We’ve taken three operations that we perform most often when constructing calculations and automated them using macros. These additions will make a significant contribution to your construction skill efficiency, by removing the need to repeat lengthy keystroke combinations.

1. Financial Modelling
HANDBOOK
PRODUCTIVITY
financialmodellinghandbook.com
SHORTCUTS
Installing and using

2. The first rule of any technology
used in a business is that
automation applied to an
efficient operation will magnify
the efficiency.
The second is that automation
applied to an inefficient
operation will magnify the
inefficiency.
Bill Gates

3. ABOUT THE FINANCIAL
MODELLING HANDBOOK
Financial modelling should be collaborative. Collaboration reduces
error, speeds up development time and lowers cost. The Financial
Modelling Handbook is a collaborative, crowd-sourced guide to
building better financial models using the FAST Standard.
www.financialmodellinghandbook.com/contribute

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Financial Modelling
HANDBOOK
KENNY
Kenny Whitelaw-Jones talks
about financial modelling for a
living. He’s leading the Financial
Modelling Handbook project. He
hopes your name will be on the
cover when it’s published.

5. We’ve taken three operations that we perform most often when constructing
calculations and automated them using macros.
These additions will make a significant contribution to your construction skill
efficiency, by removing the need to repeat lengthy keystroke combinations.
financialmodellinghandbook.comFinancial Modelling
DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE AND THE
ACCOMPANYING EXCEL EXAMPLE
HANDBOOK
PRODUCTIVITY
SHORTCUTS
Installing and using

6. These macros have been:
A. Designed to reside in a separate file, and not inside a spreadsheet itself (to
avoid embedding non-essential macros within a model)
B. Saved in a hidden state (so that this file will not be in the way when you
work). To unhide simply: Window, Unhide
The first section of this guide shows you how to set up Excel to automatically load
the Macros file each time Excel runs.
Finally please note that Excel's inbuilt undo memory is cleared each time you
trigger a macro (not just these macros, but any macro).
financialmodellinghandbook.comFinancial Modelling
HANDBOOK
BEFORE WE BEGIN…

7. Download the file that
accompanies this
modelling guide.
Locate the XLSTART
folder. It often sits within
Program Files 
Microsoft Office  Office
14*
Copy the Macros file into
that folder.
Excel will open the
macro file each time
Excel launces.
financialmodellinghandbook.comFinancial Modelling
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INSTALLING – OPTION 1
1
1
*Office 14 is where your Office 2010 files are
stored. If you have other versions of office
installed you will have a different number here.

8. If you can’t locate your XLSTART
folder, or don’t have access to it,
there is another option.
Locate your Excel Options (within
the File menu).
Select the Advanced tab.
Scroll down to “General”.
Find “At start up, open all files in”.
Save your Macro file to a folder on
your machine and enter the file
path to that folder.
The folder you choose should only
contain files that you wish Excel to
open when it launches.
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INSTALLING – OPTION 2
2

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MACRO #1 – QUICK LINK
Quick Link (Paste link)
This performs a paste link
operation, and assumes that
you have just copied the
label of the line item you
want to link to, and so the
required information is on
the clipboard.
This performs the complete
paste link operation –
including the “F2, F4″ to
correct the anchoring state.

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MACRO #1 – QUICK LINK
3
Quick Link (Paste link)
As this example shows, the
formula in cell E58 has been
pasted from cell E48.
The macro will also format the
link in a blue font if it’s an import
from another sheet.
You’ll generally need to add
Control + Shift + A (Macro #2)
immediately afterwards to copy
the link across your time line.

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MACRO #2 - COPY ACROSS
Copy Across
This macro takes the formula from your copied cell and pastes it across the timeline of your
model.
4

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MACRO #2 - COPY ACROSS
Copy Across
The full sequence (without using a macro) is below:
Control + C, Control + Shift + Right arrow, Enter, Shift + F9
Using our new macro (Copy Across), the entire row is copied across the timeline of your
model – Increasing your efficiency and saving you time.
5

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HANDBOOK
MACRO #3 – ROW SUMMATION
Row Summation
(or Row total)
Position yourself in the row total column (often column H) and this shortcut will take care of the
rest.
The macro creates a total for the entire row.
6

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BEFORE YOU LEAVE
If you have found this guide
useful you may benefit from the
“Installing and using FAST
Format macros” guide.
Click on the image to right to
download from the Financial
Modelling Handbook website.