working capital is three ratios pointed at two lines — the balances are an output, never a guess.
The operating model closed last night and the cash flow statement is waiting on working capital. Diligence reset the day-count assumptions this morning — put them in the driver block and roll receivables, inventory and payables out across the plan. The change line at the bottom is the number the cash flow statement reads on Monday.
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+).
Shift+↑⇧↑ on macExtend selection one cell
Alt h f c⌥ h f c on macFont color
Font color: blue inputs, black formulas — the oldest convention in banking models, still enforced.
Shift+↓⇧↓ on macExtend selection one cell
Shift+→⇧→ on macExtend selection one cell
Nudge a selection one cell at a time when the block you need doesn’t end at a data edge.
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.
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 par-setting sequence, straight through:
type 38 / 61 / 46 down C5:C7 · alt h f c →×4 blue · E14 =E11/365*$C$5 · E15 =E12/365*$C$6 · E16 =-E12/365*$C$7 · E17 =SUM(E14:E16) · E18 =E17-D17 · ctrl+r · ctrl+b + alt h b p · ctrl+s