-market variants, and decision zones.

• Excel Copilot for Financial Analysts: An Honest 2026 Review
  July 6, 2026

  Excel Copilot for financial analysts: what actually works in 2026, where it breaks on real models, and how it compares to purpose-built AI. A senior analyst's field test.

• Rolling Forecast in Excel: The FP&A Playbook (2026)
  July 5, 2026

  Build a driver-based rolling forecast in Excel that updates monthly. Walk through the model architecture, formulas, and the exact refresh workflow FP&A teams use.

• FCF vs FCFE vs FCFF: Excel Formulas and How They Tie
  July 4, 2026

  FCF vs FCFE vs FCFF with working Excel formulas: get FCFE from CFO in one line, bridge FCFF to FCFE, and catch the 5 sign errors found in most DCF models.

• Reverse DCF in Excel: Decode Market-Implied Growth (2026)
  July 3, 2026

  Build a reverse DCF in Excel to decode the growth rate the market has priced into any stock. Step-by-step guide with Goal Seek, formulas, and a worked example.

• Excel FILTER Function for Financial Analysis (2026 Guide)
  July 2, 2026

  Master the Excel FILTER function for financial analysis. Build dynamic deal pipelines, exception reports, and portfolio dashboards with real examples.

• Value at Risk (VaR) in Excel: Historical, Parametric & Monte Carlo (2026)
  July 1, 2026

  Calculate value at risk in Excel using historical, parametric, and Monte Carlo methods. Full formulas, backtesting, and Expected Shortfall for portfolio risk analysis.

• Stock-Based Compensation in Excel: Build an SBC Schedule (2026)
  June 30, 2026

  Build a stock-based compensation schedule in Excel — forecast SBC expense, model dilution with the treasury stock method, and treat SBC correctly in a DCF.

• DuPont Analysis in Excel: 3-Step & 5-Step ROE Decomposition (2026)
  June 29, 2026

  Build a DuPont analysis in Excel to decompose ROE into margin, turnover, and leverage. 3-step and 5-step models with formulas, templates, and real examples.

• Dividend Discount Model in Excel: DDM Valuation Guide (2026)
  June 28, 2026

  Build a dividend discount model in Excel step by step. Gordon Growth, two-stage, and three-stage DDM with formulas, sensitivity tables, and pitfalls.

• AI Earnings Call Analysis in Excel: Extract, Parse, Score
  June 27, 2026

  Parse revenue guidance ranges from transcript text and score sentiment in Excel: the 5-stage AI pipeline that turns a 90-minute call into 12 clean cells.

• Sum-of-the-Parts Valuation in Excel: Build an SOTP Model (2026)
  June 26, 2026

  Build a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) valuation in Excel step by step. Segment EV, corporate overhead allocation, conglomerate discount, and equity bridge formulas.

• Excel GROUPBY and PIVOTBY: Dynamic Pivot Alternatives (2026)
  June 25, 2026

  Master Excel GROUPBY and PIVOTBY to build dynamic, formula-driven aggregations that update instantly — no pivot table refresh, no helper columns, finance-ready.

• Convertible Note & SAFE Modeling in Excel: Complete Guide (2026)
  June 24, 2026

  Build a convertible note and SAFE model in Excel. Conversion price, valuation cap, discount, MFN, and dilution formulas every startup analyst needs in 2026.

• Excel Office Scripts for Finance: The Modern VBA Alternative (2026)
  June 22, 2026

  Master Excel Office Scripts to automate financial reports without VBA. Learn TypeScript basics, record-and-edit workflows, and Power Automate triggers for hands-off close cycles.

• Black-Scholes in Excel: Implied Volatility & Greeks (2026)
  June 20, 2026

  Price options in Excel with Black-Scholes: solve implied volatility with Goal Seek, get all five Greeks, and validate with put-call parity. 30-minute build.

• Precedent Transactions Analysis in Excel: M&A Comps Guide (2026)
  June 19, 2026

  Build a precedent transactions analysis in Excel step by step. Select deals, calculate EV/EBITDA multiples, apply control premiums, and derive a valuation range.

• Loan Amortization Schedule in Excel With Irregular Payments
  June 18, 2026

  Build a loan amortization schedule in Excel with irregular payments: PMT, IPMT and PPMT plus a day-count build for prepayments, balloons and ARM resets.

• Tax Equity Model in Excel: Build a Solar Partnership Flip (2026)
  June 15, 2026

  Build a tax equity model in Excel for solar and wind projects. Partnership flip mechanics, ITC vs PTC, HLBV capital accounts, and target IRR step by step.

• Cohort Analysis in Excel: Build a Retention Heatmap (2026)
  June 13, 2026

  Master cohort analysis in Excel with a step-by-step retention heatmap build, LTV calculation, and the formulas every SaaS analyst needs to spot churn early.

• ASC 842 Lease Accounting in Excel: Build the Schedule (2026)
  June 6, 2026

  Build an ASC 842 lease accounting model in Excel. Step-by-step right-of-use asset, lease liability, and amortization schedules with working formulas.

