CFI’s FMVA certification is one of the most popular online program for financial modelling and practical applications in financial analysis.

Most people that work in corporate finance know how important it’s to upskill their capabilities to continuously grow in their field and to stay competitive in the labor market.

The FMVA is a comprehensive program that covers a wide range of topics: from accounting and Excel, to financial analysis / modelling and data presentation.

I feel like my financial modelling and Excel capabilities noticeably improve after I finish the program. The scope and complexity of my models is superiors; my former and current boss is happy with my deliverables.

Without doubting I recommend the FMVA to any current or aspiring financial analyst that is passionate about finance and wants to learn and grow professionally. This certification will give the student/professional an edge in the labor market.

FMVA Evolution

I bought the FMVA half way through 2020, when Covid was changing the normal way of operating of many business. Back then, the program was going though some changes: the CFI was updating the courses, adding new one’s for Power BI and Excel, and changing the certification requirements.

Now, the program is more robust than ever. This is a summary of what you can find in the current curriculum:

1. Financial Analysis Fundamentals
2. 3 of the most common financial statement modelling
3. Accounting fundamentals (focused to financial modelling)
4. Other financial models like: DFC, Comparable valuation, Budgeting, Forecast, FP&A.
5. Scenarios and Sensitivity Analysis in Excel
6. Dashboards & Data Visualization
7. Business/Valuation Cases
8. Excel, advance formulas, VBA, Power BI
9. Statistics and more

Walking the Extra Mile

To anyone that is interested in taking the FMVA, I highly recommend to walk the extra mile and make the effort to put into practice (ideally in your current job) the skills you learn in the program.

Avoid falling into the passive learning trap. Instead jump into action and be proactive with the knowledge you will acquire. By testing what you learning and creating new things with this knowledge, you will make the most out of your investment.

For example, with my previous employer I built a financial model of the three financial statements to help make the decision of acquiring a new pharmaceutical representation from Asia. Thanks to my model, we were able to identify the pros and cons of the business, specially the working capital requirements and the impact in the cashflow.

Walking this extra mile is not easy. I had to review the course content and expand my knowledge with additional resources, investing long hours into building the model, but, at the end, everything has been worth it.

The Verdict

In summary, if you have the resources to finance the certification I highly recommend you to take the FMVA. I enjoyed the program so much that right now I’m working in completing their data analysis program BIDA.

The FMVA has a comprehensive number of courses that are excellent to help you take your career to the next level. You an check their website by clicking the following link.

Thank you for taking your time to read my review. If you have any additional questions of the program don’t hesitate to contact me through the contact form.