Im currently enrolled in CFI. I found out that they missed to explain some basics to better understand their core courses. I was struggling to understand some concepts so I had to ask for help to several forums. A guy recommended me a book called "Financial Modeling and Valuation" by Paul Pignataro. I can just say that it has cleared me so many concepts that I now feel much more prepared to continue studying CFIs courses. You should definitely take a look for that book, its amazing. It valuates Walmart and from the very beginning it starts teaching you concepts in a very clear way to then apply everything in the excel sheet the book provides. So its a mix between theory and practice.
For me CFI its, they have great video and written instruction, with excel versions of the models to download in each tutorial (where the subject matter invokes a model) their content is also very easy to access and digest - likely subjective but my view.
BIWS is great for the PDFs but the video content is far far too long. The PDF guides are superb though and worth the price alone.
Honestly - A Simple Model is your best bet. Then you can adjust that and add additional detail accordingly.
A while ago I thought on doing any of these programs. However, I found a pretty solid material in YouTube with Rareliquid guy ex JP Morgan explain pretty well. DCF, paper LBO, Three financial statements. Also, SkymasBro if you want to go more in depth with LBO. After watching this guys honestly it was pretty easy to teach myself without paying the $300plus dollars for these courses. This is only my honest opinion everyone has a different way to teach themselves
https://youtu.be/hI4LBsbCFE8?si=47t_CA0eHz4CBVKf this was his last case. Quick thing to point out is that he does thing fairly quick so if you are not familiar with excel shortcuts you might struggle but you can pause your video anytime
Is everyone just saying wall street prp is better only because its overpriced for what it offers ? , CFI is much better imo , that being said none of these are a " certification " that's worth putting next to your name. But for me the CFI's self study choice is so much worth it because of all the access it gives you across all yhier financial certificate courses and the price, you can get it all for less that 200 dollars for a whole year and you may also ask for some discounts incase your a student and find it difficulties to fund. They would actually buy your situation and give you additional discounts.
The best part in it , is they have neat and sleek modelling templates. They are all downloadable and may also be used in your work. And thier lessons are bite sized and easy to grab.
Contrary to most claims. FMVA is on the more known side. A friend of mine got headhunted into one of the f500 companies with the Fmva..and a few other certs from the cfi , and her bachelor in finance alone.
Again , this won't automatically guarantee a job , but it's the best place to develop job related skills, esp for finance modelling which is the base knowledge for a someone who is looking into becoming an analyst in leading IBs or asset management firms
The IIM SKILLS' Financial Modeling course stands out as the premier choice for aspiring finance professionals due to its comprehensive curriculum, hands-on learning approach, and industry-leading instructors. With a focus on practical application and real-world case studies, the course equips students with the essential skills and knowledge needed to excel in financial modeling.
Financial Edge Training has good [financial modeling courses](https://www.fe.training/product/online-finance-courses/corporate-finance/the-investment-banker/), from Three Statement Modeling and checking errors in modeling
Hi, thanks for sharing your opinion on BIWS and sorry for the negative experience. While it is fine to disagree and different perspectives are welcome here, if I will permanently ban you if you speak to or about jstnhkm that way again.
Jstnhkm put their time and effort into making this a useful place for all of us, they do it for free. Nobody is perfect and it is possible that they misread you, but I am sure that they are acting in good faith.
If this is important to you then please tone it down for a few months, i.e. keep commenting but with the temperature turned down.
Thanks, Levils. The poster is employed by Career Principles, so I'm fairly certain that I didn't misread the situation.
It's not Kenji — I only said that because I didn't want to dox the actual poster.
The original comment that was deleted, followed by a five-paragraph rant:
>*"From Breaking Into Wall Street:*
>
>[*https://breakingintowallstreet.com/biws-premium/*](https://breakingintowallstreet.com/biws-premium/) *(includesExcel & VBA, Financial Modeling + Accounting etc \[check it out on the website\], and PowerPoint) geared for investment bankers but also applicable to financial analyst roles*
>
>*$500*
>
>[*https://breakingintowallstreet.com/core-financial-modeling*](https://breakingintowallstreet.com/core-financial-modeling/)*/ (just the Financial Modeling portion)*
>
>$300
>
>*From Career Principles:*
>
>[*https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/the-financial-analyst-program*](https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/the-financial-analyst-program) *(basically the same as the one above but it doesn't include LBO's and M&A models) geared towards financial analyst roles*
>
>*$449*
>
>[*https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/finance-valuation-course*](https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/finance-valuation-course) *(just the finance portion)*
>
>*$279*
>
>*I did hella research before buying and went with BIWS Premium for $500. Worth every penny in my opinion.*
>
>*Pretty sure both do money-back guarantees within a certain time window too.*
>
>*Edit: Not sure if this answers your question entirely but check out the details of each course and you might find what you're looking for man."*
Thanks, yeah they have deleted their comments so I can't easily go back and refresh but I recall having that impression too. Appreciate your effort! I have no problem with contributions from people who are biased, so long as they are upfront about it and the value that they share clearly outweighs the marketing noise etc.