• Power Pivot and DAX for Finance: The 2026 Excel Guide
  May 31, 2026

  Master Power Pivot and DAX in Excel to build self-refreshing financial reports, KPIs, and time intelligence measures. Step-by-step finance pro guide.

• Capex Schedule in Excel: PP&E and Depreciation Model (2026)
  May 29, 2026

  Build a capex schedule in Excel from scratch — model gross PP&E, depreciation waterfalls, and net book value with the formulas senior analysts actually use.

• Football Field Valuation Chart in Excel: Banker's Guide (2026)
  May 28, 2026

  Build a football field valuation chart in Excel that combines DCF, comps, and LBO ranges into one pitch-deck slide. Step-by-step with formulas and tips.

• EBITDA Bridge in Excel: Build a YoY Walk Analysis (2026)
  May 24, 2026

  Build an EBITDA bridge in Excel that decomposes year-over-year change by price, volume, mix, and cost — with waterfall chart and formulas.

• 26 AI Prompts for Excel, CFO Reports & Variance Notes
  May 22, 2026

  AI prompts for CFO reports, variance explanation and Excel formulas — 26 copy-paste prompts with the exact context, constraints and format senior analysts use.

• Excel LET Function: Cleaner Financial Formulas in 2026
  May 21, 2026

  Master the Excel LET function with real financial modeling examples — WACC, DCF, IRR, tax, and waterfall formulas that are 3x more readable and easier to audit.

• Working Capital Schedule in Excel: DSO/DPO Forecast (2026)
  May 20, 2026

  Build a working capital schedule in Excel using DSO, DPO, and DIO. Step-by-step guide to forecasting net working capital and the cash conversion cycle.

• Financial Dashboard in Excel: Build a Live KPI View (2026)
  May 19, 2026

  Build a financial dashboard in Excel with PivotTables, slicers, and dynamic KPI cards. A step-by-step guide to interactive reporting that refreshes in one click.

• Excel LET Function: Write Faster, Readable Models (2026)
  May 18, 2026

  The Excel LET function makes financial formulas faster and readable by naming variables once. Learn LET vs LAMBDA, nested LET, and real model examples.

• AI Financial Model Auditing in Excel: Find Errors (2026)
  May 17, 2026

  AI financial model auditing in Excel finds formula drift, buried hardcodes, and broken links in minutes. Get the workflow, prompts, and error-check formulas.

• AI Excel Formula Generator: Plain English to Formulas (2026)
  May 16, 2026

  An AI Excel formula generator turns plain English into working formulas. Learn the prompt patterns, accuracy checks, and validation workflow finance pros trust.

• Excel SUMPRODUCT for Finance: Multi-Criteria Formula Guide (2026)
  May 15, 2026

  Master Excel SUMPRODUCT for financial analysis. Build weighted averages, multi-criteria sums, and WACC formulas that outperform SUMIFS with cleaner syntax.

• Calculating WACC in Excel: CAPM, Cost of Debt & Weights
  May 14, 2026

  Calculating WACC in Excel step by step: CAPM cost of equity, after-tax cost of debt and market-value weights in 15 cells. Worked example lands at 9.07%.

• Excel Pivot Tables for Financial Reporting: The 2026 Guide
  May 13, 2026

  Master Excel pivot tables for financial reporting. Build dynamic P&L summaries, variance reports, and slicer-driven dashboards step by step.

• IRR vs XIRR vs MIRR in Excel: The Complete Guide (2026)
  May 12, 2026

  IRR vs XIRR vs MIRR in Excel: when to use each function, why XIRR is almost always right, and how MIRR fixes the reinvestment assumption. With real formulas.

• 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast in Excel: Treasury Playbook (2026)
  May 9, 2026

  Build a 13-week cash flow forecast in Excel using the direct method. Step-by-step formulas for treasury, FP&A, and restructuring teams in 2026.

• Comparable Company Analysis in Excel: Build Trading Comps (2026)
  May 5, 2026

  Comparable company analysis in Excel made simple. Select peers, calculate EV/EBITDA multiples, and value any company with this senior banker's playbook.

• Excel Waterfall Chart: Build a Variance Bridge in 2026
  May 5, 2026

  Master the Excel waterfall chart for variance bridge analysis — EBITDA walks, price-volume-mix, and CFO-ready P&L bridges with native and DIY methods.

• Cap Table Modeling in Excel: Build a Pre/Post-Money Waterfall (2026)
  April 24, 2026

  Build a full cap table model in Excel step by step — pre-money, post-money, SAFE conversions, option pool top-ups, and exit waterfalls with real formulas.

• Bond Duration in Excel: Calculate Modified & Macaulay (2026)
  April 22, 2026

  Learn bond duration in Excel with Macaulay, modified duration, and convexity formulas. Step-by-step guide for fixed income analysts and CFA candidates.

• Excel vs Python for Financial Analysis: When to Use Each (2026)
  April 22, 2026

  Excel vs Python for financial analysis: when to use each tool, how Python in Excel changes the game, and a real decision framework for finance teams.

• VBA for Financial Modeling: Automate Excel Like a Pro
  April 17, 2026

  Learn VBA for financial modeling with practical macros that automate Excel workflows. Copy-paste code examples for DCF, reporting, and scenario analysis.

