Financial Analysis That Actually Works in Real Markets
Most corporate finance training feels disconnected from what you'll face on Monday morning. We focus on practical valuation methods, capital structure decisions, and risk assessment frameworks that Australian analysts use every day.
View September 2025 Program
Core Capabilities You'll Build
Six areas where financial analysts need depth, not surface knowledge. Each module connects theory to the messy reality of corporate decision-making.
Valuation Methods
DCF models, comparable company analysis, and precedent transactions. You'll learn when each approach makes sense and how to defend your assumptions to sceptical stakeholders.
Capital Structure
Understanding debt versus equity decisions goes beyond WACC calculations. We examine real financing choices Australian companies made and why some worked better than others.
Risk Assessment
Quantifying financial risk involves more than standard deviation. Learn scenario analysis, sensitivity testing, and how to communicate uncertainty to executives.
M&A Analysis
Merger models require attention to synergy assumptions, integration costs, and deal structure implications. We work through actual transactions to see what matters most.
Financial Reporting
Reading beyond the numbers means understanding accounting choices, cash flow quality, and what management might not want you to notice. Essential for due diligence work.
Strategic Planning
Linking financial analysis to business strategy helps you contribute to discussions about growth, investment priorities, and competitive positioning in your industry.
Why Standard Finance Courses Miss the Mark
After working with 200+ analysts over the past eight years, I've noticed a pattern. People finish traditional finance programs knowing formulas but struggling when models don't behave as expected.
Real corporate finance involves judgment calls. Should you use forward-looking or historical betas? How do you adjust EBITDA for one-off items that keep recurring? What do you do when management's guidance conflicts with market expectations?
- Work through actual company financials with known outcomes
- Practice defending your analysis in simulated stakeholder meetings
- Learn to spot red flags in financial statements before problems emerge
- Understand when textbook methods need adaptation for real situations
The program runs over 14 weeks starting September 2025, with two evening sessions weekly. Most participants continue working full-time while attending.
Recent Work from Past Participants
These aren't hypothetical exercises. Each project addresses a real analytical challenge that came up in someone's actual work. Learning works better when stakes feel real.
Retail Sector Valuation
Olivia Kingsford built a comparable company model for an ASX-listed retailer, adjusting for lease accounting changes and addressing the challenge of valuing digital versus physical revenue streams.
Acquisition Due Diligence
Fletcher Ashworth evaluated a potential acquisition target for a mid-size manufacturing company, focusing on working capital adjustments and integration cost estimation that proved crucial to the final decision.
How the Program Works
Fourteen weeks, twice weekly sessions, and plenty of spreadsheet time. Each module builds on previous work, so missing sessions creates gaps that are hard to fill later.
Weeks 1-4: Valuation Fundamentals
Start with DCF mechanics, then move to comparable company and precedent transaction analysis. By week four, you'll have completed a full three-statement model for an actual company. Expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on assignments.
Weeks 5-8: Capital Structure and Risk
Examine how companies choose between debt and equity financing, calculate weighted average cost of capital, and build sensitivity analyses. We'll review several Australian companies' capital decisions from 2023-2024 to understand outcomes.
Weeks 9-12: Advanced Applications
M&A modeling, LBO analysis, and credit assessment techniques. The work gets more complex as we layer in multiple variables and real-world constraints. Group projects start in week ten.
Weeks 13-14: Comprehensive Project
Apply everything to a detailed analytical project of your choosing. Past participants have valued companies, assessed acquisition targets, or analysed strategic investment decisions. You'll present findings to the group and receive detailed feedback.
Caspian Valtonen
Program DirectorI spent twelve years in investment banking and corporate development before realising I preferred teaching people to do this work well over doing it myself. My background includes M&A advisory, equity research, and corporate finance roles at both Australian and international firms.
What frustrates me about most finance education is how little connection it has to actual analytical work. Models that assume perfect information, scenarios that ignore political realities, examples that somehow always work out cleanly. Real finance analysis is messier and more interesting.
This program reflects what I wish I'd learned earlier in my career. Not more formulas, but better judgment about when and how to apply them. The analysts who succeed aren't necessarily the ones with the fanciest Excel skills—they're the ones who understand business context and can communicate uncertainty honestly.