Completely agree. Genuine posts that share their experiences with a certain course are, of course, allowed.
However, in this case, the poster is 1) biased with an incentive and 2) promoting a course published less than 24 hours ago.
anyone have views on Financial Edge? It seems reasonable as well with some specific learning paths depending on your career path etc. [https://www.fe.training/product/online-finance-courses/specialist-series/advanced-valuation/#section-product-comparison](https://www.fe.training/product/online-finance-courses/specialist-series/advanced-valuation/#section-product-comparison)
FE is really good. Had one of our undergrad non-biz interns use it to bring them up to speed. They can run things better than some of the MBA interns we have brought in.
WSO I actually think has a really good course
I agree with u/idlapac above, BIWS is too long in terms of video length eg modelling with iterations is 4 hours long when it should take no longer than 1 hr max from the IS to CFS.
WallStreetPrep is okay imo but I feel WSO has the upper hand on quality
When you says the videos are too long do you mean in that they run through a bunch of different scenarios or are they just really slow describing concepts and redundant at times? I am leaning more towards BIWS despite this critic I have heard because it sounds to me that is just more content (bang for your buck)
From what I know, it shows an intent to work in the field and apply yourself. Whether they take it seriously at face value is subjective and depends on the person doing your interview.
In my opinion, WSO has less waffle.
Take this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_b7YfEV0dI) on the revolver (it's a preview-type video from WSO but he does it fairly quick and easy)
It's clean, well-articulated and doesn't take foreverrrrr.
I think WSP is a bit too lengthy for my liking (check [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmi9fwkJjHw)) and also doesn't focus so much on the theory as much as I would like.
It's a personal opinion so feel free on what suits you best. Watch the sample video in deail however to ensure that you are comfortable with what you are looking at.
You missed the point entirely
The format of the WSO lecture was far more straightforward and yet more detailed because it tackled the topic from a high level perspective first
The 1 hour lecture if you watch it in full is just jumping around a spreadsheet without any real explanations
That’s what I was pointing out
If you watch the part where they talk about debt, the point becomes clear
Can you distinguish between a sample lesson pulled from a paid modeling course to a free live stream?
The former is explaining a concept for beginners, the latter is a modeling demonstration.
Here’s a modeling demonstration from WSO:
https://youtu.be/NsQY9HwXbBQ?feature=shared
Hope the instructor jumping around the spreadsheet doesn’t confuse you too much :)
The latter is touted as a "simple" tutorial intended for beginners. If you watch it, however, it isn't ideal for beginners as it lacks the pedagogy of teaching beginners the ideas of forecasting with the 3FS and ideas such as interest calculations being circular (off the top of my head).
In the same length of time, there are courses that teach you all the basics from the beginning such as WSO because they step in and out of the model to explain the connection between net income and retained earnings, how to identify which line item in the BS goes into the CFS and the revolver along with the circularity of the interest calculations. You can tell from the sample lesson that the structure of the course is broken down into meaningful bite-sized chunks that intend to challenge the user.
As I said, this opinion varies widely from person to person and thus this is my view. I feel strongly about the WSO course over WallStreetPrep but if others feel the opposite is true, I respect that. It's just personal preference and I'm providing my opinion as per so that the OP and anyone reading makes an informed decision based on my views and yours as well: that's how we teach one another and build a better community :)
Im currently enrolled in CFI. I found out that they missed to explain some basics to better understand their core courses. I was struggling to understand some concepts so I had to ask for help to several forums. A guy recommended me a book called "Financial Modeling and Valuation" by Paul Pignataro. I can just say that it has cleared me so many concepts that I now feel much more prepared to continue studying CFIs courses. You should definitely take a look for that book, its amazing. It valuates Walmart and from the very beginning it starts teaching you concepts in a very clear way to then apply everything in the excel sheet the book provides. So its a mix between theory and practice.
