◆ Models I · drill · Financial Modeling Keyboard Mastery track
Build the unlevered FCF
Unlevered FCF is a cascade — NOPAT, add back D&A, take out capex and the NWC build; the row the DCF discounts.
Your VP wants the DCF in the model before the four o'clock, and the operating case stops at EBIT — nobody has built the cash row yet. Tax the EBIT at the rate on the assumptions line to reach NOPAT, net operating profit after tax, then add back D&A, take out capex and the increase in working capital, and carry the build across all five plan years. Total the plan and the row is ready to discount.
The shortcuts in this drill
Alt walks: tap Alt, release, then the letters in sequence — each key steps one ribbon menu. On a Mac, tap ⌥ and use the same letters (KeyTips, Excel 2024+).
Ctrl+R⌘R on macFill right from the cell to the left
Same as fill down, but across — one quarter’s formula becomes the whole year in two keystrokes.
Alt+=⌥ = on macAutoSum the adjacent range
AutoSum reads the block above or beside the cursor and proposes the SUM — foot rows and columns without typing a formula.
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Alt h b p⌥ h b p on macTop border
Top border above a total row — the accounting ruling that says “this line sums the ones above.”
functions you'll type: SUM()
The optimal line
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
B7 =-B6*$B$15 · B8 =B6+B7 · B12 =SUM(B8:B11) · B7:F8 and B12:F12 → ctrl+r · B12:G12 → alt+= · A12:G12 → ctrl+b alt h b p · ctrl+s
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