What the work is
A financial analyst helps a company make money decisions: whether to launch a project, where the budget is overspent, whether there will be enough cash next quarter. They build financial models and forecasts, analyse how actual results differ from plan, calculate payback and profitability, and prepare clear reports for management. The main tool is Excel, often alongside BI software and SQL.
A typical day
Updating the monthly revenue and cost report. Working out why logistics costs came in 15% over budget. Building the model for a new project: scenarios and sensitivity analysis. A short presentation of the findings to the finance director. Collecting assumptions from departments for next year’s budget.
How to start
- Learn the basics of accounting and the three statements: the balance sheet, the income statement and cash flow.
- Study corporate finance: the time value of money, NPV, IRR, ratio analysis.
- Get to an advanced level in Excel and confirm it with a test on the platform.
- Try analysing a real listed company’s reports and building a simple model.
Related professions
Accountant, economist, auditor, data analyst.