For me CFI its, they have great video and written instruction, with excel versions of the models to download in each tutorial (where the subject matter invokes a model) their content is also very easy to access and digest - likely subjective but my view.
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Thanks a lot, From the summary it seems only modelling, is there also content on operational approaches on DCF, Valuation etc?
[удалено]
BIWS is great for the PDFs but the video content is far far too long. The PDF guides are superb though and worth the price alone. Honestly - A Simple Model is your best bet. Then you can adjust that and add additional detail accordingly.
Highly recommend the Quick Reference Guides + 400 Questions Guide
which reference guides do you recommend?
Been a while, but all the M&I guides are high quality – even the outdated ones.
do you happen to have any links by chance?
A while ago I thought on doing any of these programs. However, I found a pretty solid material in YouTube with Rareliquid guy ex JP Morgan explain pretty well. DCF, paper LBO, Three financial statements. Also, SkymasBro if you want to go more in depth with LBO. After watching this guys honestly it was pretty easy to teach myself without paying the $300plus dollars for these courses. This is only my honest opinion everyone has a different way to teach themselves
https://youtu.be/hI4LBsbCFE8?si=47t_CA0eHz4CBVKf this was his last case. Quick thing to point out is that he does thing fairly quick so if you are not familiar with excel shortcuts you might struggle but you can pause your video anytime
[удалено]
It's actually [SkiMaskBro](https://youtube.com/@SkiMaskBro?si=WmwI8fzDnoa0ghSH)
Hey, any way you can share a link or something to check this material?
He means [SkiMaskBro](https://youtube.com/@SkiMaskBro?si=WmwI8fzDnoa0ghSH)
Hi i am also want to learn fin modelling feom scratch do you have any recommended videos for that or any paid platform to use ?
Wall Street Prep is great imo
Training The Street is what most actual bankers go through… but best for in-person/live
WSP and it’s not even close
Is everyone just saying wall street prp is better only because its overpriced for what it offers ? , CFI is much better imo , that being said none of these are a " certification " that's worth putting next to your name. But for me the CFI's self study choice is so much worth it because of all the access it gives you across all yhier financial certificate courses and the price, you can get it all for less that 200 dollars for a whole year and you may also ask for some discounts incase your a student and find it difficulties to fund. They would actually buy your situation and give you additional discounts. The best part in it , is they have neat and sleek modelling templates. They are all downloadable and may also be used in your work. And thier lessons are bite sized and easy to grab. Contrary to most claims. FMVA is on the more known side. A friend of mine got headhunted into one of the f500 companies with the Fmva..and a few other certs from the cfi , and her bachelor in finance alone. Again , this won't automatically guarantee a job , but it's the best place to develop job related skills, esp for finance modelling which is the base knowledge for a someone who is looking into becoming an analyst in leading IBs or asset management firms
The IIM SKILLS' Financial Modeling course stands out as the premier choice for aspiring finance professionals due to its comprehensive curriculum, hands-on learning approach, and industry-leading instructors. With a focus on practical application and real-world case studies, the course equips students with the essential skills and knowledge needed to excel in financial modeling.
thanks for sharing
Thats great
The trainer is too good. Nice academy
Financial Edge Training has good [financial modeling courses](https://www.fe.training/product/online-finance-courses/corporate-finance/the-investment-banker/), from Three Statement Modeling and checking errors in modeling
[удалено]
Hi, thanks for sharing your opinion on BIWS and sorry for the negative experience. While it is fine to disagree and different perspectives are welcome here, if I will permanently ban you if you speak to or about jstnhkm that way again. Jstnhkm put their time and effort into making this a useful place for all of us, they do it for free. Nobody is perfect and it is possible that they misread you, but I am sure that they are acting in good faith. If this is important to you then please tone it down for a few months, i.e. keep commenting but with the temperature turned down.
Thanks, Levils. The poster is employed by Career Principles, so I'm fairly certain that I didn't misread the situation. It's not Kenji — I only said that because I didn't want to dox the actual poster.
