Excel tips for finance professionals.
Tutorials, comparisons, and productivity guides for analysts who live in spreadsheets.
=DIFF("v3 vs v4")How to Compare Two Excel Files and See What Actually Changed
Spreadsheet Compare, side-by-side view, formula view, helper columns. What each one misses, and why a single inserted row breaks most of them.
=OFFSET("volatile")Why Your Excel Model Is Slow (and How to Fix It)
Volatile functions, whole-column references, conditional-formatting bloat, and a used range that runs to row 1048576. The usual causes, and how to find each one.
=CIRCULAR("D42")How to Find and Fix Circular References in Excel
Excel names one cell, not the loop. How to find the whole ring, and how to tell a deliberate interest circularity from a mistake.
=LINKS("external")How to Find External Links in an Excel Workbook
Edit Links does not show you everything. Defined names, chart series, validation rules and very hidden sheets all carry links it never reports.
=SECURE("local")Does Your Excel Add-In Send Your Model to the Cloud?
Some Excel add-ins process your workbook locally; others upload it to a server. For a confidential financial model, that difference is the whole ballgame, here is how to tell which kind you are running.
=VERIFY("vendor")Vendor Security Questions Finance Teams Should Ask
A practical due-diligence checklist for any tool that touches your financial models, where data is processed, what is stored, what is transmitted, and what to get in writing.
=COMPARE("arixcel")ExcelSurge vs Arixcel: Auditing and Tracing Compared
Arixcel is a specialist in Excel formula auditing and tracing. ExcelSurge covers that too, plus formatting, shortcuts, and PowerPoint linking. Here is how to tell which one fits how you actually work.
=CHOOSE("add-in")How to Choose an Excel Add-In for Financial Modeling
Features, speed, security, price, and support, the criteria that actually separate Excel modeling add-ins, and the questions worth asking before one goes in your stack.
=AUDIT("pre-send")The 10-Minute Model Check Before You Hit Send
A practical pre-send audit for financial models: broken links, hidden errors, stale names, and the embarrassing stuff. Ten minutes that protect your reputation.
=FIND("425")How to Find Hardcoded Numbers in an Excel Model (Before They Find You)
Hardcodes buried inside formulas are the most common source of model errors. Four ways to find them in native Excel, from Go To Special to a five-line VBA scan.
=INPUT("blue")Excel Color Conventions for Financial Modeling: The Standard Nobody Wrote Down
Blue inputs, black formulas, green links. What the investment banking color standard means, why it exists, and how to apply it without clicking through menus.
=SWITCH("macabacus")Best Macabacus Alternatives for Finance Professionals (2026)
Looking for a Macabacus alternative? Compare ExcelSurge, Wall Street Training, and other Excel add-ins for IB, PE, and FP&A.
Essential Excel Shortcuts for Investment Banking Analysts (2026)
Master the keyboard shortcuts IB analysts use daily. From formatting to formula tracing, these Excel shortcuts will save you hours every week.
=PRECEDENTS(B12)How to Trace Precedents Across Sheets in Excel (Step-by-Step)
Tracing cell references across 40 tabs? Here's how to follow formulas across sheets in Excel using built-in tools and add-ins.