Is FMVA Worth It?
My thoughts on the syllabus Of FMVA:
The FMVA syllabus is a very robust, comprehensive, and flexible one. There are about 8 Prep (optional) courses, 11 Core courses, and 10 Electives, from which you’re the take a minimum of three.
a) Core Courses (Module 1):
The core courses cover the main modeling and valuation topics; the forecasting, accounting, professional ethics and Dashboard, and Visualization topics. Although this is intermediate compared to the Electives, I still find it the most important phase-out of the three stages.
I learned how to build a dynamically linked 3-statement financial model in Excel from scratch, how to create a multi-year forecast to project the income statement, cash flow, and balance sheet of companies into the future.
I also performed scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, accretion/dilution analysis, and other advanced modeling practices using the advanced Excel formulas and functions I had learned in the prep courses.
The valuation part entails valuing a company using comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, and discounted cash flow (DCF) modeling; of which dashboards and data visualizations were built based on the valuations at the end of each session.
b) Prep Courses (Module 2):
The prep courses are optional, but I took all of them by the way. This is because I found out that they are as important as the core courses, and they offer some foundational understanding of the entire curriculum.
I found the Excel Crash courses and the Math for Corporate Finance very important and more useful because I learned some important excel shortcuts, as well as some basic math formulas in corporate finance.
c) Elective Courses:
The elective courses offer you the opportunity to pick three courses based on your unique interest and area of specialization. There are about 10 courses covering LBO, M & A, Advanced Modeling cases for Renewable energy, Real Estate, and Mining industries; Advanced Excel Course, and the Corporate & Business Strategy.
I took about four courses, of which the Advanced Excel Formulas and the Amazon Case Study were of most interesting and importantt. Those courses offered me real-life, practical examples that buttressed my understanding of the entire program.
Courtesy: FMVA Review 2021:Is FMVA Worth It? (Continue Reading)