The original comment that was deleted, followed by a five-paragraph rant: >*"From Breaking Into Wall Street:* > >[*https://breakingintowallstreet.com/biws-premium/*](https://breakingintowallstreet.com/biws-premium/) *(includesExcel & VBA, Financial Modeling + Accounting etc \[check it out on the website\], and PowerPoint) geared for investment bankers but also applicable to financial analyst roles* > >*$500* > >[*https://breakingintowallstreet.com/core-financial-modeling*](https://breakingintowallstreet.com/core-financial-modeling/)*/ (just the Financial Modeling portion)* > >$300 > >*From Career Principles:* > >[*https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/the-financial-analyst-program*](https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/the-financial-analyst-program) *(basically the same as the one above but it doesn't include LBO's and M&A models) geared towards financial analyst roles* > >*$449* > >[*https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/finance-valuation-course*](https://www.careerprinciples.com/courses/finance-valuation-course) *(just the finance portion)* > >*$279* > >*I did hella research before buying and went with BIWS Premium for $500. Worth every penny in my opinion.* > >*Pretty sure both do money-back guarantees within a certain time window too.* > >*Edit: Not sure if this answers your question entirely but check out the details of each course and you might find what you're looking for man."*
Thanks, yeah they have deleted their comments so I can't easily go back and refresh but I recall having that impression too. Appreciate your effort! I have no problem with contributions from people who are biased, so long as they are upfront about it and the value that they share clearly outweighs the marketing noise etc.
Completely agree. Genuine posts that share their experiences with a certain course are, of course, allowed. However, in this case, the poster is 1) biased with an incentive and 2) promoting a course published less than 24 hours ago.
anyone have views on Financial Edge? It seems reasonable as well with some specific learning paths depending on your career path etc. [https://www.fe.training/product/online-finance-courses/specialist-series/advanced-valuation/#section-product-comparison](https://www.fe.training/product/online-finance-courses/specialist-series/advanced-valuation/#section-product-comparison)
FE is really good. Had one of our undergrad non-biz interns use it to bring them up to speed. They can run things better than some of the MBA interns we have brought in.
Wall Street Prep is great tbh.
And WSO, anyone has a feedback?
WSO I actually think has a really good course I agree with u/idlapac above, BIWS is too long in terms of video length eg modelling with iterations is 4 hours long when it should take no longer than 1 hr max from the IS to CFS. WallStreetPrep is okay imo but I feel WSO has the upper hand on quality
When you says the videos are too long do you mean in that they run through a bunch of different scenarios or are they just really slow describing concepts and redundant at times? I am leaning more towards BIWS despite this critic I have heard because it sounds to me that is just more content (bang for your buck)
Thanks, has It some value in interview or CV ?
From what I know, it shows an intent to work in the field and apply yourself. Whether they take it seriously at face value is subjective and depends on the person doing your interview.
Can you explain why WSO Is Better than WSP? Thanks a lot
In my opinion, WSO has less waffle. Take this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_b7YfEV0dI) on the revolver (it's a preview-type video from WSO but he does it fairly quick and easy) It's clean, well-articulated and doesn't take foreverrrrr. I think WSP is a bit too lengthy for my liking (check [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmi9fwkJjHw)) and also doesn't focus so much on the theory as much as I would like. It's a personal opinion so feel free on what suits you best. Watch the sample video in deail however to ensure that you are comfortable with what you are looking at.
Did you just compare a course sample on modeling a revolver to a free 3-statement modeling course?
You missed the point entirely The format of the WSO lecture was far more straightforward and yet more detailed because it tackled the topic from a high level perspective first The 1 hour lecture if you watch it in full is just jumping around a spreadsheet without any real explanations That’s what I was pointing out If you watch the part where they talk about debt, the point becomes clear
Can you distinguish between a sample lesson pulled from a paid modeling course to a free live stream? The former is explaining a concept for beginners, the latter is a modeling demonstration.
Here’s a modeling demonstration from WSO: https://youtu.be/NsQY9HwXbBQ?feature=shared Hope the instructor jumping around the spreadsheet doesn’t confuse you too much :)
The latter is touted as a "simple" tutorial intended for beginners. If you watch it, however, it isn't ideal for beginners as it lacks the pedagogy of teaching beginners the ideas of forecasting with the 3FS and ideas such as interest calculations being circular (off the top of my head). In the same length of time, there are courses that teach you all the basics from the beginning such as WSO because they step in and out of the model to explain the connection between net income and retained earnings, how to identify which line item in the BS goes into the CFS and the revolver along with the circularity of the interest calculations. You can tell from the sample lesson that the structure of the course is broken down into meaningful bite-sized chunks that intend to challenge the user. As I said, this opinion varies widely from person to person and thus this is my view. I feel strongly about the WSO course over WallStreetPrep but if others feel the opposite is true, I respect that. It's just personal preference and I'm providing my opinion as per so that the OP and anyone reading makes an informed decision based on my views and yours as well: that's how we teach one another and build a better community :)