• Financial Model Audit Checklist: A Senior Analyst's Guide (2026)
  April 14, 2026

  A complete financial model audit checklist for Excel — structural review, formula consistency, balance sheet checks, and the Excel tools senior analysts actually use.

• AI for Financial Modeling: 7 Workflows That Save Real Hours (2026)
  April 13, 2026

  Discover 7 AI for financial modeling workflows that replace hours of manual Excel work — from formula generation to model auditing and scenario planning.

• Monte Carlo Simulation in Excel: Risk Analysis That Works (2026)
  April 11, 2026

  Build a Monte Carlo simulation in Excel using RAND and NORM.INV — no add-ins needed. Step-by-step guide for financial risk analysis with Data Tables.

• XLOOKUP for Financial Analysis: The Complete Excel Guide (2026)
  April 10, 2026

  Master XLOOKUP for financial analysis with real-world examples. Replace VLOOKUP, build dynamic comp tables, and automate lookups in Excel financial models.

• Excel Conditional Formatting: Build Smarter Financial Models
  April 9, 2026

  Excel conditional formatting transforms financial models from static grids into dynamic dashboards. Learn 10 formula-based rules every analyst needs.

• Debt Schedule in Excel: What It Is and How to Build One
  April 8, 2026

  What a debt schedule is and how to build one in Excel: the BASE roll-forward, PMT/IPMT interest, a cash sweep debt paydown model, and the 4 ratios lenders test.

• Project Finance Model in Excel: Build a DSCR-Based Cash Flow (2026)
  April 7, 2026

  Build a project finance model in Excel with DSCR targets, debt sculpting, and cash flow waterfalls. Step-by-step guide for infrastructure and energy analysts.

• Private Equity Waterfall Model in Excel: All 4 Tiers
  April 6, 2026

  Private equity waterfall model in Excel: all four tiers with MIN/MAX formulas, GP catch-up at 20% and 25% carry, American vs European, plus the fund J-curve.

• SaaS Startup Financial Model in Excel: Unit Economics Guide (2026)
  April 5, 2026

  Build a SaaS startup financial model in Excel with MRR, CAC, LTV, and churn formulas. Step-by-step guide to investor-ready unit economics and revenue forecasting.

• Budget vs Actual Variance Analysis in Excel: The FP&A Playbook (2026)
  April 4, 2026

  Master budget vs actual variance analysis in Excel with step-by-step formulas, conditional formatting, and dashboard techniques every FP&A analyst needs.

• Portfolio Optimization in Excel: Build an Efficient Frontier With Solver
  April 3, 2026

  Learn portfolio optimization in Excel using Solver to build an efficient frontier, maximize Sharpe ratio, and allocate assets like a quant — step-by-step with real formulas.

• Excel LAMBDA Functions: Build Custom Financial Formulas Without VBA
  April 2, 2026

  Master Excel LAMBDA functions to create reusable custom formulas for financial modeling — no VBA required. Step-by-step tutorial with real-world examples.

• Merger Model in Excel: Accretion/Dilution Analysis Step by Step
  April 1, 2026

  Learn how to build a merger model in Excel with accretion/dilution analysis. Step-by-step guide covering purchase consideration, goodwill, pro forma EPS, and sensitivity tables.

• Power Query for Accountants: Automate Financial Reporting
  March 31, 2026

  Power Query for accountants: automate GL exports, AR aging, budget vs actual and multi-entity consolidation, turning a multi-hour close into one refresh.

• DCF Model in Excel: Build a Discounted Cash Flow From Scratch
  March 30, 2026

  Learn how to build a DCF model in Excel step by step, from forecasting free cash flow to calculating WACC and terminal value for accurate company valuations.

• LBO Model in Excel: Debt Schedule, Rollover & IRR (2026)
  March 30, 2026

  Build an LBO model in Excel from scratch: sources & uses, debt schedule with cash sweep, management rollover balance, IRR and MOIC — every formula included.

• Real Estate Pro Forma in Excel: Build a Property Cash Flow Model
  March 30, 2026

  Learn how to build a real estate pro forma in Excel with NOI, cap rate, and IRR calculations. Step-by-step guide for commercial property analysis.

• How AI is Transforming Excel for Financial Analysts
  March 29, 2026

  Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing spreadsheet workflows for finance professionals, from formula debugging to automated analysis.

• How to Do Sensitivity Analysis in Excel: Data Table Guide
  March 29, 2026

  Step-by-step guide to sensitivity analysis in Excel: one-way and two-way data tables for WACC, NPV, and IRR in under 5 minutes. Real formulas included.

• 3-Statement Financial Model in Excel: Step-by-Step Guide
  March 29, 2026

  Build a 3-statement model in Excel from scratch: income statement, balance sheet and cash flow linkages, the cash-debt plug, and circular reference fixes.

• Excel Formulas for Financial Analysis: The 10 That Matter
  March 28, 2026

  The 10 Excel formulas for financial analysis that do the most work — XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, LET, LAMBDA — plus how to trace and audit them before anyone else does.